English

From Basel to Jerusalem
From Dream to Reality
Led by Roni Schwartz
April 20-30, 2020

Tour Rates & Dates:

This package is currently unavailable. Please check back later or call Ayelet Tours, Ltd. for more information.
*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
All rates above are in US Dollars, and are based on full payment by credit card unless otherwise noted.
If check payment discount is available for this tour, it can be selected after clicking "BOOK" above.
(Deposit can still be paid by credit card). Upgraded room categories may be available to book later in the booking process.
If Land & Air price is displayed, the air portion includes tax and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change until ticketed.

 Early Bird Discount:
Save $300 per person if registered by January 20, 2020!
(Discount applied after clicking "book" above)

Group flights coming soon.

Tour Overview:

INCLUDED IN THIS UNFORGETTABLE TOUR:

2 nights Les Trois Rois, Basel
4 nights Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
2 nights Sheraton Hotel, Tel Aviv
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with expert English-speaking guides Breakfast daily
Welcome dinner in Basel (vegetarian) (full tour only)
Welcome dinner in Jerusalem with the Deputy Mayor (subject to confirmation)
Private Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem
Dinner at Tel Aviv hotel
Yom Ha'Atzmaut dinner party
Farewell dinner in Tel Aviv
Meeting with a member of the Knesset
Machane Yehuda tasting tour
Burma Road jeep tour
Yom Ha'Atzmaut air and boat show
Meeting with scholar Rachel Korazim
Wine at welcome, Shabbat and farewell dinners
Transfer included if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Porterage
Bottled water on the bus
Whisper headsets

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip and internal airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges (group flights available with internal flight from Basel to Tel Aviv via Frannkfurt.  *Please note, internal flights are only part of the group flights.  If booking flights on own, please contact our office for assistance booking your internal flight).
Border taxes or visa fees
Tips to guides, drivers and dining room waiters ($22 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (highly recommended)

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Monday, April 20, 2020: DEPARTURE

• We depart the United States on our overnight flights to Switzerland.

Day 2: Tuesday, April 21, 2020: WELCOME TO BASEL!

• We arrive in Basel and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We begin with a walk in Basel's Old Town with its beautiful buildings, followed by a stop at the City Hall and the site of the first Zionist Congress.
• Next, we host a ceremony at the Shoah Memorial.
• Later this afternoon, we check into our hotel and refresh before our welcome dinner this evening.

Overnight in Basel

Day 3: Wednesday, April 22, 2020: JEWISH HISTORY IN BASEL

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a visit to the Basel Historical Museum, home to the most inclusive and diverse collection of historical and cultural artifacts on the Upper Rhine and one of the largest museums of its kind.
• Our next stop is at the Shoah Memorial and Museum at the Synagogue de Saint-Louis located just across the border in France.
• We continue to Lengnau to visit the synagogue and museum.
• Later this afternoon, we return to Basel for an evening at leisure and dinner on own.

*Note, those traveling on the Israel only tour depart the United States this evening.
Overnight in Basel
Day 4: Thursday, April 23, 2020: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport for our flight to Israel, where we are met by our local Ayelet Tours representative. Those on the Israel only tour arrive today and meet us at the airport.
• We ascend to Jerusalem, stopping atop Mt. Scopus to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold.
• We take a geopolitical bus tour through Jerusalem and pass by the new American Embassy on the way to our hotel to check in.
• This evening, we join together for a welcome dinner joined by the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, who provides insight on politics in Jerusalem.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Friday, April 24, 2020: WE REMEMBER

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Here, we explore some of the newly found materials relating to places, people, and events connected to the Holocaust, including:
o Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations
o Exhibit of children's drawings
o Children's memorial
• We complete our visit at Yad Vashem with a group memorial service at the Valley of the Lost Communities.
• At Mt. Herzl, Jerusalem's military cemetery, we pay our respects at the gravesites of Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, followed by a stop at the new Remembrance Hall.
• We return to our hotel for time to relax and refresh.
• As the sun begins to set, we join together to welcome Shabbat at the Kotel with the people of Jerusalem, followed by a private Shabbat dinner at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Saturday, April 25, 2020: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Enjoy the morning at leisure relaxing or attending Shabbat services on own.
• This afternoon, we set out on a walking tour to the Mt. Zion Hotel to see the Cable Car Museum used to secretly transport supplies for residents and defenders of the Old City and commemorating Israeli ingenuity during the War of Independence.
• Atop Mt. Zion, we take in the panoramic view of Jerusalem and the Western Wall, then walk to the bottom to visit the Dormition Abbey.
• We return to our hotel for Havdallah, marking the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.
• Early this evening, we meet with Jerusalem Post Palestinian Affairs correspondent, Khaled Abu Toameh, for a lecture entitled “A Snapshot of Palestinian Society”.
• Dinner on own tonight.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Sunday, April 26, 2020: ISRAEL THROUGH THE AGES

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital for a tour of the Sarah Wetsman tower, featuring the most modern hospital facilities in the region. We meet with staff and patients and take an in-depth look at this cutting-edge medical facility and how it has adapted to ever-changing needs.
• Next, we visit the Knesset, Israel's parliament building, and meet a member of the Knesset to hear about the current state of affairs in Israeli politics.
• We continue to Ir David, the City of David to view the old and new excavations, followed by a viewing of the 3D movie about the history of ancient Jerusalem.
• We go underground in the Old City for a behind the scenes tour of the Western Wall tunnels, where we discover the archaeological wonders that once remained untouched for centuries, including some of the newest excavations.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8: Monday, April 27, 2020: FROM JERUSALEM TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Today, we visit the Supreme Court and meet with one of the justices to learn about Israel's judicial system.
• We continue with a walking tour through colorful Nachlaot, considered by many to be Jerusalem's most pluralistic community, mixing the various streams of Orthodox Judaism with secular residents.
• Next, we visit the lively Machane Yehuda, where we take in the sights, smells and sounds of the bustling marketplace as we try some of Israel's delicacies on our tasting tour.
• We travel to Tel Aviv and check into our hotel to refresh before dinner together at our hotel.
• Following dinner, we participate in a ceremony in honor of Yom Hazikaron (Israel's Memorial Day) At the Neurim Youth Village and join the Jerusalemites in singing their songs at the First Station.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 9: Tuesday, April 28, 2020: THE ROAD TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we set out on a jeep tour along the Burma Road as our guide narrates the struggle for Jerusalem in 1948 and the stories brought to mind by the views of famous biblical sites along the way.
• Our next stop is at Latrun, Israel's outdoor armored corps museum, where we explore the tanks and artillery used by the Israeli Defense Forces throughout the country's history.
• This afternoon, we come together for a Yom Hazikaron ceremony.
• We continue with a tour of the Rabin Center, where the spiraling exhibits lead us through the modern history of the state and broader world history through the prism of the life of one of Israel's most beloved leaders, Yitzhak Rabin.
• This afternoon, we follow Independence Trail on a walking tour through the Ahuzat Bayit neighborhood, where the city was originally developed. We also watch a movie about the foundation of the state of Israel.
• Tonight, we celebrate the start of Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Independence Day) at a dinner party with our Hadassah friends.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 10: Wednesday, April 29, 2020: YOM HA'ATZMAUT

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day in Old Jaffa at the home of scholar Rachel Korazim for a discussion entitled “From Basel to Jerusalem”.
• We stroll through Neve Tzedek to see the artistic graffiti painted on the walls and buildings and learn how it is an important form of expression in the community.
• At Trumpeldor Cemetery, we see the final resting place of Shoshana Damar, Arik Einstein, Haim Nachman Bialik and others.
• We head to the beach to enjoy the exciting air and boat show in celebration of Yom Ha'Atzmaut.
• Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon relaxing at the beach or exploring Tel Aviv on own.
• This evening, we check out of our hotel and come together for a festive farewell dinner, recalling all that we have experienced on our journey together.
• We transfer to the airport for our overnight flights back to the United States.

Day 11: Thursday, April 30, 2020: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in the United States this morning.


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*itinerary subject to change