Israel – The Family Tour #1 (9 Days)
jerusalem, israel
Israel – 9 days/8 nights Family Tour sample Itinerary
Highlights: Tel Aviv, Galilee, Acco, Golan Heights, Jordan Valley, Beit, She’an, Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Gedi, Jerusalem
Day 1
Arrival in Israel
Upon arrival in Israel and after customs you will be welcomed by your driver and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv.
Rest of the evening is at leisure in Jerusalem to relax, enjoy and get ready for your Israel Experience.
*Overnight in Tel Aviv.
Day 2
Tel Aviv
Free day in Tel Aviv*, at leisure, beach, shopping, attractions.
Options (on your own): bicycle ride along the promenade, Segway tours.
We will be happy to make you the appropriate reservations.
*Overnight in Tel Aviv
Day 3
The Mediterranean Coast and the Western Galilee
Meet your guide and start your Israel tour.
Today you will start with a short panoramic tour of Haifa starting with a breathtaking panoramic view of Haifa Bay from the summit of Mt. Carmel.
Continue to Akko, visit the Crusader tunnels and the spice market.
You will continue to Rosh Hanikra, the summit of a mountain cliff on the coast by the Israel-Lebanon border where you descend by cable car to the underwater grottos. After the visit and a lunch you will drive along the Israel- Lebanon border down to the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) and the city of Tiberias. Arrive in time for a refreshing swim at the Sea of Galilee.
*Overnight in a kibbutz by the Sea of Galilee area.
Day 4
Golan Heights
Start your day with a jeep ride or ATV up the Golan Heights (optional).
Visit Mount Bental and discover first-hand the strategic importance of the area as you climb the Heights and “capture” a former Syrian bunker, affording you a bird’s-eye view of Israel’s expansive Hula Valley below, once a constant and easy target for Syrian mortars and heavy artillery. Visit “OZ 77,” a memorial site and audio visual show with live footage commemorating one of the most important battles of the Yom Kippur War.
After a visit and special lunch in a Druze village, end the day with a visit and a short hike at the Banias Nature Reserve and Waterfall or raft down the Jordan river.
*Overnight in a kibbutz by the Sea of Galilee area (Breakfast)
Day 5
Jordan Valley to Dead Sea
Today you will start with an early morning optional hike of the Arbel Cliff where you will be able to experience the most amazing view of the Valley and the Sea of Galilee.
Continue south along the Jordan River to Beit She’an (the Pompeii of the Middle East) and relive the glory days of the Roman Empire at this site which contains some of Israel’s most spectacular archaeological finds – the remains of a large amphitheater, a Byzantine era colonnaded street, ritual baths, a pottery workshop, a basilica, a Roman temple and more.
After your visit enjoy a refreshing swim at the Sahne, natural pools fed by hot and cold water springs in Beit She’an Valley.
*Overnight in the Dead Sea.
Day 6
Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Gedi
Your day will begin with an early climb onto Masada by walking up the snake route or riding the cable car to marvel at King Herod’s desert fortress, palace and the last stronghold of the Jewish zealots against the Roman domination in 73 CE.
From Masada continue to Ein Gedi, a desert oasis and nature reserve, where you will hike up to the waterfall. From Ein Gedi proceed to Ein Zohar Spa for swimming, “floating” and “mudding” in the Dead Sea.
On your way to Jerusalem you will stop for a view of “Qumran” where the ancient “Dead Sea Scrolls” were found and ride camels at “Eretz Bereshit,” the Land of Genesis, where you will be greeted by “Abraham” and his family, will be hosted in their tent and ride camels.
*Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 7
Jerusalem- The Old City
Start your day with a morning Bar/Bat Mitzvah at the Southern Wall.
After the service tour the four quarters of the Old City. Visit the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall), the holiest site in Judaism and the only visible remains of Herod’s splendid Second Temple.
Visit the Davidson Center and its archaeological garden, south of the Temple Mount, with its new multimedia presentation revealing Jerusalem in the days of Temple time.
Enter the Wall Tunnels, huge arched spaces located under the northern part of the Western Wall, apparently dug in the Hasmonean period (163 BC to 37 BC). Continue to the Cardo (ancient Roman street of shops), the four Synagogues, Mt. Zion, David’s Tomb and the Herodian Mansion.
End your day with a fun walk in water at the Hizkiyahu Tunnel–don’t forget your flashlights.
Celebration dinner at special Jerusalem venue.
*Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 8
Jerusalem- The New City
You will start your day with a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum. May we never forget the terrible price Israel paid to establish her country with the 6,000,000 Jews murdered by the Nazis. Visit the Children’s Memorial and the Communities’ Valley.
Drive to the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) and the Menora. During this stop you will have a chance to learn about the Israeli political system and see many of the government offices including the Prime Minister’s office.
Continue for a visit and special lunch (optional) at Jerusalem’s most famous market, Mahne Yehuda. Enjoy lunch at the market
End your touring day with a visit to the Old City Arab market, the “shuk.”
Optional – refresh and continue to the the Kotel (the Wailing Wall) for Kabbalat Shabbat (receiving the Shabbat).
*Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 9
Free day in Jerusalem – no guide
On your own, options include:
– Visit the newly renovated Israeli Museum and Shrine of the Book.
– Visit Yemin Moshe and the Valley of Hinnom.
– Mount Zion,the tomb of King David.
– Enjoy time at the hotel pool.
– Bike tour.
– Segway tour.
Late checkout of hotel after dinner with private transfer to Ben Gurion airport.