Israel off the Beaten Track

Meet your guide and explore Tel Aviv’s UNESCO White City on foot before driving north along the coast to historic Zichron Ya’acov, a town founded on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in 1882 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Next, see Rosthchild’s Tomb set amidst the fragrant Ramat HaNadiv gardens and visit the artists’ colony in picturesque Ein Hod before driving to the Crusader city of Akko.

Discover the medieval lanes of Old Akko and explore the stunning Crusader ruins, then visit the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum, the only Holocaust Museum founded by Holocaust survivors. After lunch on a Kibbutz – a unique Israeli way of life – see the stunning natural beauty of Rosh-NaNikra’s marine grottoes. A walking tour through the winding cobbled streets of the quaint village of Pek’in will conclude your day’s sightseeing. Then, check in at your Upper Galilee hotel.

Travel through the fertile Hula Valley to Banias National Park, where you will take a scenic short walk to see Israel’s tallest waterfall. After climbing up the slopes of Mt. Hermon, visit the Crusader-era fortress of Nimrod and enjoy some wine tasting. Then, continue to the former bunker of Mt. Bental for an overlook into Syria before visiting the ancient basalt-built synagogue at Ein Kashatot and checking in at your hotel in Upper Galilee.

Start the day with a walk through the attractive cobbled streets of holy Safed, the centre of the mystical Kabbalah, then proceed to the Mt. of Beatitudes on the Sea of Galilee, the site of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’. Next, drive through the Great Rift Valley into the Judean desert where you will visit a date farm and meet the Jews and Palestinians who work there, then arrive in Bethlehem.

Meet your Palestinian guide and visit Old Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. Continue to Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel with its museum dedicated to the Security Wall, and see the art and graffiti on the wall itself. Next, visit a nearby Palestinian refugee camp, then travel to Jericho – one of the oldest cities in the world – where you will take the cable car up to Mt. Temptation. On your return to Bethlehem, make a photo stop at the stunning desert monastery of Mar Saba.

Meet Arab and Jewish residents in the divided city of Hebron and see the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Ibrahimi Mosque). Then, take a circuitous route on the ‘Palestinian only’ roads into the attractive olive-strewn hills of biblical Samaria and visit the Taybeh brewery, where you will sample the best beer in Palestine. Concluding the day’s sightseeing will be a tour of the de facto Palestinian capital, Ramallah, where you will visit the austere tomb of Yasser Arafat and meet locals as you wander through the bustling old town. After crossing the Separation Wall, check in at your Jerusalem hotel.

Held sacred by three major religions, the Eternal City of Jerusalem is one of the holiest, most complex and fascinating cities in the world – a place that literally effervesces with faith, passion and history. On today’s full-day guided tour of the Old City, you will visit the Dome of the Rock and the Western (Wailing) Wall, walk in the footsteps of Christ along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary, and go on a culinary journey through the Muslim Quarter.

Today will be at leisure in Jerusalem and free for independent exploration.

Transfer to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport. At the airport, you will have VIP assistance through the airport to your departure gate.