Saturday, October 10, 2009
Shalom and welcome to Israel !
Meeting and assistance at Ben Gurion International airport
Transfer to Tel Aviv (as per your arrival flights)
Check in to hotel
7.30pm - Departure from your hotel for a welcome dinner with locals in one of Tel Aviv’s popular restaurants
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Buffet breakfast at hotel
8.30am - This morning meet with your guide to begin your touring program. Start the day with a short orientation tour of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Get acquainted with the easy layout of the city, and the different neighborhoods. You’ll soon appreciate that Tel Aviv is a pedestrian’s city – all easily accessible by foot. Proceed along the shores of the Mediterranean to the town of Caesarea. Once a Phoenician fishing village, the Romans awarded it to Herod in the year 30 BC. Enter the walls crossing over the moat that surrounded the city (built 900 years ago). View the remains of an 11th century Crusader church. Most impressive is the Roman Theater, still used to this day.
Return to Tel Aviv for a light lunch.
Following lunch, an exciting and very interesting afternoon awaits us at the IGLTA Symposium at the GLBT Tel Aviv-Yafo community center. Meet with Israeli professional tour organizers, and some of the “pushers and shakers” in the Israeli GLBT community. Short briefing about GLBT life in Israel and in the middle east, legal status, social implications. Discussion regarding touring options in the area (combinations of Israel and other countries such as Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.
Late afternoon you are free for business meetings, relaxation, socializing, and to prepare for the evening.
Evening: Dinner in Tel Aviv
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Monday, October 12, 2009
Buffet breakfast in hotel
Tel Aviv is where the action is in Israel. The Mediterranean beaches are clean and white, the sea warm (not necessarily in October), the clubs hopping, the shopping plentiful and the restaurants appetizing.
9.30am – Meet your guide and drive along Tel Aviv’s coastline to Jaffa. Visit the artists’ quarter and Jaffa’s ancient flea market. Passing the renovated Turkish train station, proceed to Neve Tsedek, Tel Aviv’s first neighborhood. On to Rothschild Blvd where there are over 5000 Bauhaus buildings, the largest number in any one city in the world; a fact that led UNESCO to recognize it as a “World Heritage Site." Tel Aviv is also known as, "The white city", named so in account of the bright colors of the building style: white, off-white, light yellow. En route we’ll be sure to point out some of the gay and lesbian landmarks of the city. On to Rabin Square, the large public square in front of Tel Aviv’s city hall, where, in November 1995 Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated.
Enjoy some free time to explore the city, shop, enjoy the beach or just relax before dinner.
Evening: Dinner in Tel Aviv
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Buffet breakfast in the hotel
8.30am - Departure from Tel Aviv.
This morning we drive north to Tel Aviv’s coastal city of Haifa. Situated in a natural bay between the Mediterranean Sea and the Carmel mountains, the city's terraced landscape offers a rich variety of breathtaking panoramas. Visit the Bahá’í World Centre, on Mount Carmel's northern slope and the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb with its Persian terraced gardens.
Drive eastwards through the Galilee, passing by the local Druze and Arab villages. Stop in the Galilean town of Nazareth for a visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation. This is the most impressive and spectacular site in the city. The church, an outstanding building in the center of town, is built where it’s believed was the house of Joseph and Mary. Proceed to the Sea of Galilee and to Tiberias, the capital of the Galilee. Embark on a short boat ride from where you can enjoy views of the Golan Heights, Capernaum (the home of St. Peter), and the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
Stop at Yardenit for a view of the historical Jordan River, before we drive back to Tel Aviv.
Dinner in Tel Aviv
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Buffet breakfast in the hotel
8.30am - Depart Tel Aviv for the city of Jerusalem.
Start the day with an amazing view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives. View the Temple Mount with it’s El Aksa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, Islam’s 3rd holiest site. Proceed to Mount Zion. Visit King David’s Tomb and the room of the Last Supper. Enter the walls of the Old City at the Zion Gate. Explore the Jewish Quarter including the Western Wall, Cardo, and Broad Wall. A special visit has been arranged to the Western Wall / Rabbinical tunnel. On to the Christian Quarter for a walk on the Via Delorosa and into the Church of the Holy Sephulchre. No visit to the old city of Jerusalem would be complete without a visit to the Arab market to test your negotiating skills with the local merchants. As you make your way towards the Jaffa Gate, walk by the Citadel of David. Don’t forget to pay your respects at the two almost forgotten tombs on your right – those of the architects of the Old City Walls killed by the Ottoman Sultan Suliman the Magnificent in 1538 (as they were the only people that knew all of the “secrets of the wall.”)
Dinner in a local restaurant
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Buffet breakfast in the hotel
Bring a bathing suit, waterproof sandals, hat, sun cream, and sun glasses
9.00am - This morning we depart Tel Aviv and drive through the Judean Desert along the shores of the Dead Sea. Pass by Jericho, the oldest city in civilization and Qumran, where in 1947 a Bedouin boy accidentally discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. We continue to the mountaintop fortress of Massada, the last stronghold in the zealots’ battle again the Roman Empire. Ascend to the top via the new cable car. After a tour of this mountaintop fortress, we proceed to our hotel for an afternoon on the shores of the Dead Sea – “swimming” in the world famous rejuvenating waters and using the Spa facilities.
Return to your hotel in Tel Aviv
Farewell dinner in Tel Aviv
Remember….in Israel the weekend starts on Thursday night. We’ll supply you with a list of what’s happening where and when!
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Friday, October 16, 2009
Buffet breakfast at your hotel
Transfer from your Tel Aviv hotel back to Ben Gurion Airport for your flight.