Active Senior Tour age 55+ ISRAEL ITINERARY Personally escorted by a Gil Travel Representative & and our fabulous Guide MARCH 22-APRIL 4, 2017 6/27/2016 5:34 PM Wednesday, March 22 To the Airport! Please be at the airport at least 3 hours prior departure (check in starts about 4 hours prior) for security and check in. El Al 028 departs at 215pm. Thursday, March 23 Arrival in Tel Aviv Shalom! Welcome to Israel! Upon arrival via El Al 028 at 650am, pass through immigration, collect your baggage, and proceed through customs. Assistance at the airport and board your bus for a transfer to Tel Aviv. We will do a drive around of Tel Aviv getting acquainted with the city before check in. Stop for a bite, than proceed to our hotel. Hotel check-in at 2pm. We will do our best to get you into the rooms prior. The luggage can go to security and we will take a bus tour of the city and our guide will tell you about the different sites around us. Friday, March 24 Old Port of Jaffa Arrival dinner Maganda 630pm Overnight Tel Aviv, Dan Panorama Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Leave the hotel at 830am. We will start the day in Tel Aviv with a visit to the Independence Hall), where David Ben Gurion proclaimed the foundation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Head to the Old Port of Jaffa, filled with artists' quarters, studios and art galleries. Shops catering for Judaica, archaeology, jewelry and art line its narrow alleys which are named after the signs of the Zodiac. Neighboring Jaffa you will find the trendy and historical neighborhood of Neve Tzedek. Head to Rehovot to visit the Ayalon), an underground ammunitions factory from the time when the British occupied the land. At the end of the tour, the bus can drop you at Nachalat Binyamin which is a craft fair every Friday and Tuesday. The hotel is not that far away so you can either walk back or take a taxi. Shabbat dinner at the hotel Overnight Tel Aviv, Dan Panorama Tel Aviv
Saturday, March 25 Neve Tzedek Sunday, March 26 Shabbat. Day At leisure in Tel Aviv A lovely day to stroll along the Tayelet which so many people do on Shabbat. Or sit at a local café to people watch... If you are museum goer the Tel Aviv Art Museum is open or a free walking tour to the Bauhaus are at 11am every Saturday. Another spectacular Museum Ilana Goor in Jaffa. Dinner on our own this evening. We will pick a restaurant and see who wants to join so that no one is left out. Overnight Tel Aviv, Dan Panorama Caesarea/Zichron Yaacov/Haifa Today you will drive along the coastal route stopping first in Caesarea, capital of Judea under the Romans. See the excavations of the Crusader city and the Roman port, aqueduct and the amphitheater that has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue Continue to Mt Carmel (Muchraka) near the Druze town of Daliat El Carmel where we will stop for lunch (pay on own) Bahai Shrine, Haifa Drive to the summit of Mount Carmel in Haifa where you will take in a breathtaking panoramic view of the Haifa Bay and Western Galilee. View the golden domed Bahai Shrine and exotic Persian Gardens. A drive around the 4 th largest city in Israel and then we will proceed towards the Sea of Galilee. On to Beit Shearim the Ancient Jewish Town which has excavations of 20 catacombs some of ancient sages. Monday, March 27 Safed Overnight on the Sea of Galilee Galei Kinnereth Tiberias including dinner Golan Heights/Safed Discover first-hand the strategic importance of the area as you climb the Heights and capture a former Syrian bunker, affording you a bird s-eye view of Israel s expansive Hula Valley below. At this time of year many migrating birds come to rest here. We will take a very serene and intoxicating ride around the Hula Preserve to see the birds. (930am reservations. Continue to Misgav Am, the northern most kibbutz in Israel close to the border of Lebanon. Here we will see the breathtaking panoramic view and get a deeper understanding of the events which have shaped the lives in the Upper Gailee. Tour the Kibbutz and talk about the past and present of the very serious problems encountered with terrorist organizations. In the afternoon, proceed to the Orthodox community of Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism (kabala), where you will visit the Joseph Caro and Ha Ari synagogues, the most important synagogues in the city and stroll down the famous Artists quarter. Overnight on the Sea of Galilee - Galei Kinnereth Tiberias including dinner
Tuesday, March 28 To the Dead Sea We will depart this morning for the Dead Sea area, lowest point on earth. Visit the unbelievable ruins of Beit Shean, also called "Scythopolis", the largest archeological park in Israel with beautiful excavations from Roman and Byzantine periods. Dead Sea Drive to Beit Alpha to see the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue from the Byzantine period. Continue to the north side of the Dead Sea where you will notice a complete change of topography and continue to the Dead Sea. Check into our hotel for overnight. Overnight Ganim Hotel Dead Sea including dinner Wednesday, March 29 Massada Thursday, March 30 Masada and Dead Sea Today we will visit Masada, ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress; visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, and the bathhouses. Descend by cable car. Return to our hotel to enjoy the facilities the Dead Sea, Mud, the many pools and sulpher and spa treatments (at a cost). Shopping across the street for some really good deals on Dead Sea products. Overnight Ganim Hotel, including dinner. On to Jerusalem Depart the Dead Sea area and visit Qumran is located on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, several kilometers south of Jericho. In a cave in the Judean Desert cliffs south of Qumran, a young Bedouins boy in 1947 found the first Dead Sea scrolls. We will then proceed along the Sea until we reach Eretz Beresheet. Here we will be welcomed by Abraham and taken for a Bedouin lunch and hear stories from the time of Abraham. For the brave, enjoy a fun 10 minute camel ride! Proceed to Jerusalem and we will stop for a panoramic view of the Old City at Haas Promenade. Here our guide will point out different important sites. We will have a Shecheyanu to welcome us to the Golden City of Jerusalem! including wine. Overnight Jerusalem Leonardo Plaza hotel including dinner.
Friday, March 31 Jerusalem New City Visit the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial and museum where you can walk through the Children s Pavilion, visit the museum, and walk down the Avenue of the Righteous. Visit the Mt Herzl cemetery Yad Vashem Tour the New City of Jerusalem. Visit the Israel Museum where you will explore the extensive collection of this world-class museum, which includes works by European masters such as Rembrandt up through modern and contemporary European, American and Israeli artists. On the grounds of the museum visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. Here you will also view the Miniature model of Jerusalem, depicting the city as it was 2000 years ago This evening a very special Shabbat Dinner at a local family s home with an evening tour at the Wall (Details will be made known in Israel) Saturday, April 01 Overnight Jerusalem, Leonardo Plaza Jerusalem Shabbat at leisure in Jerusalem at leisure Things to do on a Saturday in Jerusalem Go to the Old City, Tower of David Museum, Israel Museum, Arab Market in the Old City. A lovely lunch at the King David hotel on that patio! Overnight Jerusalem Leonardo Plaza Jerusalem including dinner Sunday, April 02 This evening 610pm on the bus - we will attend the Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David Museum (700pm reservations). Bring a jacket as it could be quite cool in Jerusalem in the evening and this venue is outdoors. The bus will take us and bring us back. Jerusalem Old City We will start Mount Zion the highest point of ancient Jerusalem where King David was buried (but his tomb is empty Visit the Hurva Synagogue, destroyed 3 times and rebuilt in 2010. Burnt house (dating back to 70CE) belonging to the Katros Family, Old City Enjoy lunch in the Old City Visit the Kotel (Western Wall) the treasured relic of the Second Temple. Don t forget to bring a small note to put in the cracks of this sacred wall. Take a fascinating tour of the Western Wall Tunnels under the foundations of the city. 6pm - Briefing with a local political analyst (Eliot Jaeger) in a private room at our hotel before dinner. Overnight Jerusalem Leonardo Plaza including dinner
Monday April 03 Our last day- we have our rooms till 6pm check out. Visit to Yad Lakashish (Lifeline for the Old), a nonprofit organization which empowers needy seniors in Jerusalem. For 50 years, it has been changing attitudes towards seniors by enabling the elderly to integrate into society. Israeli and immigrants from all over the world Artisans make crafts that are lovely. This is a great place to buy some gifts and goes to a fabulous cause! Drive to Hadassah Hospital and see the Chagall Windows. Drive by all the political buildings Supreme Court building and the Knesset. Walk through the Mahane Yehuda Food Market - a real treat! Return to your hotel to pack up and we will check out by 6pm. Load the bus and then we will walk down the street to the lovely, popular Olive and Fish restaurant for a farewell dinner. The bus will pick us up and take us to the airport. Airport check-in and departure this evening is right after midnight via El Al 027. Tuesday, April 04 Arrival back into Newark. Hope you had a great time!! You ll be tired but truly inspired! US CONTACT ISRAEL CONTACT GUIDE/ESCORT SUSAN BLUM GIL TRAVEL 1511 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pa 19102 Tel: (215) 568-6655 ext. 238 Toll-free: (800) 223-3855 susanblum@giltravel.com DALIA DJIJI Cell - 054 6787863 ddjiji@kenes.com AYELET ANTEBI (054) 678 7962 Your Escort Susan Blum Your Guide Meir More **Itinerary and guide are subject to change due to timing and unforeseen circumstances. **