Interfaith Israel Tour Grande – 15 Days

• Enjoy our first delicious breakfast in Israel
• Visit Independence Hall, Latrun (Armored Corps), Beit Guvrin National Park, and the Ayalon Institute
• Evening at leisure
• Overnight in Tel Aviv

Independence Hall is the room where the State of Israel was declared in 1948. Latrun is a tank museum and memorial site for fallen soldiers. Beit Guvrin National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with ruins, an amphitheater, and more. The Ayalon Institute is a secret ammunition factory that played a role in the fight for Israeli independence.

• Begin the day with breakfast at our hotel
• Diaspora Museum: Also known as Beit Hatfusot, this museum tells the story of the Jewish people and their connection to their roots
• Tel Aviv’s “White City”: Collection of over 4,000 Bauhaus-style buildings built in the 1930s by German Jewish architects, declared a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO
• Rabin Square: Public square in the center of Tel Aviv, site of political rallies and events, renamed in 1995 to honor late Prime Minister of Israel, Itzhak Rabin
• Old Jaffa: Ancient port city believed to be 8,000 years old, with ancient ruins and artist quarter
• Neve Tzedek: Fashionable neighborhood with avant-garde design, European restaurants, and contemporary dance center
• Nachalat Binyamin: Outdoor mall with historical buildings and art fair held twice weekly
• Sheinkin Street: Lively street with unique shops and cafes
• Evening at leisure in Tel Aviv
• Overnight in Tel Aviv

• Start the day with a delicious breakfast at the hotel
• Spend the day exploring Tel Aviv at your leisure
• In the evening, you have the option to relax or venture out and discover the city’s nightlife
• Spend the night in Tel Aviv, getting a good rest for the adventures ahead

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel
• Check out and begin a drive north along the Mediterranean Sea to Haifa
• Visit Caesarea, a city built by Herod and once the capital of Judea, with a restored Roman amphitheater and excavated fortress
• Explore Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s walled, fortified cities with 20 levels of civilization, including a well-preserved water supply system
• Stop in the Druze village of Daliat-el-Carmel for a late lunch at a local restaurant
• Ascend Mt. Carmel for a panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the Botanical Gardens
• Drive through the hills of the Galilee to a kibbutz guest house in the Upper Galilee for check-in
• Dinner at the hotel
• Overnight in the Galilee

• Hotel breakfast
• Safed (Tzfat): One of the Four Holy cities in tradition, known for its synagogues (Joseph Caro and Ari) and artist quarter located at high elevation in the Galilee region
• Golan Heights: Visit former Syrian bunkers, destroyed Syrian city of Kuneitra, Israeli town of Katzrin, and Golan Heights Winery (tour and wine tasting)
• Golan Magic: Multimedia presentation of the area’s history
• Return to hotel and dinner
• Overnight in the Galilee

• Hotel breakfast
• Nazareth: Visit Grotto of the Annunciation, Church of St. Joseph, and site of ancient City Well, believed to be where Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
• Capernaum: Visit remains of 2nd century synagogue (octagonal Church of St. Peter) and site of Jesus’ miracles
• Mount of Beatitudes: Where Jesus preached “The Sermon On The Mount” (Matt. 5)
• Beit Shean: Excavated Roman city with amphitheater, colonnaded streets, mosaics, and bathhouses
• Beit Alpha: Remains of mosaic floor of ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac
• Jordan Valley: See desert bloom with flowers and vegetation as prophesied in Isaiah 35:1-2
• Drive to Jerusalem and check-in to hotel
• Overnight in Jerusalem

• Hotel breakfast
• Mount of Olives: Located east of the Old City, features panoramic view of Old City and Golden Gates and site where Jesus prayed before His crucifixion
• Upper Room and David’s Tomb at Mt. Zion: Located above David’s Tomb compound, believed by many to be the room where Jesus had His last Passover meal before His incarceration
• Jewish Quarter (Old City): Located in the southeastern sector of the walled city, stretches from the Zion Gate in the south to the Western Wall and Temple Mount in the east, reconstructed after the Six-Day War in 1967, features the “Cardo” (Roman thoroughfare and ancient marketplace) and the Herodian quarter
• Western Wall: Also known as the “Kotel” or “Wailing Wall”, holiest place for Jews, last remaining structure of the temple
• Via Dolorosa: Also known as the “Stations of the Cross”, pathway to Jesus’ Crucifixion, now home to colorful bazaars and merchant marketplace
• Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Believed by many Christians to be site of Golgotha and Jesus’ resurrection
• Bethlehem: Visit inside the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the animal stable where Jesus was born, and view Rachel’s Tomb
• Return to hotel and evening at leisure
• Overnight in Jerusalem

• Hotel breakfast
• Israel Museum: Shrine of the Book houses preserved Dead Sea scrolls found in Qumran caves by a shepherd, scale model of the Old City of Jerusalem in the 2nd Temple era
• Knesset: Israel’s parliament, opened in 1950 after functioning in various locations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem since Israel’s creation
• Mt. Hertzel: Cemetery for fallen soldiers, leaders, and Prime Ministers
• Yad Vashem: Holocaust memorial museum commemorating 6 million Jews who died in concentration camps in Europe, considered the largest memorial for Holocaust victims
• Mea Shearim: Vibrant ultra-orthodox neighborhood in the heart of Jerusalem, unique lifestyle and culture, Judaica shops, and restaurants
• Dinner at authentic restaurant, followed by Sound and Light show at Tower of David Museum
• Overnight in Jerusalem

• Hotel breakfast
• Drive to Dead Sea, 1305 feet (398 meters) below sea level
• Qumran: Site of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery by a shepherd boy
• Masada: Legendary mountaintop plateau, site of the last stronghold of Jewish Zealots against Romans, cable car ascent
• Dead Sea: Small body of water (lake size) and lowest point on earth, 11%-13% salt and other natural ingredients, Dead Sea mud, impossible to sink
• Return to hotel in Jerusalem
• Overnight in Jerusalem

• Hotel breakfast
• Shabbat (Saturday) day at leisure to relax and explore the city at your own pace
• Evening at leisure to enjoy the city’s nightlife or rest after a week of sightseeing
• Overnight in Jerusalem

• Hotel breakfast in Jerusalem, depart for Eilat through the Negev desert
• Timna Park in the Negev Desert: Rich in copper ore, site of mining since 5th millennium BCE, visit copper mines and view King Solomon’s pillars
• Underwater Observatory in Eilat: Largest natural aquarium in the world, built into coral reef for a unique underwater experience
• Check-in to hotel in Eilat
• Suggested dinner reservation at “The Last Refuge,” a popular seafood restaurant in Eilat
• Overnight in Eilat

• Mitzpeh Ramon: Geological feature in Israel’s Negev desert. The largest national park in Israel, the Ramon Nature Reserve.
• Sde Boker: Kibbutz in the Negev desert, home of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. Overlooks the Zin Valley.
• Bedouin Village: Camel safari in the desert, followed by a biblical light lunch and Bedouin hospitality.
• Hatzerim Air Force Museum: Israeli Air Force base in the Negev Desert, view planes and equipment from past Israel wars.
• Arrive in Tel Aviv and check in to hotel. Suggested dinner reservations at TBA.
• Overnight in Tel Aviv.

• After breakfast, check out from the hotel and transfer to Ben Gurion Airport
• Depart for home with lasting memories of Israel
• Optional: Extend stay in Israel

• Hotel taxes and service charges
• Touring in a Deluxe vehicle with professional driver
• Professional, government licensed English speaking guide
• Entrance fees to all sites and parks
• Meet and assist at Ben Gurion Airport
• Transfers to/from Ben Gurion Airport
• Israeli style buffet breakfast daily
• 2 dinners in the Galilee
• 1 dinner at authentic restaurant in Jerusalem
• 1 Druze lunch
• 1 light lunch at Bedouin village
• Shalom Journeys host/hostess at Ben Gurion Airport
• Sound and Light show at Tower of David Museum
• Nazareth and Western Wall (Kotel) visits
• Travel documents, maps, pens, luggage tags

• International airfare
• Travel insurance
• Tips for guide and driver
• Lunch daily (except as mentioned above)

• Yad Vashem
• Israel Museum
• Knesset – Israel’s Parliament
• Mt. Hertzel
• Mea Sheharim
• Mount of Olives
• Mount Zion: Tomb of King David, Upper Room

• Qumran
• Masada
• Dead Sea swim facility

• Church of the Nativity
• Rachel’s Tomb

• Caesarea
• Mt. Carmel
• Druze Village
• Megiddo

• Safed
• Golan Heights (former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin)
• Nazareth
• Mount of the Beatitudes
• Capernaum
• Beit Shean
• Beit Alpha

• Christian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem
• Via Dolorosa
• Church of the Holy Seplechre
• Jewish Quarter of the Old City
• Herodian
• Kotel – Western Wall

• Timna Park (Solomon’s Pillars)
• Underwater Observatory
• Bedouin Hospitality
• Mitzpe Ramon
• Sde Boker
• Hatzerim (Air force Museum) and much more