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Itinerary

Day-By-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Depart U.S. for Tel Aviv

Day 2: Arrive We arrive this afternoon in Tel Aviv then transfer to our hotel in the heart of the city. Tonight’s welcome dinner is at the hotel. D

Day 3: Tel Aviv Today we encounter the vibrant modern city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s arts and culture capital. Our tour features Independence Hall, where the state of Israel was declared in 1948; the recently renovated neighborhood of Neve Tzedek; and the “White City” district of distinctive Bauhaus architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We end the day in nearby Jaffa, visiting the ancient port, flea market, and Artists’ Quarter of galleries and shops. B

Day 4: Tel Aviv/Upper Galilee We travel north along the coast today to Caesarea to see the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater and harbor. We continue on to the artists’ village of Ein Hod, set amidst olive groves at the foot of Mt. Carmel overlooking the sea, where artists of all media come to live and work in a stunning natural setting. Here we visit the Janco-Dada art museum featuring the work of founder Marcel Janco and other artists of the Dada movement. Then we travel through the hills of Galilee, stopping at a working farm before reaching our hotel on the grounds of a kibbutz founded in 1916. B,D

Day 5: Mount Bental/Tiberias This morning we visit Mount Bental in the Golan Heights for a panoramic view of Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Then we descend on foot to Kibbutz Merom Golan at the base of the mountain. We continue on by coach to Tiberias and our historic hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Important in both Judaism and Christianity, this ancient city has attracted visitors, settlers, and invaders for more than two millennia. B,D

Day 6: Tiberias/Nazareth The New Testament comes to life today as we travel to Jesus’ boyhood home of Nazareth, now a center of Christian pilgrimage. Here we visit the Church of the Annunciation, the largest church in the Middle East and where the archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. Our next stop is the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount; then Tabgha, site of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes; and the ruins of Capernaum, where Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath. After lunch together on the shores of Galilee, we take a walking tour through the medieval streets of Safed, center of Jewish mysticism and home to many artists. We participate in a Kabala workshop and visit some of the galleries here before dining tonight at a local restaurant. B,L,D

Day 7: Tiberias/Jerusalem On our way to Jerusalem today we stop at the archaeological site of Bet Shean, where ongoing excavations have revealed the ruins of numerous cities dating as far back as the 4th century BC. Then we travel on to Jerusalem, the 3,000-year-old “City of Gold,” sacred to the world’s three major religions.  We get our first look at the revered city from a panoramic lookout. And we get our first taste of this multicultural enclave at the bustling outdoor market of Machane Yehuda (“Shuk”), encountering local residents as they shop for the Sabbath. B

Day 8: Jerusalem Our day begins with a tour of Yad Vashem, Israel’s living memorial to the Holocaust set on a 45-acre site on the Mount of Remembrance. From here we travel to the Judean Hills where we enjoy an ethnic cooking class followed by lunch served with local wines. We return to our hotel early after­noon; the remainder of the day (and this Sabbath eve) is at leisure until we dine together tonight at the fabled Colony Restaurant. B,L,D

Day 9: Jerusalem/Masada Today we travel to the shores of the Dead Sea to explore the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956. Then we travel to the ruins at Masada, the celebrated mountain stronghold (and UNESCO site) where, during the First Jewish-Roman War in the first century AD, outnumbered Jews held out against the Romans then committed suicide rather than surrender.  We ascend the mountain fortress by cable car to tour the ruins, overlooking the Dead Sea. Then we have the opportunity to swim in the Dead Sea before lunch together. B,L

Day 10: Day 10:  Jerusalem/Old City We discover Jerusalem itself today, starting with the original settlement of the City of David. Here an archaeologist gives us an in-depth account of Jerusalem’s role throughout history. Then we embark on a walking tour through the Old City: the Jewish Quarter; the ancient Cardo marketplace still in use today; the Dome of the Rock, Islam’s most important mosque; and the Western Wall, sacred to Jews as the last remaining trace of the wall that enclosed and supported the Second Temple on the Temple Mount. B

Day 11: Jerusalem This morning we return to the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditional site of Golgotha where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried. Then we tour the color­ful markets nearby before returning to the New City and the Israel Museum, housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, Shrine of the Book, a unique sculpture garden, and a scale model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple era. Following our tour here, the day is free for independent exploration. B

Day 12: Jerusalem/Bethlehem We travel today to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, birthplace of both King David and of Jesus of Nazareth – and home of the Church of the Nativity (please note this excursion depends on security clearance). We continue on to the picturesque Jerusalem neighborhood of Ein Kerem, birthplace of John the Baptist and Christian pilgrimage site. Then the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure before tonight’s early farewell dinner in the Old City at Between the Arches restaurant, followed by a night tour of the excavated tunnels beneath the Western Wall. B,D

Day 13: Depart Tel Aviv for U.S. Very early this morning we transfer by motorcoach to Tel Aviv for our connecting flights to the United States. B

Included

Tour Price Includes

• Round-trip air transportation from listed cities
• 11 nights’ accommodations in Deluxe, Superior First Class, and unrated hotels
• 20 meals: 11 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 6 dinners
• Extensive sightseeing as described, including all entrance fees
• Services of an Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director
• Luggage handling for one bag per person
• Gratuities for local guides, dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers
• $100 frequent traveler credit towards your next Odysseys Unlimited tour ($200 after three tours)

Dates and Prices

2010 Tour Dates & Prices

	Dec 3	Oct 29 Nov 19	Oct 1 Oct 15
Boston, New York	$3,995	$4,195	$4,395
Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, DC	$4,195	$4,395	$4,595
Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleve, Detroit, Miami, Orlando, Tampa	$4,295	$4,495	$4,695
Dallas, Den, Houston, Los Ang, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle	$4,395	$4,595	$4,795

Please call if your city is not listed or for land only prices. Prices are per person based on double occu­pancy. Single travelers please add $1,595. Your $375 deposit is fully refundable up to 95 days before departure. All 2010 tour prices above are guaranteed.

Business Class upgrade on round-trip international flight: $3,695 per person

Airline taxes and departure fees of $489 ($549 with Jordan extension) per person are subject to change and will be listed separately on your invoice.

Hotels

Hotels & Ratings

Day Itinerary Hotel Rating 1 Depart U.S. for Tel Aviv 2-3 Tel Aviv Hotel Dan Tel Aviv Deluxe 4 Upper Galilee Kfar Giladi Kibbutz Hotel Not rated 5-6 Tiberias The Scots Hotel Sup. First Class 7-12 Jerusalem King David Jerusalem Hotel Deluxe 13 Depart Tel Aviv for U.S.

Ratings are based on the Hotel & Travel Index, the travel industry standard reference. Unrated hotels may be too small, too new, or too remote to be listed.