11 Night Highlights Tour of
ISRAEL
11 Nights * 13 Days * 8 Touring Days
Tuesday Departure/Wednesday Arrival
4 nights Tel Aviv * 2 nights Galilee
5 nights Jerusalem
DAY 1, TUESDAY - DEPARTURE
• Depart the United States on our overnight flight to Israel. (Contact Ayelet Tours for assistance booking flights)
DAY 2, WEDNESDAY - WELCOME TO ISRAEL
• Shalom and welcome to Israel.
• Greeting and assistance at Ben Gurion airport by an Ayelet representative.
• Transfer to our hotel; remainder of the day is on own at leisure.
Overnight Tel Aviv
DAY 3, THURSDAY - TEL AVIV UP CLOSE
?? Breakfast at our hotel.
• Begin our day at Independence Hall, site of the 1948 signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence.
• Visit Latrun, Israel's outdoor armed corps museum. Here we explore and touch the tanks and artillery used by the Israeli Defense Force and enemy armies throughout the country's history.
• Explore “Mini-Israel”, where we view the famous sites and cities of Israel reproduced in exact to-scale miniature replicas, including biblical, historical, and modern landmarks.
• Continue to the Ayalon Institute, an underground ammunition factory that played a pivotal role in Israel's fight for independence at the end of the British Mandate.
Overnight Tel Aviv
DAY 4, FRIDAY - EXPLORING TEL AVIV
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv, Israel's vibrant center of business and entertainment.
• Visit the Diaspora Museum, where we learn about the history of Jewish emigration since the destruction of the Second Temple and see models of some of the world's most well known and majestic synagogues.
• Stop for a moment of reflection at Rabin Square, place of the assassination of Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin.
• Visit one of the oldest ports in the world at Ancient Jaffa, where we walk among the many artists, vendors and cafes as we hear the history of the ancient port.
• Continue to Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood of Tel Aviv, built in 1909, now experiencing a renaissance.
• Enjoy the entertainers, artists, shop owners, colorful vendors and craftspeople that bring the streets to life on Nachalat Binyamin and in the adjacent Carmel Market.
• Next browse along Sheinkin Street, the lively and colorful street especially known for its unique shops and cafes.
Overnight Tel Aviv
DAY 5, SATURDAY - SHABBAT SHALOM!
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Enjoy a day at leisure to explore Tel Aviv on own. This seaside city pulses with energy day and night. Enjoy the world class museums, high fashion, and excellent gourmet cuisine on offer throughout the city.
Overnight Tel Aviv
DAY 6, SUNDAY - THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning we check out of our hotel and drive north along Israel's scenic coastal plain.
• Drive along the Mediterranean Coast to Caesarea, the ancient Roman capital of the area. Here we view the Roman Theater, the aqueduct, and ancient port as well as the impressive excavations of the Crusaders' city.
• We continue to Megiddo, site of biblical Armageddon, whose 20 layers of civilization were featured in James Michener's The Source.
• Our next stop is Daliat El Carmel, a Druze village, where we have the opportunity to learn about their unique culture.
• Enjoy a late lunch at a local restaurant.
• We stop atop Mt. Carmel in Haifa, where we take in the view of the sea, and the amazing terraced Bahai Gardens.
• Continue into the Galilee.
• Dinner at our kibbutz.
Overnight Kibbutz in the Galilee
DAY 7, MONDAY - SAFED AND THE GOLAN
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We tour the mystical city of Safed - center of Kabbalistic practice. Explore the narrow
alleyways lined with ancient synagogues and artists' galleries.
• Enjoy a jeep ride up to the Golan Heights, where we pass former Syrian bunkers and stop atop Har Bental for panoramic views stretching far into neighboring Syria. Our guide updates us on the geopolitical situation in the area.
• We continue to Kuneitra, former Syrian administrative capital of the region and Katzrin, the Israeli administrative capital of the region.
• We stop at the award winning Golan winery for a tour and tasting.
• We then visit Kesem Hagolan to watch a spectacular multimedia presentation of the area and its history in the 180 degree IMAX movie theater.
• Dinner at our kibbutz.
Overnight Kibbutz in the Galilee
DAY 8, TUESDAY - THE SEA OF GALILEE AND NAZARETH
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a visit to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, ** which some believe marks the site of Mary's childhood home and the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel.
• We continue to Tiberias, one of four holy cities in Judaism, where we visit the grave of the medieval sage Maimonides.
• We continue to Capernaum where Jesus began his ministry, and site of numerous miracles. We see the ruins of several synagogues and the octagonal Church of St. Peter.
• Our next stop is the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
• Visit the extensive Roman ruins of Beit Shean, destroyed over 1,300 years ago by earthquake, and recently excavated and reconstructed on a massive and impressive scale.
• Visit the intricate mosaics in the synagogue at Beit Alpha.
Overnight Jerusalem
DAY 9, WEDNESDAY - JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with an ascent up the Mount of Olives for a magnificent panoramic view of the City of Gold.
• We continue to Mt. Zion, where we visit the tomb of King David and then proceed to the Upper Room, believed to be the site of the Last Supper.
• We enter the walled Old City and walk through the newly restored Jewish quarter, including the Roman Cardo marketplace and the Herodian quarter excavations.
• Enjoy a spiritual visit, and time for reflection at the Western Wall.
• We walk the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
• We continue to Bethlehem** (security permitting) to view the tomb of Rachel, wife of biblical patriarch Jacob.
• We visit the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square.
Overnight Jerusalem
DAY 10, THURSDAY - NEW JERUSALEM
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at the extensive galleries of the Israel Museum, which recently completed a $100 million renovation and is world class in every way. The galleries range from pop and modern art, through renaissance and classical, with a strong emphasis on Jewish and Israeli archeological history and evidence going back thousands of years. Walk through the iconic Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, and see the impressive scale replica, in miniature, of Jerusalem as it was during the second temple period.
• We continue to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, where we take a tour and have time for a unique photo opportunity by the amazing outdoor bronze menorah sculpture, a gift given from England's parliament.
• Visit Mt Herzl, Jerusalem's military cemetery, where we visit the gravesites of Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin, and learn from our guide some of the heroic stories of those buried here.
• We continue to Yad Vashem, the memorial to the 6 Million Jews murdered in the Holocaust - here we view the many moving exhibitions including the Hall of Names and the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations.
• We continue to Mea Shearim, an Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem to learn about the unique lifestyle of the residents.
• Tonight we enjoy a Middle Eastern dinner together, included.
• Afterward, we enjoy a spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David (weather permitting).
Overnight Jerusalem
Day 11, Friday: MASADA AND THE DEAD SEA
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Early this morning we depart for the Dead Sea Basin.
• Stop at Qumeran, site where Dead Sea scrolls were found.
• Ascend to King Herod's fortresses and castle atop Masada, ascending by cable car. Visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, and the bathhouses, learning about the Jewish Zealots last stand against the Roman forces.
• Enjoy lunch and an unsinkable swim in the healing salty waters of the Dead Sea.
Overnight Jerusalem
Day 12, Saturday: SHABBAT SHALOM
• Breakfast at our hotel - Enjoy a day at leisure to explore Jerusalem on own.
Overnight Jerusalem
Day 13, Sunday: DEPARTURE
• Breakfast at our hotel
• Depart for Ben Gurion Airport for our flight back to the United States. L'hitraot!
THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!
*Itinerary subject to change
**Visit subject to availability
The above program can be extended and customized for groups or private families.