10 Days tour in Israel

Day 1 – Jaffa and Tel Aviv

Drive shortly to Jaffa and stroll through the alleys of the old city, the galleries and the old port

Back to Tel Aviv to stroll through the first Jewish neighborhood out of Jaffa, called Neve Tzedek

Continue to Rothschild Avenue, where Tel Aviv started and its "White City architecture"

Walk to Nachalat Benyamin the pedestrian moll, where craftsmen present their works (Tuesdays and Fridays only)

Walk in to the famous Carmel market

Back to your hotel in Tel Aviv for overnight

Day 2 – Northward by the Coastline

Check out from Tel Aviv and drive to Caesarea – visit the impressive ruins of one of the largest Roman ports in the ancient world

Drive to Acre (Akko) and walk through the streets and alleys of the Crusaders world (underground) and the Ottomans (Turks) and Arabic Old City (up ground)

Drive further north to Rosh Hanikra, the marine caverns by the border with Lebanon

Drive to Haifa for an overnight on top of Mount Carmel

Day 3 – Crossing Jezreel Valley and Galilee

Start our day walking to the panoramic lookout over Haifa and its Bay, Galilee and the magnificent Baha'i gardens

Drive along Carmel's watershed to Muchraka Monastery where (tradition) Prophet Elijah had the famous contest with prophets of Ba'al and another amazing viewpoint from the monastery's rooftop

Drive down to Jezreel Valley and visit Tel (archaeological hill) Megiddo (Armageddon!)

Drive to Nazareth to visit the Church of Annunciation and lunch

Continue driving to Tzippori (Sepphoris), the ancient capital of Galilee and its amazing mosaic floors

Drive westward across Galilee mountains to Tiberias.

Overnight in a hotel in Tiberias or around the Sea of Galilee

Day 4 – Around the Sea of Galilee Upper Galilee

Drive up Mount Arbel’s national park for a short hike to the cliff, a breathtaking view over the lake and all of Galilee

Drive alongside the Sea of Galilee and make our first stop at Mount of the Beatitudes, a catholic church that commemorates the famous Sermon on the Mount (Mat. 5-6).

Downhill, we drive shortly to Tabgha and visit two churches there, one commemorates the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Fishes and Loaves and the other one is Peter's Primacy also known as Menza (table) Christi.

After lunch break (St. Peter fish and some Pita bread…) we visit Capernaum, the ruins of Kfar Nahum, home base for Jesus, by the lake, presenting the reconstructed remains of the largest ancient synagogue ever found in the Middle East and Peter's House.

Drive back to Tiberias for overnight

For a more Jewish oriented tour:

Day 4 – Upper Galilee and Hula Valley

Drive to Tzfat (Safed) and walk through the alleys of the Jewish "Shtetle" and the Kabala hometown

Drive northward to Metulla, the northern town in Israel, located on the border with Lebanon, overlooking to Hezbollah land 

Drive to Tel Dan – walk through the nature reserve and the ancient remains of the important biblical town called Dan (Laish)

Drive to Hula Valley’s reservoir, rent a golf cart and drive around the remains of the famous swamp, an amazing landing place for half a billion(!) birds, migrating 2 times a year (autumn & spring), from and to Russia and Africa.

Overnight in Tiberias or nearby

Day 5 – The Golan Heights

Drive northward through Hula valley to Banias – an easy hike through the nature reserve with one of Israel's main sources of water and the impressive ruins of Caesarea Phillipi

Drive up to Golan Heights under the slopes of Mount Hermon

Drive shortly to Mount Bental (a non-active volcano) lookout over the Valley of Tears and Syria

Drive to one of the boutique winerieson the Golan Heights

Drive to Hippos ("Soussita") and walk through the amazing ruins that are still being excavated

Drive to Kibbutz Kfar-Haruv, overnight in the luxurious wooden country lodges by the Peace Vista, one of the most breathtaking viewpoints in Israel (if not available we stay another night in Tiberias)

Day 6 –  By the Jordan river to the Dead-sea

Drive down the Golan Heights' slopes on a winding and breathtaking road to "The 3 countries' (Israel, Syria and Jordan) meeting point" over the Jordan Valley

Drive southward by the Jordan River's bank (the border with Jordan) to Beth She'an and visit the impressive Greco-Roman ruins of Israel's eastern gate

Continue driving through the Jordan valley, bypassing Jericho towards the Dead Sea

By the lake, visit Kumran, where the Dead sea Scrolls were found

Drive further down south to Kibbutz Ein Gedi's guesthouse located in an amazing desert environment and landscape

Day 7 – Ein Gedi Oasis, Masada & the Dead Sea  

A short hike through the famous Ein-Gedi Oasis, dipping in the waterfall pools (summer), hopefully meet some protected wildlife   

Drive shortly to Masada – mount up by a cable car to the top and visit the famous cliff\fortress

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at the Ein Gedi's hot springs for the famous Dead Sea experience (mud, float)  

Overnight at the Ein Gedi guesthouse (dinner included)

Day 8 – Crossing Negev desert

Drive southward to Hatzeva to visit the Biblical Tamar, an ancient station on the Caravans Route

Turn westward (road conditions permitting) and drive up on a winding road to Akrabim Pass for an amazing lookout over the Negev Desert

Continue westward and cross the "Large Crater (Makhtesh Gadol)"

Drive up to Mount Avnon’s top for an amazing lookout over the crater

Continue to Kibbutz Sedeh Boker to visit the old and simple hut that was the residence (now a small museum) of israel's first prime minister, "the founder of the state", David Ben Gurion

Start our journey back from the desert by driving northward to Beit Guvrin (time permitting) to visit the impressive caverns

Drive to Jerusalem for overnight

Day 9 – Jerusalem, a holy city for 3 religions

Start our day by driving to Mount of Olives, a panoramic viewpoint over Jerusalem

Drive down to Gethsemane and Judgment valley

Walk across Judgment Valley (Biblical Kidron Valley) to the City of David, "where it all begun…"

A full tour (2-3 hours!) at the amazing site, partly underground in ancient tunnels ending under Robinson's Arch by the Western Wall!

Continue to the traditional part of the Wailing (Western) Wall

Walk through the Muslim Quarter and the Christian quarter to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Continue through the marketplace (Shook, Bazaar) to the Jewish Quarter

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 10 – Old and new in Jerusalem

A short morning walk to Mishkenot Sha'ananim and Yemin Moshe, the first two Jewish neighborhoods out of the city walls, a great lookout by the famous windmill

Drive to and visit Yad-Vashem, the Holocaust Museum

Visit the Museum of Israel, especially the Shrine of the Book (all about the Dead Sea Scrolls) and the miniature model of ancient Jerusalem