Archaeological Tours

Archaeological Tours (Upon Request)

Day 1: Tel Aviv

Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, our representative will meet and assist you. Transfer to Tel Aviv overnight.

Day 2: Tel Aviv/Jaffa

Begin the day with a visit to Eretz Israel Museum, built next to the ancient "Tel Kasile". Drive to the unique Diaspora Museum, showing the story of the Jewish people through the ages, from the destruction of the Second Temple to our own day. On to the busy Carmel Market, the main produce market of Tel Aviv. Enjoy some fruit, and maybe the typical Israeli fast food, the "falafel".

Visit Jaffa, the oldest port in the Mediterranean. Listen to the stories of 5,000 years of history while strolling the old and narrow alleys. Enjoy visiting some of the art galleries, and return to your hotel in Tel Aviv.

Day 3: Ashdod/Ashkelon/Yad Mordechai/Bet Guvrin/Ela Valley

Drive south to the Philistine country. A short visit to the new city of Ashdod, today the second-largest port in Israel. On to Ashkelon, also a former Philistine city, with Roman ruins. Continue south to Yad Mordechai, a kibbutz that was overrun by the Egyptians during the War of Independence in 1948.

Drive east, away from the coast, to the Bet Guvrin caves, one of Israel’s fascinating archeological digs. On to the Ela Valley, the battlefield where David defeated Goliath. Overnight in a Kibbutz guesthouse.

Day 4: Beer Sheva/Arad/Avdat

Drive south to Beer Sheva - Abraham’s city. On to Tel Arad to see the ruins of a Canaanite city and the beautiful altar. Continue to the Nabatean city of Avdat, with its impressive ruins. Drive to modern Arad for overnight (or experience a night in a Bedouin tent with a typical dinner)

Day 5: Massada/Dead Sea/Ein Gedi/Qumran

Very early this morning, climb Massada from the ramp on the west side. See the sun rise over the Edom mountains, and enjoy the beautiful view of the Dead Sea. Walk among the ruins of the palaces, bath-houses, and store-rooms, all built by King Herod. In the synagogue hear the tragic story of the Zealots and their last fight against the Romans.

Descend by cable car and stop at the shores of the lowest and saltiest lake on Earth to experience floating on these incredible waters. Visit the famous "Ahava" Dead Sea cosmetic factory. Drive along the Dead Sea shore to the Ein Gedi oasis. Walk along the stream where David found refuge from King Saul. Drive to Qumran to visit Essene village and view the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Overnight in Kibbutz Almog, where you will see the Temple Utensils exhibition and learn the art of writing on parchment.

Day 6: Jericho/Bet She'an/Belvoir

Drive to Jericho and visit the "tel" of the oldest town in the world. Ascend by cable car to the Mount of Temptation. Visit the Greek Orthodox/Byzantine monastery. Continue along the Jordan Valley to Bet She’an. Visit the new excavation, considered to be the largest archeological dig in Israel. See the theater, still being used, the bath-house complex, the Cardo, etc. Continue north and climb the mountain range to visit the ruins of the Crusader fortress of Belvoir. Overnight in a Kibbutz guesthouse.

Day 7: Sea of Galilee/Capernaum/Mt. of Beatitudes/Golan Heights/Safed

Visit the Biblical sites around the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, "the Town of Jesus", the Church of the Multiplication, and the Mount of Beatitudes. Cruise the Sea of Galilee on board a “Biblical” wooden boat. Drive to the Golan Heights, the border with Syria, and Banias, one of the sources of the Jordan River.

Continue along the fertile Hula Valley in Upper Galilee. Visit Safed, the spiritual mystical town, where the Kabbalah studies were developed. On the way back to your hotel, visit the "Caprice" diamond showroom and factory.

Day 8: Zippori/Acre/Megiddo/Haifa

Visit Zippori to see the beautiful mosaic floors of this important town from the time of the Mishna. On to Acre, the Crusaders' port city. Walk in the Knights' Halls and the newly excavated streets and tunnels. Drive south to Tel Megiddo, where you can see the tel that inspired J. Michener in writing his book "The Source". Overnight in Haifa.

Day 9: Druze Villages/Mukhraka/Caesarea/Jerusalem

Visit the Bahai Shrine and its surrounding beautiful gardens overlooking the panoramic view of the bay of Haifa. Drive to the Druze villages and to Mukhraka, where Elijah confronted the 450 false prophets of Baal. On to Caesarea, the Roman capital, to see the aqueduct, the Crusader walls, and the Roman theater. Drive to your hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 10: Mt. Olives/Western Wall/Temple Mount/Via Dolorosa/Bethlehem

Full-day visit to Jerusalem. Begin the day with a panoramic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives. Walk into the Old City from the Dung Gate. See the Western (Wailing) Wall. Visit the Temple Mount, the Mosque of El Aqsa, and the Dome of the Rock (if open).

Walk along the Via Dolorosa and the 14 stations of the Cross, to the Holy Sepulcher. Walk to the traditional house of the high priest Caiaphas, to see the prison where Jesus might have spent his last hours. Travel to Bethlehem, to visit Rachel's Tomb and the Church of Nativity. Back to your hotel.

Day 11: Israel Museum/Plant a Tree/Yad Vashem/Hadassah/Holyland Model

Full-day visit to modern Jerusalem. Visit the Supreme Court building, the Knesset (Parliament) building, the Israel Museum, and the Shrine of the Book. Plant a tree in the Jerusalem Forest. Visit Ein Karem, St. John the Baptist's village, Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Memorial, and the Chagall stained-glass windows at the Hadassah Hospital. End day visiting the model city of Jerusalem from the Second Temple time.

Day 12: Free Day

Free day

Day 13: Departure

Transfer to the airport for your flight back home.