Highlights of the Holy Land Best Experience - 8 Days

The beginning of your journey in the Holy Land. 

Upon arrival to Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv. Check in at the hotel in Tel Aviv.

Overnight: Tel Aviv

Meet you tour guide in the morning and set off from Tel Aviv, driving south, passing by the cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beersheba, the capital of the Negev Desert.  Continue via Arad to Masada. Ascend by cable car to the fortress, which was  the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans.

Visit the excavations including Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, bathhouse and cisterns.

Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea.

Descend for a “float” in the salty water of the world’s lowest place – the Dead Sea.

Proceed to Jerusalem for overnight.

Note:  that the travel route to Masada may occasionally be via Jerusalem rather than the southern roads.

Explore Yad Vashem, the solemn memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, founded in 1953 and nestled at the base of Mount Herzl. Discover the Israel Museum's Shrine of the Book, home to the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls, and marvel at the meticulously restored model of Herodian Jerusalem, dating back to the era of the Second Temple. Stroll through Ein Karem, a charming village on the southern edge of Jerusalem, revered in Christian tradition as the birthplace of John the Baptist.

Visit Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and experience the historic Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Conclude the day with a return to your hotel in Jerusalem.

Enter the Old City of Jerusalem where you will see the Western Wall and the actual site of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount. Walk the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, to Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, housing both the traditional site of Crucifixion and the Tomb of the Resurrection.

To the southwest, just outside the Old City, is Mount Zion, with the traditional tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem - the holy city for each of the world’s three great religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam, from atop the Mount of Olives. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus. In the heart of a neighborhood in downtown Jerusalem, visit Mahane Yehuda to experience the flavors, aromas, colors and the traders' interaction with the crowds, at the largest open market in Israel.

Leave Jerusalem and drive north passing by Jericho, the oldest city in the world.  Travel through the Jordan Valley and the new settlements to Beit Shean, to visit the excavations of this beautifully preserved Roman city.  Drive up to the Golan Heights to enjoy an Israeli wine country experience, enjoying a tour, wine tasting and understanding of the wine production process.  Travel through the Golan, with its Druze villages, former Syrian fortifications and panoramic views of Mount Hermon and into Syria.  Descend to the Hula Valley and drive to Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee - regarded as one of the four Holy cities in Judaism, where the Jewish Talmud - the primary source of Jewish religious law - was compiled, with tombs of Rabbis scattered across the city.

Overnight in Tiberias.

Along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, proceed to Capernaum, to visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue, the Mount of Beatitudes, traditional site of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ and Tabgha, the traditional site of the ‘miracle of the loaves and the fish’. Optional sailing on a boat across the Sea of Galilee to experience the tranquility and scenery little changed during the past 2000 years (subject to conditions and extra fee if available).

On to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation and Christian holy sites.

Return to Tiberias for overnight.

After Breakfast drive west to Acre for a visit of the old, famous Crusader stronghold and medieval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, for a panoramic sightseeing tour of the city, including the Baha'i Shrine, Persian Garden, Mount Carmel and Haifa bay.

Proceed southwards to Caesarea to visit the ancient port, including the Roman Theater and the Hippodrome. Continue to Tel Aviv-Jaffa for a short city tour and to your hotel for overnight.

Check out of the hotel following breakfast.

Option to book extra nights .

Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for the flight home.