8 days / 7 nights in luxury 5-star gay friendly accommodations. We explore Old and New Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, ascend the Masada by cable car, Nazareth, Haifa, the Golan Heights and the stunning Sea of Galilee.
Tel Aviv is known as one of the world's finest and friendliest GLBT travel destinations. Come experience Israel, where you can express yourself, indulge yourself, or just be yourself in cosmopolitan gay-friendly cities and resort towns.
The vibrant scene is alive year-round, with dazzling nightlife, hip restaurants, stylish boutiques, and busy streets hopping with clubs and cafés: perfect for people who love to get out and about.
Day 0 - Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Depart the USA on any regularly scheduled flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.
Day 1 - Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, you will be met and transferred to Jerusalem where accommodations are reserved at the Mamilla Hotel.
Hotel: Mamilla Hotel, Jerusalem, 5*
Room: Standard Room
Day 2 - Thursday, May 26, 2016
After breakfast, set off for a full day of exploration of the Old City of Jerusalem starting with a breathtaking view of the city from the Mt. of Olives. Kings and Prophets, emperors and sultans, rabbis, bishops and sheiks have all left their mark on Jerusalem. Visit the Western Wall, the only remains of the second temple destroyed by the Romans in the year 70, C.E. Visit the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. This is the third most sacred site in Islam. From the sacred rock, where the Temple stood, it is said that Prophet Mohammed jumped to heaven. Visit the alleged Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Proceed to the restored Jewish Quarter, walk along the Cardo, the colonnaded main street of Byzantine Jerusalem. Then walk the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher wherein are the last five Stations of the Cross.
Finally visit the Garden Tomb regarded by the Protestant world as the burial place of Jesus. No visit to the Old City would be complete without testing your negotiating skills in the old marketplace. If you leave the old city through the Jaffa Gate, don't forget to pay your respects in front of the two almost forgotten tombs – those of the architects of the Old City Walls who were killed by the Ottoman Sultan Suliman the Magnificent in 1538 (as they were the only people that knew all of the "secrets of the wall.")
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Mamilla Hotel, Jerusalem, 5*
Room: Standard Room
Day 3 - Friday, May 27, 2016
Breakfast at the hotel. Today is dedicated to the new city of Jerusalem. Stops will include: Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust. Visit the Museum, Children's Pavilion and walk along the Avenue of the Righteous. Drive via the Supreme Court Building and the Knesset (Parliament) to the Israel Museum where see the Shrine of Book, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Scale Model of ancient Jerusalem from the second temple times.
Continue on to Hadassah Medical Center, on of the most advanced in the world; and a visit to the Synagogue with the wonderful Chagall windows. Then to Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist, and home of St. Anne.
Finally on to Bethlehem with a visit to the Church of the Nativity erected over the site believed to be the exact place where the manger rested. We will return to the hotel late in the afternoon. Tonight attend the light & sound show at the Tower of David
Museum.
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Mamilla Hotel, Jerusalem, 5*
Room: Standard Room
Day 4 - Saturday, May 28, 2016
After breakfast depart Jerusalem and travel via the Judean desert and the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth (1260 feet below sea level) to the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. We will continue to Masada. Ascend by cable car to this last stronghold of the Zealots in their struggle against the Romans. Visit the excavations, the ancient synagogue, the roman baths, and Herod's Palace. Then an opportunity to enjoy an "unsinkable" swim in the buoyant waters of the Dead Sea.
We will return to Jerusalem in the early evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: Mamilla Hotel, Jerusalem, 5*
Room: Standard Room
Day 5 - Sunday, May 29, 2016
After breakfast, drive to Nazareth, the sacred town where Jesus spent part of his youth. Visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and Mary's Well. On the way to Beit Shean, one of the most impressive archeological parks in the world, we will climb Mt. Tabor for an extra ordinary point of view and visit the Transfiguration site. We then visit Beit Shean, the huge site of the ancient city of Scythopolis destroyed by an earthquake. Excavations in Bet She'an have uncovered the remains of a Canaanite city, a Hellenistic city (renamed Scythopolis) and a Roman Byzantine city. During its Hellenistic period, the city was the capital of the 10 Greek cities (including Jerash) known collectively as the Decapolis. Continue via the Jordan Valley to Tiberias.
Check into the Scots Hotel. Dinner is at the hotel this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Scots Hotel, Tiberias, 5*
Room: Standard Room
Day 6 - Monday, May 30, 2016
After breakfast set off to the Sea of Galilee, to visit the various pilgrimage sites
around the lake. Drive along the shores of the Sea nearby Capernaum, home town of St. Peter where ruins of a majestic synagogue were found.
From here proceed to Tabgha, the site of the Multiplication of Loaves and Bread and Feeding of the Multitudes. On to the nearby town of Safed. Wandering through the lanes and alleyways of Safed today, you may be struck its simple beauty. It is this beauty which inspires the many artists who have settled here during the last decades and have turned Safed into a center of Israeli art. From here drive north to the nature reserves of Tel Dan. Enjoy a short hike along the Hatzbani River before heading up to the Golan Heights for a visit to Nimrod's Castle. Nimrod is perched on a hill in the Upper Galilee and is one of the larger fortresses in the Middle East. Drive through the small towns and villages of the Golan Heights – learn about the population of the area .Time permitting, visit Mount Ben Tal for a few from the Golan Heights west towards the Galilee, north towards Lebanon and east into Syria.
Dinner and overnight at the Scots Hotel. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Scots Hotel, Tiberias, 5*
Room: Standard Room
Day 7 - Tuesday, May 31, 2016
After breakfast depart for Tel Aviv via Haifa, Acre & Caesarea Drive through Haifa, with it's Bahai Temple and Persian Gardens. Our next stop is the seaside town of Akko. This port city is located north of Haifa Bay. Inside the walled city are many fortresses, citadels, churches and mosques all depicting the history of the many rulers to mention a few – Canaanites, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders and Mamelukes – who governed and fought for this city throughout the history. Its colorful Oriental markets, museums and beaches are a few more of the city's attractions.
The old city of Acre has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage. On to the port city of Caesarea. Herod built Caesarea into the grandest city other then Jerusalem over the course of 12 years and renamed this city "Caesarea" in honor of the emperor. This is also the site where the Romans tortured and executed Rabbi Akiva following the Bar Kochba revolt in 135 CE. Today the amphitheater is not only a spectacular relic of the past, but a modern performing venue for concerts. From Caesarea continue along the Mediterranean coast to Tel Aviv.
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv, 5*
Room: Standard Room
Day 8 - Wednesday, June 1, 2016
After breakfast depart for a city tour of Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Drive along Tel Aviv's coastline to Jaffa. Visit the artists' quarter and Jaffa's ancient flea market. Jaffa (founded by the Canaanites in 18 th century B.C.) has been historically important largely because of its port that dates back over 4000 years. The biblical account mentions that the cedars from Lebanon for the construction Solomon's Temple came in via Jaffa to Jerusalem. Passing the renovated Turkish governor's offices (the Seraya Building) and the Turkish train station, proceed to Neve Tsedek (Oasis of Justice), Tel Aviv's first neighborhood. On to Rothschild Blvd where there are over 5000 Bauhaus buildings, the largest number in any one city in the world; a fact that led UNESCO to recognize it as a "World Heritage Site." Tel Aviv is also known as, "The white city", named so in account of the bright colors of the building style: white, off-white, light yellow. On to Rabin Square, the large public square in front of Tel Aviv's city hall, where, in November 1995 Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated.
This evening, transfer to the airport for your return flight Home, ot extend your stay in Tel Aviv for Tel Aviv Gay Pride.
Meals: Breakfast
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