The capital of the State of Israel, and the ancient capital of the Biblical Jewish kingdom. It is holy for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Jerusalem lies in the Judean Hills. It contains the Old City, surrounded by high-fortified walls and ramparts, and the New City, modern Jerusalem. It was built over 4,000 years ago, and has been occupied by Canaanites, Jebusites, Israelites, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks, Turks and British. The Old City has four quarters: the Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian. It contains the Temple Mount, site of the ancient Jewish temples, and today the location of two important Muslim shrines, the Dome of the Rock and the El Aqsa Mosque. On the western side of the Temple Mount is the Western or Wailing Wall, the holiest of Jewish sites, dating from the Second Temple. In the Jewish Quarter one can stroll along the Cardo, the restored main street of Byzantine Jerusalem, and visit ancient synagogues. The Christian Quarter contains several famous churches and monasteries, especially the Holy Sepulcher and those along the Via Dolorosa. The Muslim Quarter is the commercial center of the Old City with its colorful marketplace. Mount Zion is the site of David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. Outside the walls one can find the excavations of David's City, the Mount of Olives and many beautiful churches and monasteries.
Your Itinerary: Day 1: Monday - Jerusalem Upon arrival to airport meet our representative and transfer to hotel in Jerusalem for an overnight. Day 2: Tuesday - Jerusalem - sightseeing of the new city Start the day with a panoramic view of Jerusalem from the top of Mt’ of Olives. On to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Agony. Continue to Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book with the famous Dead Sea scrolls, then a visit to the beautifully renovated Model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Continue to Yad Vashem (the memorial to the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. Afternoon visit to the picturesque village of Ein Karem , the birth place of John the Baptist. Return to Hotel. Day 3: Wednesday - Jerusalem - Old City – Bethlehem Walk through one of the Gates to the walled Old City: the renewed Jewish Quarter; the Western Wall, the Temple area; the colorful bazaars; Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Drive to Mt’ Zion and visit the tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and Dormition Abbey. Afternoon continue to Bethlehem* to visit the Church of the Nativity and a view of the shepherds fields. Return to Jerusalem for overnight. Day 4: Thursday – Beit Shean - Nazareth - Galilee Leave Jerusalem, and drive north via Jericho*, the oldest city in the world. Then via the Jordan Valley to Beit Shean. Visit the excavations of this beautiful Roman City. Proceed to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation & Mary’s Well. On to Safed, city of the Kabala, for a walk through the mystic alleys and the artists’ colony. Drive to Kibbutz Hotel for overnight. Day 5: Friday - Golan Heights – and around the Sea of Galilee Drive to the Golan Heights. See the former Syrian fortifications, and the Druze villages. Via Banias, source of the Jordan River , drive to the shores of the Sea of Galilee , to Capernaum. Visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue and Peter's House. Visit Tabgha , where the miracle of the Fish & Bread took place and Mt Beatitude. After a short tour of Tiberias the old center of Jewish learning, Return to the Kibbutz hotel for overnight. Day 6: Saturday - Acre - Haifa - Tel Aviv After Breakfast drive west to Acre for a visit of the old, famous Crusader stronghold and medieval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, sightseeing tour of Haifa, including the Bahai Shrine, Persian Garden and Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the city. Proceed southwards to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theater and the Crusader fortress. Continue to Tel Aviv-Jaffa for a short city tour and to hotel for overnight. Day 7: Sunday - A day at leisure in Tel Aviv or an optional tour to the Dead Sea. Day 8: Monday - Breakfast and transfer to the airport for departure. Notes:
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