Holyland Tour — Saturday Departure — 9 Days

Day 1 – Saturday
John F. Kennedy Airport / New York

Leave from JFK Airport for an exciting visit to Israel with its historic sites holy to three religions.  (Please see the note at the end of the itinerary for JFK departure instructions.)

Day 2 – Sunday
Ben Gurion Airport / Jerusalem

When you arrive into Ben Gurion Airport, you will be met by a TAL Tours representative and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv.  Relax, have a good meal, and prepare for a day full of lots of sightseeing tomorrow.

You will spend your first night in Tel Aviv.

Day 3 – Monday
Caesarea / Megiddo / Haifa / Acre

Depart Tel Aviv and drive along the coastal plain to Caesarea, which was the capital of Judea under the Romans.  See the excavations of the Crusader city as well as the Roman port, aqueduct and the amphitheater that has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue.  Today, Caesarea is a modern city with a population of approximately 4,500 and is the only Israeli locality managed by a private organization.

From there we will continue to Megiddo, identified as the site of Armageddon.  Visit the archaeological excavations at Megiddo, including the well-preserved water supply system.

The tour of Haifa will begin at the golden domed Bahai Shrine to visit the exotic Persian Gardens.

From Haifa, we will move along to Acre, in the Western Galilee region of Northern Israel, so you can see the ancient city and its harbor. Legend has it that Hercules was able to heal his wounds from curative herbs found in Acre.

Proceed to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the ancient synagogues and the artists’ colony.

Our tour for the day ends at Kibbutz Lavi for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – Tuesday
Tiberius / Capernaum / Banias

After a short tour of Tiberius, we take a boat ride to Capernaum. Although inhabited from 150 BC to 750 AD, today this city is a ruin. See ancient synagogues and what was once a vibrant fishing village.

Proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of fish and loaves, and visit the Church of Multiplication with its 4th century mosaic floor.

Continue to Mount of the Beatitudes, the place where Jesus delivered his “Sermon on the Mount.”

Drive to the Banias Spring and Waterfall and tour the Golan Heights, previously known as the Syrian Heights. Because this area is at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and it straddles the border of Syria and Israel there remains dispute over whose land it actually is.

However, the history of this area dates back to the 300 B.C. when the Amorites occupied the area. Since that time the Golan Heights has been the center of many a battle, including the 700s B.C. when the Assyrians controlled it.  The area flip flopped between the Babylonia and Persians empires, and at one point Alexander the Great gained control of the area.

Return to Kibbutz Lavi for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 – Wednesday
Nazareth / Beit Shean

We start our day in Nazareth, the capital and largest city in the North District of Israel.  Indeed, according to the New Testament, this is said to be the home of Jesus.

Here you will visit the church of the Annunciation, where Mary was allegedly told that she would be giving birth to Jesus.  We will see the site of St. Joseph’s Workshop and Mary’s Well.

Drive via Beit Shean to Beit Alpha to see what still remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac as well as see a newly excavated city and visit the Roman theater.

Day 6 – Thursday
Jerusalem – The Old City

Your tour starts in Mount Zion, where you will visit the tomb of King David, which is located in the lower level of what still remains of the former Hagia Zion, a Byzantine church.

From there you will go to the upper level and see the room where the Last Supper, also known as Cenacle, was held. This is not only the site of the Cenacle, but also the location where the Apostles stayed in Jerusalem.

From there you will proceed to the Walled City of Jerusalem.  All .35 square miles make up the city limits of what at one time constituted all of Jerusalem. Within that Old City, you will tour sights such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and you will walk along the Western Wall.

Your tour will continue on to Mount Scopus and then to the Mount of Olives for an opportunity to walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter.

You will again spend the night in Jerusalem.

Day 7 – Friday
Jerusalem – The New City and Bethlehem

Your day starts with a tour of Bayit Vegan to visit the miniature model of Jerusalem just as it existed during the Second Temple period. From there you will visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the martyrs and survivors of the Holocaust. Although this will be a somber point of your tour, it is a truly important one for the history of Jews.

From Yad Vashem you will visit the city of Ein Kerem and the Church of the Visitation.

Then you will be able to see the Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, as your next stop will take place at the Israel Museum.

Next your tour takes you into Bethlehem (subject to availability) with a stop at Rachel’s Tomb. Afterwards you can see the Church of the Nativity.

Overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 8 – Saturday
Massada / Dead Sea

Your day starts in the Judean Desert, which is bordered by the mountains of Judea and the Dead Sea. Breathtakingly beautiful and relatively small in comparison to most deserts, it is home to several nature reserves and historic sites as well as monasteries. At 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level, this desert has the distinction of being the lowest point on earth.

Stop at Qumran to visit the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered several decades ago.  From there, your tour will take you on a drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada, home to several battles between 37 B.C. and 72 AD.

Masada is where Herod the Great is said to have fortified the area between 37 and 31 BCE in the event of a revolt against him.  At the onset of the first Jewish-Roman war, it’s also the site where a group of Jewish extremists overcame the Roman garrison of Masada.

Later in 72 AD the Roman governor backed by the Roman Legion was successful at claiming the fortress. The zealots did their best to fight off the Romans and then committed suicide en mass rather than be enslaved.

Ascend Masada by cable car to visit the food storeroom, irrigation system and palace of Herod the Great.

Return to Jerusalem.

Day 9 – Sunday
Ben Gurion Airport

You will be transported to Ben Gurion Airport for departure.

The above program can be extended and tailor-made for groups.

Note on JFK airport departure instructions:

It is very important that you arrive at JFK airport a minimum of three hours prior to departure. This allows you ample time to check your bags, get through security and find your departure gate. In order to more easily go through check-in and security, ensure that your passport and airline tickets are readily accessible.

Although waiting longer at the gate may not seem desirable, the alternative — should you not allow yourself sufficient time — is that you must rush through check-in and security.

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