THE GRAND TOUR - Medraft

THE GRAND TOUR

13 Days From $2409 Next Tour:

Flexible - Up to your choice

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THE GRAND TOUR

From its northern to its southern tip, Israel abounds in memorable attractions and sites. Experience Israel on the Grand Tour and see how history, heritage and culture unfold before your eyes. Biblical tales, medieval cities, vestiges of once glorious empires, picturesque villages, vibrant open air markets, the secrets of the Kabbalah , take on color and shape. Exhilarating views of mountains, seas and valleys will take your breath away.

Trip Highlights

The ancient cities Caesarea and Megiddo
At the Sea of Galilee: Capernaum and Mount of Beatitudes
The Old and New Jerusalem: the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Israel Museum Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum
The Dead Sea : Massada Fortress
Desert experience: the Ramon Crater, Camel ride, Beduin Tent

Masada dead sea

The Western Wall

DESERT SUNRISE

Camel ride

Day 1 - Friday - ARIVEL

Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Tel-Aviv.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 2 - Saturday - Tel Aviv

At leisure . Overnight in Tel-Aviv.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 3 - Sunday - CAESAREA-MEGIDDO-DRUZE VILLAGE-HAIFA

Drive along the coast to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theater and the Crusader fortress. Proceed to Megiddo, site of the Armageddon- battlesite of Good over Evil. Visit the excavations of the ancient water supply system. Continue to Daliat el Carmel, a Druze village , and enjoy a late lunch at a local restaurant. Proceed to Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the Haifa Bay and the golden domed Bahai Shrine and Gardens, a UNESCO heritage site. Leave Haifa for dinner and overnight at a kibbutz guesthouse.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: HB

Day 4 - Monday - SAFED –GOLAN HEIGHTS-WINERY

Drive to Safed, center of Jewish Mysticism, visit ancient synagogues, and the artists' colony. Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra, and the new Israel town of Katzrin. Stop at the Golan winery for a tour and wine tasting. Visit includes a multimedia presentation of the area. Dinner and overnight at a kibbutz guesthouse.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: HB

Day 5 - Tuesday - SEA OF GALILEE-NAZARETH

Visit Nazareth and the Church of Annunciation, continue to Tiberias. In Capernaum, visit the ancient ruins of the synagogue and octagonal Church of St. Peter. Proceed to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Drive via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the remarkable mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue, depicting the zodiac. Depart for Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 6 - Wednesday - JERUSALEM-THE OLD CITY

Start the day with a magnificent panoramic view from the Mount of Olives. Drive to the Old City-visit the Tomb of King David and The Room of the Last Supper on Mt. Zion. Enter the walled city and stroll through the restored Jewish Quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo and continue to the Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Continue to Bethlehem, and visit the Church of the Nativity. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 7 - Thursday - JERUSALEM- THE NEW CITY

Drive to the Israel Museum ; visit the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the miniature model of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period 2000 years ago. Proceed for a tour at the Knesset-the Israel parliament. Continue to Mount Hertzel cemetery and to Yad Vashem Museum, memorial to the Holocaust. Visit Mea Shearim, the ultra orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem, and learn about their lifestyle. In the evening, enjoy a Middle-Eastern dinner followed by the spectacular sound and light show at the Tower of David Museum, weather permitting. Overnight in Jerusalem

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: HB

Day 8 - Friday - QUMERAN-MASADA-THE DEAD SEA

Drive south through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea. Stop at Qumeran National Park, site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Ascend to 2,000 year old Masada Fortress by cable car-visit king Herod's palaces and bathhouses, the synagogue –view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. Descend for a possible swim and "float" in the Dead Sea, the saltiest and lowest place on earth. Proceed to Jerusalem for overnight.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 9 - Saturday - Jerusalem

at leisure. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 10 - Sunday - TIMNA-EILAT

Head south through the Negev Desert. Visit Timna's ancient copper mines and King Solomon's Pillars-huge multicolored rock formations. Continue to Eilat. Visit the underwater observatory, one of the largest seaquariums in the world, built into a coral reef. Overnight in Eilat.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 11 - Monday - at leisure in Eilat or optional day tour to PETRA

After assistance with visa to the Jordanian border, drive straight to Petra through desert highways. Arrive at the fascinating rose-red city of Petra, built by the Nabateans. The visit begins with the option of a short horse back ride or walk for 700 m. until the entrance of the Siq. Enjoy the huge monuments such as the Treasury and the royal tombs. After the visit, time for lunch in a restaurant. Proceed for a short visit to Aqaba. Transfer to the border at around 18.00 and cross back to Eilat. Overnight in Eilat.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 12 - Tuesday - MITZPE RAMON-SDE BOKER-TEL-AVIV

Leave Eilat and stop at Mitzpe Ramon desert town for a look at the Ramon Crater, a very special geological phenomenon. Proceed to Kibbutz Sde Boker and see Ben Gurion's hut and grave overlooking the magnificent biblical Zin valley. Stop for a camel ride and visit an authentic Bedouin tent. Enjoy Bedouin hospitality and a light lunch. Continue to Hazerim to visit Israel's Air Force Museum . Drive back to Tel-Aviv for overnight.

Accommodation: Good tourist/first class

Meals: BB

Day 13 - Wednesday

transfer to Ben-Gurion Airport for departure.

From $2409

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Upcoming Dates

Flexible - Up to your choice.

Including

Assistance at the airport upon arrival
Transfers from and to the airport
12 nights including daily breakfast in good tourist/first class hotels at your choice
8 touring days with English Speaking licensed tour guide
A/C tourist vehicle (according to group size)
Entrance fees and activities as per itinerary
Additional meals: 1 lunch at Druze Village, 2 dinners at the kibbutz guesthouse, 1 dinner in Jerusalem

Not including

Beverages with meals
Any insurance
Supplement for private transfers
Border taxes Israel-Jordan
Entry visa to Jordan
Anything not mentioned
Any tips

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