Itinerary

Day 1 USA - Tel Aviv, Israel   

Today, board your international flight to Israel. 

Day 2 Arrival Tel Aviv

Land at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. Be met and transfer to Tel Aviv, as the ‘White City’ for its abundance of white-painted Bauhaus-style architecture. Checking in at your hotel for rest and relaxation.

Day 3 Tel Aviv - Jaffa - Caesarea - Haifa 

After breakfast, enjoy a morning sightseeing tour of Tel Aviv and Jaffa. View Tel Aviv's highlights and see the restored ancient port of Jaffa.  Then take bus along the coastal road to Caesarea, a powerful city in Roman and Crusader times. Explore the ruins, including the amphitheater and other Mediterranean-side relics, and delve into the remnants of the 900-year-old Crusader city. Next, continue to Haifa, whose history extends to the biblical era, and visit the 
Bahai Gardens, a magnificent terraced garden circling the gold-domed Shrine of the Bab, the world center of the Bahai faith. Conclude the day with a 
visit to the German Colony, the first colony established by German Templers in the Holy Land.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 Haifa - Galilee - Capernaum - Tabgha - Nazareth - Jerusalem 

After breakfast, make the scenic journey to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus is believed to have had his ministry and walked on water. Stroll the lakeside remnants of Capernaum to see ruins of what's reputed to be the home of St. Peter, and visit Tabgha, where it's held that Jesus performed the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. See the church built on the miracle spot before visiting the Church of the Beatitudes, where it's believed he delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Drive to Jerusalem, one of the world's oldest settlements.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 Jerusalem

After breakfast, tour Jerusalem’s famous sights. Admire the sweeping vistas over the city's rooftops from the Mount of Olives before heading to Mt. Zion to visit the Upper Room and the Tomb of King David. Then delve deep into Old Jerusalem, entering via the Zion Gate and seeing the Roman Cardo and other fascinating sites. After lunch, tour the Western Wall, known as the ‘Wailing Wall’—held holy by the Jewish people - and walk part of the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus is said to have carried his cross. At last, visit Calvary and its Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the believed site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 Jerusalem - Bethlehem - Jerusalem

After breakfast, tour the reputed birth town of Jesus, with time at the Church of the Nativity, traditionally held to mark his birthplace. Continue to the Milk 
Grotto, Shepherd’s Field and other sites and then return to Jerusalem to visit Yad Vashem, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish people killed in the Holocaust. Visit the Holocaust History Museum, Children's Memorial and a memorial service, and afterward, explore the Israel Museum.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 Jerusalem - Masada - Dead Sea - Eilat

After breakfast, we cross the Judean Desert to Masada, site of a majestic rock-top fortress built by King Herod in 35 BC. Ride the cable car to the ruin-strewn plateauand inspect the relics as your guide tells of the Jewish zealots who fought to the death or committed suicide here in 66 AD rather than surrender to the Romans-an event hugely symbolic to the Jewish people. Next, continue to the Dead Sea and enjoy time to float in its salt-rich waters before traveling to Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 Eilat - Wadi Rum, Jordam - Petra

After breakfast, cross the Arava border into Jordan for Wadi Rum, a UNESCO-listed wilderness of desert peaks, valleys and dunes immortalized in the movie
“Lawrence of Arabia.” Take a 4-wheel guided drive through the red hued mountains and gorges, stopping at hidden oases, natural springs, and an ancient 
Nabataean temple. Afterward, continue to Petra.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 Petra

After breakfast, we explore UNESCO-protected Petra, the rose-red city carved into a gorge by the Nabataeans 2,500 years ago. Start your  guided tour on foot or horseback before entering Petra via the Siq, a narrow rock fissure that suddenly opens onto your first glimpse of the  glorious Treasury. After admiring its timeless façade, head deeper into the gorge as it reveals royal tombs, an amphitheater and other  ancient rock-hewn monuments.

• Includes Breakfast, lunch, Dinner

Day 10 Petra - Madaba - Mt. Nebo - Amman

After breakfast, strike westward to Madaba. Upon arrival, enter the Church of St. George to admire the prize mosaic—arichly detailed 6th-century floor map 
depicting the Holy Land and Jerusalem. Then, make tracks for Mt. Nebo, where it’s believed Moses first saw the bible’s Promised Land before drawing his last breath. Take in the panoramic views from the top, which on clear days extend to Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, before continuing to Amman.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 Amman - Jerash - Amman 

After breakfast, starting with a tour of Jordan's vibrant capital. View the city's main landmarks, including the Roman amphitheater and Citadel, and then travel onward to the stunning, UNESCO World Heritage site of Roman Jerash. This once-flourishing city was one of Rome's Decapolis (Land of Ten Cities) and is one of the best-preserved of its kind in the world. Marvel at the columned Oval Plaza, streets, temples, and theaters before heading back to Amman where this evening brings a delicious farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 Amman - Istanbul (Turkey) 

Transfer to the airport to board your flight to Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey. Upon arrival, you are greeted by your local representative and transferred to the hotel for check in. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.

Included: Breakfast at hotel

• Includes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 Istanbul  

After breakfast, enjoy a full day city tour of Istanbul with visits to the Blue Mosque, one of the most important temples of worship in the world, the extraordinary Hagia Sophia Cathedral, the dramatic and beautiful Underground Cistern, built in the 6th century as a secure water reservoir for the city, the Topkapi Palace, lavish home of the Ottoman Sultans and the 17th century Spice Bazaar . Enjoy dinner at the local restaurant.

Day 14 Istanbul  

Another full day city tour with visits to the famous Grand Covered Bazaar, the largest covered marketplace in the world with 4000 shops, and private Bosphorus cruise to get an overview of Istanbul. Enjoy a leisurely exploration of this historic channel between Europe and Asia. Disembark the boat on the Asian side to explore the lovely neighborhood of Kuzguncuk, once the center of Jewish, Armenian and Greeks . Then visit Kadikoy, the fish market, bookstores and souvenir shops. Return to the European side and visit a cafe where Baklava is made. Enjoy dinner at the local restaurant.

• Includes Breakfast, Dinner

Day 15 Istanbul - USA  

After breakfast, transfer to airport for your return flight to the USA.

• Includes Breakfast