ISRAEL TOURS KING DAVID TOUR

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

Thursday
Independence Hall/Latrun /Ayalon Institute

Start the day with a visit to the Independence Hall where the establishment of the State of Israel was declared. Next, drive to Latrun to visit the Armored Corps Museum, one of the most diverse tank museums in the world. Visit Mini-Israel miniature park including miniature replicas of the most important landmarks and buildings in Israel. Continue on to visit the Ayalon Institute, once an ammunition factory for the Hagana, a pre-State underground movement.
Overnight Tel-Aviv.

Friday
Diaspora Museum/Old Jaffa/Tel-Aviv
Visit the Diaspora museum. Drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv, Israel’s business and entertainment center. Stop at Rabin’s Square, place of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin’s assassination. Continue to Old Jaffa, an 8000 year old port city. Visit the ancient ruins and walk through the restored Artist Quarter. Visit Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood outside the walls of Old Jaffa, built in 1887; and Nahalat Benyamin, the pedestrian mall of the city with its musicians, hand made jewellery and artifacts. Next stop Sheinkin St., the lively and colorful street especially known for its unique shops, café life and youthful ambiance.
Overnight Tel-Aviv.

Saturday : at leisure
Overnight Tel-Aviv.

Sunday
Caesarea /Megiddo/ Druze village/Haifa
Drive along the coastal plain to Caesarea, capital of Judea under the Romans. See the excavations of the Crusader city and the Roman port, aqueduct and  amphitheater that has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue. Proceed to Megiddo, identified as the site of Armageddon; visit the archaeological excavations including the well preserved water  system . Continue to Daliyat- al-Karmel, a Druze village and enjoy a late lunch at a local restaurant. Proceed via Mount Carmel to Haifa for a panoramic view of the Haifa bay and the golden domed Bahai shrine and gardens .
Overnight in a kibbutz guesthouse.

Monday
Safed / Golan Heights/Winery
Drive to Safed , the center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the ancient synagogues and the Artist Colony. Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin. Stop at the Golan Winery for a tour and wine tasting. Proceed to “Kessem Hagolan”, a multimedia presentation of the area and it’s history.
Overnight in a kibbutz guesthouse.

Tuesday
Sea of Galilee / Nazareth
Start the day with a visit to Nazareth and visit the Basilica of the Annunciation. Drive through Tiberias to visit Capernaum to see the ruins of the ancient synagogue and octagonal church of St. Peter. Visit Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
Drive via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting a zodiac wheel.
Overnight in Jerusalem.

Wednesday
Jerusalem: the Old City
Start the day with a magnificent panoramic view from Mount of Olives. Drive to the Old City.  Visit King David’s tomb and the Room of Last Supper on Mt. Zion. Enter the walled city and walk through the newly restored Jewish quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo,  Herodian Quarter and continue to the Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Continue to Bethlehem*; view Rachel’s tomb and proceed to visit the Church of Nativity and Manger Square.
Overnight in Jerusalem.

Thursday
Jerusalem: the New City
Drive to the Israel Museum. Here visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and the scale model of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. Proceed for a tour of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament. Continue to visit mount Herzl cemetery and Yad Vashem, a memorial to the Holocaust. Visit Mea Shearim, an ultra-orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem and learn about their unique lifestyle.
In the evening enjoy a Middle Eastern dinner followed by the Night Spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David Museum.(weather permitting).
Overnight in Jerusalem.

Friday
Qumran / Masada / Dead Sea
Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, over 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level. Stop at Qumran to visit the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada. Ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans before committing mass suicide in 73 CE. Descend by cable car. Continue to the Dead Sea. Cover yourself with the mineral rich mud and experience a float in the Dead Sea* that many believe has its therapeutic effects.
Overnight in Jerusalem.

Saturday : at leisure
Overnight in Jerusalem.

Sunday
Timna/underwater observatory/Eilat
Travel south through the Negev Desert. Visit Timna and see the copper mines and Solomon’s pillars and marvel at the huge multi-colored rock formations. Continue to Eilat and stop to visit the Underwater Observatory, one of the largest seaquariums in the world , built into a coral reef .
Overnight Eilat.

Monday
Free day in Eilat or Day in Petra (optional)
After assistance with visa to the Jordanian border, drive straight to Petra through desert highways, to your ultimate destination, the astonishing rose-red city of Petra which was built by the Nabateans (an early Arab tribe). Petra is renowned for its massive architecture, pools, dams and water channels. Petra is the legacy of the Nabateans who settled in the south of Jordan more than 2000 years ago. The visit begins with the possibility of a 700 meter horse back ride to the entrance of the siq, which is about 1.2 km long (walking distance). There is a possibility of renting a chariot (extra charge) to get around inside Petra and back to main gate. Petra is famous for its huge monuments such as the treasury, royal tombs, the court, Roman theater, Roman street, Qassier el-bint (palace of Pharaoh’s daughter) and many other smaller monuments which fascinate visitors. The city itself is almost 45 square km and is considered to be the second wonder of the world. After the visit, time for lunch in a nice restaurant after which you will driven back to the border. On the way, a short visit to Aqaba will be made with the possibility if stopping for a walk around town. Transfer to the border at around 6:00 p.m and cross back to Eilat.
Overnight Eilat

Tuesday
Mitzpe Ramon/Sde Boker /Tel-Aviv
Depart Eilat and drive north via Mitzpe Ramon. Stop to gaze into the Ramon Crater, a geological wonder. Proceed to Sde Boker and see Ben Gurion’s hut and grave overlooking the magnificent Zin valley.
Stop for a camel ride and a visit to an authentic Bedouin tent while learning about the Bedouin hospitality and enjoying a light lunch.
Continue to Hatzerim and visit Israel’s Airforce Museum to view the planes and equipment and hear the story of this brave fighting force.
Drive back to Tel-Aviv .

Wednesday
Transfer to Ben Gurion airport for departure

* Visit subject to availability
** Visit subject to weather conditions
The above program can be extended and tailor-made for group