ISRAEL MINUET -
Friday Departures
10 Days █ 8 Nights
Tour Includes:
* Professionl Tour Director
* Choice of 9 Deluxe Hotel Plans
* 6 Days of Comprehensive Sightseeing
* Plus! Walking Tour in Jerusalem
* Arrival and Departure Transfers
* USTOA $1 Million Traveles Asssistance
Program
12 Meals:
* Daily lsraeli Buffet Breakfast
* Lunch at Kibbutz Kfar Charuv
* Dinner in a Druze Restaurant
* Seaside Dinner in Tiberias
* Restaurant Dinner in Jerusalem
* Traditional Friday Night Dinner in
Jerusalem
Plus!
* See the Multi-media Presentation at
Caesare Harbor
* Boat Cruise on the Sea of Galilee
* Descent do the Underwater Grottosa t
Rosh Hanikra
* Toura Golan Heights Kibbutz
* Night Tour of "illuminated"
Jerusalem
* Visit the Museum of the History of Jerusalem
* Tour the Herodian Mansion or Hasmonean
Tunnel
* Complimentary Entrance to the exclusive
Dan VIP Lounge at Ben Gurion Airport (upon
return to
CANADA.)
(B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner
ITINERARY
Saturday:
Tel Aviv
Welcome to Israel! Arrive Ben Gurion Airport; meeting, assistance and
transfer to your hotel in vibrant Tel Aviv. Balance of the day at leisure.
Sunday:
Tel Aviv/Haifa
Depart Tel Aviv. Drive to the Diaspora Museum; experience 2500 years of
the Diaspora through unconventional visual aids. Continue to ancient Caesarea;
explore the astounding Roman and Crusader ruins including the impressive
theater and aqueduct. Then, visit Caesarea Harbor, with its thrilling,
multi-media presentation; you’ll see ancient history come to life! Arrive in
Nazareth, the sacred town where Jesus spent part of his youth; visit the Church
and Mary’s Well. On to the sparkling port city of Haifa; check into your hotel
atop Mt. Carmel. This evening, visit a Druze Village — meet these unique
Israelis in their home! Hear about their traditions and share a Druze Dinner. (B.D.)
Monday:
Haifa/Tiberias
View the
golden-domed Bahai Shrine and the colorful Persian Gardens before departing Haifa.
Drive along the coast to spectacular Rosh Hanikra; descend by cable car to see
the magnificent underwater grottoes. Continue through the picturesque seaside
own of Nahariya to the timeless Crusader city of Acre; walk through the
subterranean city and the bazaars recalling the colorful Middle Ages. Then, to
Safed, one of Judaism’s holiest cities, where Kabbalah flourished during the
golden age; visit the ancient synagogues and the charming Artists’ Quarter.
Late afternoon Boat Ride on the Sea of Galilee takes you to Tiberias on the
lake’s shore for overnight (during the winter season, the boat ride may be
performed during the morning). Evening: Dinner at a fabulous seaside
restaurant. (B.D.)
Tuesday:
Tiberias/Jerusalem
Begin the day with a drive to Capernaum; see the ruins of the ancient
synagogue dating back to the 5th century. Then, ascend the strategic Golan
Heights for a greater understanding of the fierce battles that took place
during the 1967 Six Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Visit Mt. Ben Tal,
site of a former Israeli bunker, for a spectacular view of the region. Arrive
at Kibbutz Kfar Charuv, settled by Americans and Israelis together; view the
fertile valleys below as you tour the kibbutz and enjoy lunch in the communal
dining room. Travel to Bet Shean, an ancient city from the time of King Saul;
see the excavated remains of a Roman city. Continue to “golden” Jerusalem for
overnight. (B.L.)
Wednesday:
Jerusalem
Drive to the Hadassah Medical Center to see the brilliant Chagall
Windows. On to Yad Vashem, memorial to the Holocaust; visit the Museum,
Children’s Pavilion and walk along the Avenue of the Righteous. Then, to Mount
Herzl to pay respects to Israel’s military heroes. Visit the Herzl Museum (schedule
permitting). Drive via the Supreme Court Building and the Knesset
(Parliament) to the Shrine of the Book, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Time to
walk through the Israel Museum and the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden; see the
Scale Model of ancient Jerusalem. Evening: Restaurant Dinner and Night Tour. (B.D.)
Thursday:
Jerusalem
Enter the Old City from the Dung Gate; walk to the Western Wall, the
only remaining portion of the Second Temple. Witness joyous Bar Mitzvah or Bat
Mitzvah ceremonies! View the Dome of the Rock. Drive to Mt. Zion to visit the
traditional Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Proceed to the
restored Jewish Quarter; walk along the Cardo, the colonnaded main street of
Byzantine Jerusalem. Visit the Herodian Mansions, a completely excavated
residential quarter from 2000 years ago, or, walk through the extraordinary
Hasmonean Tunnel (tunnel schedule permitting.) Follow the Via Dolorosa
to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; walk through the exotic bazaars with their
wondrous aromas. End the day with an optional visit to Bethlehem. (B)
Friday:
Jerusalem
Travel via the Judean desert and the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest
place on earth, to Masada. Ascend by cable car to this last stronghold of the
Zealots in their struggle against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod the
Great’s palace, synagogue and bathhouse. Then, opportunity to enjoy an
“unsinkable” swim in the buoyant waters of the Dead Sea. (We provide the
changing facilities and lockers.) Drive via the Qumran Caves, where the
Dead Sea Scrolls were found, on your return to Jerusalem. Evening: Traditional
Friday Night Dinner. (B.D.)
Saturday:
Jerusalem
Morning walking tour with your Tour Director through neighborhoods of
Jerusalem. Then to the Museum of the History of Jerusalem in the Old City.
Remainder of the day at leisure. (B)
Sunday:
En Route
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Relax and enjoy
complimentary entrance to the exclusive Dan VIP Lounge at Ben Gurion Airport.
At Ben Gurion Airport, enjoy the comfort of the Dan VIP Lounge while you await your flight’s departure. Please be sure to check on boarding time of your flight with the hosts at the lounge as no announcement is made within the lounge area.
We
Wish You A Most Enjoyable Trip!