Visit this small country and spend 9 days touring Galilee, Nazareth, Jaffa, Jerusalem and even dip your toes in the Dead Sea. Spend time in Tel Aviv, also known as Little Israel and get a sense of what this enchanted country has to offer.

Israel Discovery At A Glance

Itinerary

Day 1 – DEPART CANADA
Board your overnight flight.

Day 2 – TEL AVIV AT LEISURE
Welcome to Israel – an ancient land full of variety; from the wonders of bygone days, to the unique mixture of east and west in the

colourful life of today. Get ready for your journey of discovery through one of the world’s oldest and most magnificent centres of faith and civilisation. You are met at Ben Gurion airport and transferred to your hotel for a two-night stay.
Hotel: Sheraton Hotel & Towers.

Day 3 – TEL AVIV SIGHTSEEING
Meet your Tour Director before commencing a sightseeing tour of Tel Aviv. See all the highlights of this lively and modern city: the Habimah National Theatre, Rabin Square and the bustling Carmel market. Continue to Jaffa, one of the oldest ports in the Eastern Mediterranean. Stop here to visit the flea market, with time also to explore the beautifully restored artists’ galleries. Visit Mini Israel, a miniature park featuring 330 replica models which showcase Israel’s cultural, historic and religious diversity. This

evening enjoy a Shabbat dinner at your hotel. (BB,HD)

Day 4 – TEL AVIV – GALILEE
Leaving Tel Aviv, drive along the coastal road to Caesarea to explore the Roman and Crusader ruins, including the huge amphitheatre. Travel via Haifa, Israel’s northern port, beautifully laid out on the Carmel Hills. Soon you reach Acre, fought over for centuries and captured in turn by Saracens and Crusaders, including Richard the Lionheart. See the fortress, the old harbour area and Crusader crypt before continuing to Nazareth. Visit one of Christianity’s most sacred places, the Church of the Annunciation, on the site where the angel is said to have appeared to Mary. The day concludes with a visit to a Kibbutz, where your Tour Director provides a brief introduction to this communal way of life. .
Hotel: Moriah Plaza Tiberias. (BB,D)

Day 5 – GALILEE – DEAD SEA

Israel Discovery - Map

Start the day with a morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Visit the ancient wooden boat, which is said to date back to the times of Jesus. Visit Capernaum where Jesus is said to have entered the Synagogue and taught, and then head to the Mount of Beatitudes, where He preached the Sermon on the Mount. Your destination today is the lowest point on Earth! Travel along the Jordan valley through ever-changing landscapes to the shores of the Dead Sea and enjoy a dip in the therapeutic and mineral-rich waters.
Hotel: Hod Hamidbar Resort & Spa. (BB,D)

Day 6 – DEAD SEA – JERUSALEM
In the cool of the morning, take a thrilling cablecar ride up to the awe-inspiring fortress of Masada where, around 70AD, a brave band of Jewish zealots held out for three years against the Roman legions. Later, pass the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, before driving through the Judean hills to Jerusalem, your home for three nights. Here in this most hallowed of cities, begin your sightseeing with a breathtaking view over Jerusalem from Mount Scopus. Visit King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion, the Room of the Last Supper and the Western Wall, Judaism’s most sacred site.
Hotel: Jerusalem Plaza. (BB)

Day 7 – JERUSALEM SIGHTSEEING
Tour Yad-Vashem, the moving museum commemorating the Jewish people killed during the Holocaust. Continue to the Shrine of the Book, housed in the Israel Museum which also contains the Dead Sea Scrolls. Later, you have the opportunity of joining an optional excursion to visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Tonight, relax and soak up the atmosphere at the Highlight evening – a special Oriental dinner at a local restaurant. (BB,HD)

Day 8 – JERUSALEM SIGHTSEEING
Wander through the tranquil Garden of Gethsemene at the Church of All Nations before entering Jerusalem’s Old City to view the Temple Mount, one of Islam’s holiest sites. Continue in the footsteps of Jesus along the Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross. See the Ecce Homo Arch (Behold the Man), Pool of Bethesda and finish at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site of the Crucifixion. (BB)

Day 9 – RETURN TO CANADA
The tour ends after breakfast with transfers to Ben Gurion airport for your onward flight. (BB)

Included Premium Highlights

• Visit Mini Israel in Tel Aviv
• A morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
• Enjoy a dip in the waters of the Dead Sea
• Take a thrilling cable-car ride up to the awe-inspiring fortress of Masada

Included Personal Insights

• Learn the history and find out first hand what it is like to live on a Kibbutz

Included Additional Excursions & Sights

• See Habimah National Theater, Rabin Square and Carmel market in Tel Aviv
• Visit the ancient port of Jaffa, now a modern center for artists
• Visit the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth
• Visit Capernaum and the Mount of the Beatitudes in Galilee
• See the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered
• In Jerusalem visit the Christian sites of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Garden of Gethsemene, Room of the Last Supper, Pool of Bethesda, Ecce Homo Arch and walk the Stations of the Cross
• In Jerusalem see the Temple Mount
• In Jerusalem visit the Jewish sites of King David’s Tomb, the Western Wall, Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum) and the Shrine of the Book

Included First Class Services

• Insight’s professional multilingual Tour Director to escort you
• Travel by air-conditioned coach or minibus
• Insight Hotels include all service charges, taxes and porterage
• Special Kibbutz stay on the shores of the Sea of Galilee
• Insight Traveler document wallet, map book journal and information pack
• Arrival & departure transfers between the airport and your Insight tour hotel.

Included Quality Dining

• Friday night Shabbat Dinner at the hotel (HD)
• Special Oriental Dinner at a local restaurant in Jerusalem (HD)
• 7 Buffet Breakfasts (BB) and 2 special-menu Dinners, or Buffets (D)

For more information about this tour or to contact an agent please call 1.888.461.0231 or fill out the form below.