Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tiberias, Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem
With never more than 16 guests and a uniquely immersive itinerary, experienced native guides will reveal more sites of Biblical antiquity and immerse you in 21st-century Israeli life. By night, you'll delight in luxury hotels and resorts, including an unhurried 4-night stay in Jerusalem that allows for extensive exploration of the Old City, Bethlehem, Masada and the Dead Sea.
All gratuities are included except for your Trip Leader
Airport transfers (Restrictions apply)
8 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
Itinerary
Engaging Experiences These special places and experiences are considered tour highlights. Look for them in the daily itineraries.
Drisco Hotel
Guests arrive today and will be met at the airport and assisted through immigration and customs. Then we'll chauffeur you to our boutique hotel to enjoy your complimentary pre-tour overnight in the heart of Tel Aviv.
Drisco Hotel
Breakfast,
Dinner
Included
After breakfast, guests have this day to do as they wish. Take advantage of our hotel's wonderful city-center location close to the waterfront to explore on your own - or simply relax. After our other guests arrive later today, you'll meet for a congenial welcome dinner.
From Tel Aviv, you'll journey northward along the coast to the ancient city of Caesarea. Built by Herod the Great and once the seat of Roman rule, its excavated highlights include an impressive theater and an ancient aqueduct that brought water to the city.
The Mitzpe Hayamim
Breakfast,
Dinner
Included
This morning's sightseeing begins in Jaffa, or Joppa, an ancient waterfront in Tel Aviv from which Jonah embarked for his confrontation with a whale. An important seaport since early times, Jaffa's lively streets still offer a palpable sense of the ancient traders who came here by sea and caravan in biblical eras. Continue along Rothschild Boulevard to see the distinctive White City of Tel Aviv. Founded in 1909 and developed under the British Mandate in Palestine, this outstanding example of innovative, early 20th-century town planning is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site — recognized as a fine architectural ensemble of the European Modern Movement in a new cultural context.
You'll ascend the Golan Heights for sweeping views over Syria before visiting a Druze family for a Galilean cooking class featuring local olive oil, lemons and hand-picked grape leaves.
The Mitzpe Hayamim
Breakfast,
Lunch,
Dinner
Included
After breakfast, you'll proceed to Tabgha to admire the fine mosaics at the Church of the Multiplication, the site of Christ's feeding loaves and fishes to an audience of 5,000 pilgrims, and the site of the third resurrection appearance of Jesus. We'll drive on to the Golan Heights and continue touring the archaeological site of Caesarea Philippi at the foot of Mt. Hermon. Built around a spring, one of the main sources of the Jordan River, this Greco-Roman city was in ancient times associated with the Greek God Pan before its ancient reconstruction by Philip, the son of King Herod. It was here that Saint Peter proclaimed his faith in Jesus and was declared by Jesus 'the rock' on which he would build his church. You'll ascend the Golan Heights for sweeping views over Syria before visiting a Druze family for a Galilean cooking class featuring local olive oil, lemons and hand-picked grape leaves. We'll enjoy the resulting lunch together before continuing on to Tiberias. There you'll board a small boat for a ride across the calm waters of the Sea of Galilee, the same waters Jesus crossed with his disciples 2,000 years ago.
Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Breakfast,
Dinner
Included
After breakfast at the Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel, you'll drive to picturesque Safed/Tzfat, an ancient and renowned center of Jewish mysticism, one of Judaism's four sacred cities. The highest hilltop city in the Galilee and all of Israel, you'll walk the winding cobblestone streets of the Old Town and its Artist's Colony before exploring the underground tunnels discovered during excavations. Continue on to a local winery for a tour and tasting before traveling south through the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem. At arrival, take in spectacular views of the city from atop the Mount of Olives before we move on to Mt. Zion and visit both King David's tomb and the Cenacle, the Upper Room traditionally thought to be the site of the Last Supper. You'll then check-in to the 5-star Inbal Hotel overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem for the next four nights. Tonight, gather with a local accomplished chef for dinner.
Walk along the Via Dolorosa to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on what was called the Hill of Golgotha, recognized as the site of the crucifixion, and then continue to the lively Arab Bazaar.
Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Breakfast,
Lunch
Included
After free time, this evening we'll take you to the Tower of David, an ancient citadel near the Jaffa Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City. As darkness envelops the site, a spectacular Sound and Light Show unfolds with breathtaking virtual reality images and sophisticated trompe l'oeil technology to tell the story of Jerusalem.
Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Breakfast,
Lunch
Included
Then travel to Bethlehem where we've arranged for you to have lunch in the home of a Palestinian Christian family. With a tempting variety of Middle Eastern salads and appetizers and a main course, this congenial lunch is enhanced by lively conversation with your hosts – and a chance to gain genuine insight into their lives. Then visit the Nativity Church, the oldest standing church in the Holy Land. Originally built in the 4th century by St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, the present 6th-century structure was erected by Justinian.
Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Breakfast,
Lunch,
Dinner
Included
Your next stop is the Dead Sea. Be sure to bring your swimsuit as you'll enjoy lunch and time for a swim – or maybe just a relaxing float in the buoyant therapeutic waters. On your return journey to Jerusalem, you'll stop to see Wadi Qelt and its 5th-century Monastery of St. George, still inhabited by monks and built into the side of a cliff. Back in Jerusalem, our farewell dinner is this evening.
Breakfast
Included
You'll be escorted to the airport today for your departure flight.
2024 Tour Dates
SEPTEMBER
14, 21
:
$6,899
|
OCTOBER
26
:
$6,899
|
2025 Tour Dates
MARCH
15
:
$7,099
|
APRIL
2
:
$7,699
|
MAY
3
:
$7,199
|
JUNE
14
:
$7,299
|
SEPTEMBER
6, 13
:
$7,099
|
OCTOBER
18, 25
:
$7,199
|
Pricing is per person,
double occupancy,
land only, based on September 8, 2024 travel date.
Call AAA for current airfare rates and availability.
All this makes it AAA Vacations®
AAA Complimentary Inclusion: $115 per person savings. Members also receive complimentary pre-night hotel, chauffeured transfer and breakfast.
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