THE GRAND TOUR OF ISRAEL 2008-2010 GUARANTEED DEPARTURES 14 DAYS / 12 NIGHTS / WEEKLY FRIDAY ARRIVALS INCLUDING 3 DAY NEGEV & EILAT EXTENSION

14 Days / 12 Nights Fully Escorted Tour of Israel / Operated Weekly with Friday Arrivals General Sightseeing /English Speaking Tour / Including 3 Days Negev & Eilat Extension

» Tour Dates and Rates   » Inclusions   » Eilat Extension                                   

                                                                                                 Tel Aviv Shoreline

Day 1 - Thursday: U.S Departure                                                          Fly from North America to Israel 

Day 2 - Friday
Arrival in Israel: Welcome to Israel

Arrive at the new Ben-Gurion Airport. Meet our representative and transfer to your hotel in Tel Aviv for check in. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 3 - Saturday: Free day in Tel Aviv

Free Shabbat to enjoy Tel Aviv, the city that never sleeps.

Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 4 - Sunday: Tel Aviv to Haifa

Diaspora Museum / Caesarea / Druze villages

After Breakfast depart Tel Aviv and drive to the Diaspora Museum for a visit.Proceed along the coastal plain to Caesarea, capital of Judea under the Romans.  See the excavations of the Crusader city and the Roman port, aqueduct and the amphitheatre that has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue. Continue via the Druze villages to Haifa. Overnight: Haifa

Day 5 - Monday: Haifa to the Golan Heights

Haifa / Mount Carmel / Safed / Katzrin

Our tour of Haifa will begin After Breakfast at the summit of Mount Carmel where you will take in a breathtaking panoramic view of the Haifa Bay and Western Galilee.  Continue on to the golden domed Bahai Shrine to visit the exotic Persian Gardens.  Proceed to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the ancient synagogues and the artists’ colony.  Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin. Drive to the lower Galilee for our lodging in Kibbutz Lavi. Meet with the Kibbutz members & learn about their unique lifestyle. Dinner at the Kibbutz Hotel. Overnight: Galilee - Kibutz Lavi

Day 6 - Tuesday: Galilee

Sea of Galilee /Capernaum / Nazareth /Beit Shean /Beit Alpha / Jerusalem

After Breakfast start the day with a visit to the town on Tiberias. Drive to Capernaum to see the ruins of the synagogue and octagonal Church of St . Peter . Proceed to Nazareth , here you will visit the Church of the Annunciation .  Drive around the new Jewish town and visit the Arab market.  Drive via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac.

Drive to Jerusalem. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 7 - Wednesday: Old City Jerusalem

Visit the tomb of King David on Mt. Zion and the room of the last supper. Enter the walled city and walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo, the Herodian Quarter and continue to the Western Wall.  Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Proceed to Mount Scopus and then to the Mount of Olives for a magnificent panoramic view of the Old City.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 8 - Thursday: New City Jerusalem

Drive to the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem to see the Chagall stained glass windows.  Continue to Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust and then to the Israel Museum.  Visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. At the same grounds of the Museum we will visit the Miniature model of Jerusalem as it was 2000 years ago .We will see the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 9 - Friday: Jerusalem to the Dead Sea

Qumeran / Massada / Dead Sea

Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, almost 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level.  Stop at Qumran to visit the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Massada.  Ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans before committing mass suicide in 73 AD.  Descend by cable car, time and weather permitting, an opportunity will be provided to float on the Dead Sea.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 10 - Saturday: Free day in Jerusalem

Free day to enjoy the special atmosphere of Shabbat in Jerusalem. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 11 - Sunday: From Jerusalem to Eilat

Negev desert /Air force  Museum /Sde Boker / Mitzpeh Ramon / Timna / Eilat

Travel south to the Negev desert, visit  Israel’s  Air force  Museum at  Hatzerim to view the planes and equipment and to hear the story of this brave fighting force. Visit Sde Boker and see Ben Gurion’s hut and grave overlooking the magnificent Zin valley. Stop at  Mitzpeh Ramon to gaze into the Ramon crater, a geological wonder. Drive to Timna to see the copper mines and King Solomon’s Pillars and marvel at the huge multi-colored rock formations. Arrive in Eilat on the Red Sea. Overnight: Eilat 

Day 12 - Monday: Free day in Eilat

After breakfast enjoy a free day in Eilat, stroll the beaches and swim in the chilly water of the Red Sea. Enjoy some of  the various water sport activities and exciting attractions such as the Dolphin Reef, Camel tours, ATV & Jeep desert tours, Yacht sailing and much more. Overnight: Eilat 

Or take an optional day tour to the Rose City of Petra:

After breakfast take a full day tour to the city of Petra. Transfer from your hotel to the Arava border point with Jordan, cross into Jordan and drive to Petra . Visit to the wonders of the ancient city of Petra the Rose Red City carved by the Nabataeans out of solid rock. A visit to Petra is one of the true highlights of any tour to the Middle East. For hundreds of years, Petra was forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1812. The entire city is carved into the sides of a deep gorge, which is entered on foot or by horse- drawn carriages. In the late afternoon return to your hotel in Eilat.

Day 13 - Tuesday  -  From Eilat to Tel Aviv

Eilat City Tour / Mamshit / Bedouin hospitality / Tel-Aviv

After breakfast visit the underwater observatory, a large sea aquarium built into a coral reef. Drive to Mamshit for a Camel ride experience and a visit the an authentic Bedouin tent. Learn about the Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch. Proceed to Tel-Aviv. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 14 - Wednesday: Tel-Aviv Departure back to the U.S

After breakfast transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your transatlantic flight back to the U.S.A. Take home your fond memories of Israel that will last a lifetime and start planning your next fun-filled trip to Israel.....