The Wonders of Israel & Petra add on

Have you every wanted to walk in the steps of Jesus, take in the amazing historical and cultural sites of the Holy Land? How about visiting the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv or float in the Dead Sea? All this plus Jesus’ birthplace as we visit the Holy Land at this incredibly beautiful time of year in Israel. Make the most of your travels by adding our tour extension to the amazing Library of Petra in Jordan. Sights and experiences of a lifetime! Call now as space is limited! (800) 576-4905 or Railandsail.com for instant reservations online.  

Included in your travels:

· Round-trip flights from Seattle, SFO, PDX, LAX*

*Other gateways by request

· All airport transfers in Israel

· 8 nights Israel deluxe hotel

· Welcome dinner

· All admissions and tours mentioned

· Daily sightseeing by motorcoach

· Daily breakfast, some lunches, dinners

· Shabbat dinner with local family

· Sound and Light show

· Farewell dinner

· Licensed guide of Israel

· Experienced USA Tour Manager

· Caring and professional travel arrangements

· Time for personal discoveries

Day 1 –– Saturday April 29 — Make your way to your departure airport and get ready for the trip of a lifetime! (in flight services, breakfast). 

Day 2 –– Sunday April 30 — 2023 Tel Welcome to Israel — Arrive in Tel Aviv. Collect our luggage and transfer to our hotel for welcome dinner, drinks, and a good night of rest! (inflight services, welcome dinner)

Day 3 –– Monday May 1 — 2023 Tel Aviv & Jaffa — After breakfast, visit the “State of Mind” Innovation Center at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: learn about cutting-edge developments by Israeli start-ups in fields such as science, medicine, security, space and more. We then walk around the Old Port City of Jaffa, the oldest seaport in the world. Enjoy lunch on our tasting tour at the Carmel Market. Free evening. (breakfast)

Day 4 –– Tuesday May 2 — Back to the Future Israel’s beautiful coastline Today we leave Tel Aviv and head north. Take in the ancient city of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great and once the administrative center of the Roman Empire for the Province of Judaea. The Kibbutz Experience – past and present – visit Ein Shemer kibbutz museum, and a delicious lunch in the kibbutz dining hall. This afternoon we will stroll at the picturesque town of “Zichron Yaacov” before driving to our hotel in Nazareth. (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

Day 5 –– Wednesday May 3 — Cobblestones & Vineyards The Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights — Drive to the city of Katzrin, the “Capital of the Golan Heights”. Walk through a Talmudic village and get a sense of what it was like to live in the times of ancient Israel. Continue to the mystical city of Tzfat, the birthplace of the ancient Jewish mystical text, the Kabbalah. Stroll through the narrow, winding alleys. Peek inside some of the beautiful synagogues. Enjoy a tour and wine tasting at a family-owned boutique winery in the Galilee. Drive to the Sea of Galilee and take a boat ride on the calm waters and return to your hotel in Nazareth. (breakfast, dinner)

Day 6 — Thursday May 4 — Faiths & Cultures — Bahai Gardens, Akko, Druze Village & Jerusalem — Visit the amazing Bahai Gardens in Haifa, comprising a staircase of 19 terraces extending all the way up the northern slope of Mount Carmel. Explore the ancient crusader port city of Akko, the fascinating UNESCO heritage site, with new excavations revealing what life was like 1000 years ago. Time permitting - Drive to the Druze village of Dalyet El Carmel, at the top of Mount Carmel. The Druze are Arab-speaking citizens of Israel and are renowned for their hospitality. Take a fascinating tour of the alleys and old quarter of the village. (breakfast)

Day 7 –– Friday May 5 — Jerusalem New City and Bethlehem —Visit Yad Vashem, considered to be the world’s primary Holocaust memorial and museum. Take a tour of the new Holocaust History Museum, which occupies over 4,200 square meters, mainly underground. Visit the moving exhibit at the Children’s Pavilion, commemorating the death of over 1.5 million Jewish children in the Holocaust. Next we visit the Israel Museum. There we will see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition, and view the famous Model of Jerusalem, depicting the city as it was in the 2ndTemple period. Continue with our visit to Bethlehem. See the Church of the Nativity and the remains of ancient Bethlehem (beneath the Greek Monastery), from the times of Christ. In the evening, experience a special “Shabbat of a Lifetime”(Subject to day of week) dinner, with hospitality in the home of a local Jewish family. Enjoy a traditional meal as you hear about and observe the customs of the Jewish Shabbat. (breakfast, dinner)

Day 8 –– Friday May 6 — Masada, the Dead Sea & Jerusalem — Setting off east from Jerusalem towards the Dead Sea, 1388 feet (423m) below sea level. Visit the legendary mountaintop plateau of Masada - the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their struggle against the Romans in 73CE - overlooking the Dead Sea. Ascending by cable car to the ancient fortress, we shall explore the site, with its synagogue and bathhouse. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon at the Dead Sea shore. Cake yourself in mineral-rich mud and float in the buoyant waters. Lunch is included. Drive to a lookout point for a view of Wadi Qelt and the cliff-hanging Monastery of St. George; founded in the 5 th Century and still active and inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. Return to Jerusalem. In the evening, enjoy the Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David. (breakfast)

Day 9 –– Sunday May 7 — The Old City of Jerusalem — Start the day with an overview from the Mt. of Olives. Our exploration of the Old City of Jerusalem begins at the City of David, with its fascinating tunnels. See the newest exciting excavations revealing Jerusalem during the time of the 1st Temple period. Walk through the Old City and visit some of its famous sites, including the Western Wall and the Cardo, an ancient commercial street where you can still shop today. Walk through the Arab Bazaar and experience traditional Middle Eastern life, with its rich colors, flavors, and smells. Take a rooftop tour of the Old City neighborhoods, for a behind-the-scenes look at the various communities living alongside each other in this ancient walled city. Walk along part of the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. According to traditions dating back to at least the 4th century, the church is the home of the two holiest sites in Christianity: the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, and Jesus’ empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected. (breakfast, farewell dinner).

Day 10 – Monday – May 8 — Free Day or Continue to Petra — Enjoy free time in Jerusalem until our evening transfer to the airport and depart on your flight back home arriving May 9th. For those interested, continue this amazing journey with a tour extension to the ancient city of Petra in Jordan! (breakfast) 

Petra, Jordan add-on to Israel Tour:

Newly added to the list of man-made wonders, we enjoy a visit to this amazing secret city which served as an Arab kingdom city for the Nabataean people approximately 7000 years ago. Nestled against up against the side of Jabal al Madbah Mountain, this ancient treasure is ours to explore!

Itinerary:

May 8, 2023 — Depart Jerusalem by land. Traveling through Israel with stops to enjoy sights along the way. Arrive late afternoon and check in to our hotel at our Petra hotel. (breakfast)

May 9, 2023 — Enjoy a full day guided tour of ancient Petra with a licensed guide. Enjoy included dinner together. (breakfast, dinner)

May 10, 2023 — Today we visit Madaba which is an ancient town in Jordan, southwest of the capital Amman. It’s known for its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. Next, a stop at Mount Nebo which is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land before his death. (breakfast) 

Continue to Aman to catch our evening flight back to the USA. 

May 11, 2023 - Arrive back home with memories of a lifetime! (in-flight meals)

Tour extension cost: $695pp, Solo supplement $95.

Reserve online anytime or call. $200 deposit per guest, refundable until 120 days in advance.