ISREAL SYMPHONY - 2009-2010
15 Days █ 13 Nights
Tour Includes:
* Professional Tour Director
* Choice of 9 Deluxe Hotel Plans
* 9 Days of Comprehensive Sightseeing
* Plus! Walking Tours in Tel Aviv & Jerusalem
* Arrival and Departure Transfers
* USTOA$ 1 Million Travelers Asssistance Program
18 Meals:
* Daily Israeli Buffet Breakfast
* Lunch at Kibbutz Kfar Charuv
* Dinnerin Tel Aviv
* Dinner at a Druze Restaurant
* Seaside Dinner in Tiberias
* Restaurant Dinner in Jerusalem
* Traditional Fariday Night Dinner in Jerusalem
Plus!
* Visit the fascinating Palmach Museum
* Archeological "Dig" (Wed Itinerary)
* See the underground ammunitions Factory at Machon
Ayalon
* Seet he Multi-media Presentation at Caesare Harbor
* Boat Cruise on the Sea of Galilee
* Descend to the Underwater Grottos at Rosh Hanikra
* Toura GolanH eightsK ibbutz
* Night Tour of "illuminated" Jerusalem
* Tour the Herodian Mansions 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:
Wednesday: En Route
Depart the CANADA on your flight to lsrael.
Thursday: Tel Aviv
Welcome to Israel! Arrive Ben Gurion Airport; meeting, assistance and transfer to your hotel in vibrant Tel Aviv.
Friday: Tel Aviv
Todays, great adventure! Spend the morning digging and excavating at the Tel Maresha Dig at Beit Guvrin National Park (weather permitting). Continue to the old port city of Jaffa, magnificently restored; explore the reconstructed Artists' Quarter with its lovely galleries and boutiques. Afterwards, on to Tel Aviv's Carmel Market (be sure to taste the deliciou straw berries!) before continuing to lively Nachlat Benjamin with its delightful cafes and craft stalls - definitely the place to be on Friday afternoon! Tonight, Get-Together Dinner.(B.D.)
Saturday: Tel Aviv
Morning walking tour. Remaindeorf the day at leisure to enjoy all of the delights of this seaside city. Don't miss afternoon lsraeli folk dancing on the seaside promenade! or, visit Little Tel Aviv,a lively area dotted with yachts and a pub-filled boardwalk (just a short ride from your hotel)(. B)
Sunday: Tel Aviv/Haifa
Depart Tel Aviv. Drive to the Diaspora Museum; experience 2500 year's of the Diaspora
through unconventionval visual aids. Continueto ancient Caesarea; explore the
astounding Roman and Crusader ruins including the impressive theater and
aqueduct. Then, visit Caesarea Harbor with its thrilling, multimedia 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 a top Mt. Carmel. This
evening, visit a Druze Village where you'll meet these unique Israelis in their
homes, hear about their traditions and enjoy a Druze Dinner(B.D.)
Monday: HaifalTiberias
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 picturesqe seaside town of Nahariya to the timeless
Crusade city of Acre; walk through the subterranean city and the bazaarrs
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.
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 lsraeli bunker, for a spectacular view of the region.
Arrrve at Kibbutz Ktar Charuv, settled by Americans and lsraelis together; view
the fertile valleys below as you tour the klbbutz and enjoy lunch in the
communal dining room. Travel to Bet Sheanan, 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: Jetusalem
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 lsrael's military heros. 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 lsrael Museum and the Billy Rose Sculpture
Garden; see the Scale Model of ancient Jerusalem. Evening: Restaurant Dinner
and Night Tour. (8.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 extra
ordinary Hasmonean Tunnel (tunnel schedule permitting) Follow the Via Dolorosa
to the Church of the HolyS epulchre; 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 to the
Museum of the History of Jerusalem at David's Citadel, and to the Old City.
Remainder of the day at leisure. (B )
Sunday: Jerusalem
Day at leisure to enjoy this endlessly fascinating
city on your own.(B)
Monday: Jerusalem/Tel Aviv
Depart Jerusalem visit the Absalom (Soreq) Caves
discovered by chance in a miner's blast some 40 years ago, containing
stalactites and stalagmites varying in shape and size, with some dating back
300,000 years. Continue to Natan Rappaport's brilliant bronze monument, the
Scrolls of Fire, soaring high in the scenic Judean Hills. Then, to the military
junction at Latrun, once the border with Jordan; view the French Trappist
Monastery and visit the Tank Division Memorial. Continue to the fascinating
Palmach Museum (subject to appointment confirmation), for a virtual tour of the
history of this underground military organization prior to the establishment of
the State of lsrael. Arrive at your hotel in Tel Aviv for overnight (B)
Tuesday: Tel Aviv
Drive along Tel Aviv's main streets; see the colorful
shops and bustling sidewalk cafes. Continue past the Mann Auditorium, home of
the lsraeli Philharmonic, Habimah Theatre, the impressive opera House and
Ytzhak Rabin Square, dedicated to the late Prime Minister. on to Independence
Hall where Ben Gurion fervently proclaimed lsrael's independence in 1948. Then,
visit the Haganah Museum, former home of the movements' organizer,founded
during the British Mandate. Learn more about the activities of the Haganah as
we drive south to visit fascinating Machon Ayalon. Proceed to the Weizmann
Institute of Science in Rehovot, one of the world's leading research institutes
before returning to Tel Aviv.(B)
Wednesday: 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.
THURSDAY DEPARTURES
15 Days of Sightseeing
Tour Includes:
18 Meals
Breakfast Daily * 1 Lunch * 5 Dinners
ITINERARY
Thursday / En Route -
Depart CANADA
Meeting, Assistance.
Transfer to hotel. Evening: get Together Dinner. (D)
Saturday / TeAl viv -
Morning walking tour. Afternoon at leisure. (B)
Sunday / Haifa -
Diaspor Mauseum, Caesarea, Nazareth, Haifa, Dinner. (B.D)
Monday / Tiberias -
Rosh Hanikra, Acre, Safed, Galilee Cruise. Evening
Seaside Dinner. (B.D)
Tuesday / Jerusalem -
Capernaum, Golan Heights, Kibbutz lunch, Bet Shean,
Jerusalem. (B.L)
Wednesday / Jerusalem -
Chagall Windows, yad Vashem, Israel Museum, Scale
Model. Dinner and Night Tour. (B.D)
Thursday / Jerusalem -
Western Wall, Mt.Zion, Herodian Mansions Or Hasmonian
Tunnel, Via Dolorosa, Holy Sepulchre. (B)
Friday / Jerusalem -
Massada, Dead Sea. Evenrng shabbat Dinner (B.D)
Saturday/Jerusalem -
Morning walking tour. Afternoon at leisure. (B)
Day at leisure. (B)
Monday/Tel Aviv -
Soreq Caves, scrolls of Fire, Latrun, Palmach Museum. (B)
Tuesday/Tel Aviv -
Tel Aviv city, Independence Hall, Haganah Museum,
Machon Ayalon, Weizmann Institute. (B)
Wednesday - Tel Aviv
Visit Ben Gurion House, former home of lsrael's first
Prime Minister; see his personal belongings and expansive library. Om to
Zichron Yaacov to see the magnificent gardens dedicated to Baron Rothschild. Time to taste the superb
Rothschild Rothschild wines before
continuing to Atlit, the reconstructed detention camp where illegal immigrants
and underground fighters were confined before 1948. Visit the old port city of
Jaffa, magnificently restored. Explore the reconstructed Artist Quarter with
its galleries and boutiques. (B)
Thursday/En Route -
Transfer to the airport for departure flight.
Complimentary entrance to Dan VIP Lounqe.
We Wish You A Most Enjoyable Trip!