Highlights Of Israel - 8 Days

Sunday. Upon arrival at the Ben Gurion Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv. The rest of the evening is at your leisure. Renowned for its hedonistic nightlife, this dynamic city also offers beautiful beaches, art galleries and markets. And with a variety of trendy bistros, high-end restaurants and delicious street food stalls, there's plenty to choose from, for dinner.

Tel Aviv - Beer Sheba - Masada - Dead Sea - Jerusalem (West Bank). Set off from Tel Aviv, and drive south past the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon to the Negev capital of Beer Sheba. After a short visit, we continue via Arad to the Masada Fortress which sits atop an isolated rock cliff and was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Ascending by cable car to the fortress offers incredible views of the Dead Sea and at the top explore the excavations of Herod’s Palaces, the synagogue and the bathhouse. Later, we descend to the lowest place on Earth to float in the famously buoyant, salt-laden water of the Dead Sea. From the Dead Sea we journey to Jerusalem, passing by the oasis of Ein Gedi and the Judean Desert enroute. Spend the evening at leisure.

Today's sightseeing tour of Jerusalem New City starts at the Israel Museum which houses The Dead Sea Scrolls in the Shrine of the Book. Continue to visit the beautifully renovated Model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, which dates back to the time of the Second Temple. The next stop on our tour of the New City is Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Centre. Founded in 1953, Yad Vashem started as an organization committed to documenting the memory of Holocaust victims. The new museum was opened in 2005 and has 9 galleries of interactive historical displays, all of which are informative, moving and vital to a continued commemoration of those that lost their lives during one of history's darkest periods. This afternoon we visit the picturesque village of Ein Karem, which was the birthplace of John the Baptist. Next, we drive to Bethlehem to visit the birthplace of Jesus at the Church of the Nativity before returning to Jerusalem for the night.