March 6 - 16, 2024
11 Days / 10 Nights
This tour starts in Jerusalem and ends in Tel Aviv
$6,360 per person/double occupancy $2,540 optional single supplement $600 additional pre-tour night at King David Hotel in Jerusalem (single or double room, includes airport transfer) Includes all fees and taxes
Delicious local meals: 10 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 8 dinners, including drinks
All transportation in Israel: comfortable, air-conditioned bus, and a professional driver
All excursions, tours and cultural activities as per the itinerary
A traditional Sabbath dinner
Israeli cinema presentation by a renowned Israeli screenwriter
Night Spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David
An day at a Dead Sea Resort
Culinary workshop in the Druze community
Israeli boutique vineyards and organic wineries
All sightseeing and activities fees as per itinerary
An experienced Tour Director and an Israeli tour guide throughout the tour
Private airport transfers on arrival and on departure
Bottled water on days when touring by bus
All porterage, restaurants', guides' and driver's gratuities
NON INCLUDED
Additional/optional costs may include: optional travel insurance, optional single room supplement, additional accommodations, optional early hotel check in, optional Tour Director's gratuities, meals or activities not mentioned in the itinerary, room service, mini bar charges, laundry charges, phone calls, personal expenses.
The tour cost does not include airfare to and from the tour’s location.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Old City of Jerusalem
The Jewish heritage of Jerusalem
A day at a Dead Sea Resort
The mountaintop Masada Fortress
Israeli cinema presentation
The Roman city of Beit She'an
Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation
Biblical sites in the Sea of Galilee area
Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes
Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah
A culinary workshop in a Druze community
Haifa's hanging gardens
Ancient Crusader city of Akko
Archeological sites in Herod's Caesarea
Touring Israeli boutique vineyards and tasting organic wines
Tel Aviv's Bauhaus architecture and Mediterranean beaches
The old port of Jaffa
Tel Aviv's Bauhaus architecture
Testimonials
This was my first tour with Sights and Soul. It was absolutely incredible in every way. Super well organized and the tour director and guide were exceptional. Our bus driver was a master and on those roads it was evident. We saw so many(!!!!) fantastic and beautiful places and the magnificently knowledgeable guide brought history to life for us. Every single day was full of adventures from Masada to our delicious lunch with our Druze lady host to Ben Shiet to the Knesset to the Israeli woman screenwriter. Hotels were completely wonderful. Food was superb. Glad we walked a bit so I didn’t gain bc I was eating like a glutton! I just cannot say enough positive about this trip! Kudos to all involved! Thank you thank you thank you!!! - Carol from West Virginia
The trip was amazing, from the itinerary to the activities to the people, including fellow tourists, local guide, bus driver, and of course, Kerry. I LOVED the itinerary, especially how we started the tour in Jerusalem where the history of the country seemed to begin. The sights were interesting and presented by an accomplished tour guide. Great, comprehensive, well integration of Judaism, Christianity, and Muslim religions. – Nancy from California
Overall very pleased with itinerary, hotels and locations. I felt well taken care of from the pickup at the airport to the end of the tour. - Patricia from Massachusetts
This was a great tour itinerary with beautifully chosen hotels. – Deborah from New York
Tour Director: Lisa Francois
From the stones of Jerusalem to the waves of Tel Aviv's Mediterranean beaches, Israel has cradled the history of many faiths since the beginning of time. The Holy Land of Israel is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. This is where the ancient history and the ancient religious texts come vividly to life, and few other places in the world offer so much to sustain the spirit, feed the intellect and stimulate the senses. Located where three continents, Africa, Asia and Europe meet, Israel is intense. Within its comparatively small territory, it reveals abundant riches, from cherished religious sites to well-preserved archaeological treasures and spectacular natural wonders. Not only the ancient Jerusalem, the Roman, Crusader, Greek, and Byzantine monuments, but also the youthful and dynamic Tel Aviv, the ultra saline Dead Sea, cool mountain waterfalls, gentle, vineyard covered hills and sweeping desert landscapes. The country's ethnic, religious and cultural mix is endlessly fascinating, and the people of Israel are warm, hospitable and passionate, representing a fascinating mixture of conflict and harmony, passion and serenity. This is the Promised Land to which Moses led the Children of Israel. This is where Abraham forged his covenant with God, Christ preached his sermons and where Mohammed ascended to heaven.
During our exploration of Israel, we'll experience its parallel universes, where cultures, ethnicities and religions intersect, coexist and influence each other and where 5,000 years of human history converge. We'll start in Jerusalem, where we'll explore the Old City and get immersed in layers of its history: the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Dome of the Rock, then we'll travel to the imposing Herod's fortress in Masada en route to the Dead Sea, where we can float in the salty mineral-rich waters. We'll continue north to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, deeply rooted in the Christian tradition, where we'll tour the Christian and Jewish sites of the region: Nazareth, Capernaum, Safed, Haifa, Akko, and Caesareum. We'll visit a Druze religious community and learn about its customs, as we prepare lunch with the Druze women. We'll tour a boutique Israeli winery to learn about the local wine making process and taste the award winning wines. We'll end the tour in the vibrant and modern Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean with its beautiful beaches and cultural vivacity, Bauhaus architecture, seaside promenades, first-class restaurants and great shopping.
While staying in Jerusalem, we'll spend three full days exploring the city with its famous sites: the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Dome of the Rock, along with the Mount of Olives, Yad Vashem, the Shrine of the Book, and the New Israel Museum, plus many other Christian and Jewish sites. We'll enjoy a traditional Sabbath dinner and the Night Spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David Museum. We'll also meet with a renowned Israeli screenwriter for a presentation and discussion on Israel's society through its cinema.
We'll travel to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth to experience this natural phenomenon. En route, we'll stop at King Herod's mountaintop Fortress of Masada, and pass by the caves of the Qumran National Park, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
While staying in Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee, we'll tour Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation, Capernaum, the site of an impressive 5th century synagogue, and the base for Jesus's Galilean ministry on the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, the charming town of Safed, the center of Kabbalah, the Jewish mysticism, Haifa's Shrine of the Bab with its hanging gardens, the Crusaders' city of Akko and Herod's Caesarea. We'll join a culinary workshop in a Druze community and tour an Israeli boutique winery.
We'll end the tour with a full day exploring the Mediterranean Tel Aviv, where we'll see not only the ancient town of Jaffa, but also the city's Bauhaus architecture and the modern sections of the city with their world-class restaurants and shopping.
Click on the image to enlarge the map
WHAT MAKES THIS TOUR SPECIAL
Accommodations in Israel's best hotels
Excellent meals, including drinks, throughout the tour
Experienced Tour Director and some of the best Israeli guides throughout the tour
Exclusive experiences, not available to larger groups
