The Peace Route, Spanish-Speaking Guide (Wednesday)

Upon arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport you’ll meet your tour representative, who will be waiting for you after passport control holding a sign with your name on it. Our representative will guide you to pick up your luggage and then escort you through customs to meet your driver, who will transfer you to your hotel in Jerusalem. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, becoming acquainted with your vibrant new surroundings. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Have breakfast at the hotel and then enjoy a full day to yourself in which you get to explore Jerusalem and the surrounding areas at your own rhythm. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also join an optional tour to Masada and the Dead Sea: drive to the Dead Sea via Arad and then turn south to Masada, Israel’s foremost archaeological site. Ascend via cable-car to for a thorough visit during which you will learn about the rituals, politics and culture of the people who inhabited this desert fortress, the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, the bathhouse and the cisterns, and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea from the top of the hill. Descend then to the lowest place on earth: the Dead Sea. Experience the mineral-rich black mud and float in its salty waters. At the end of the visit, drive back to Tel Aviv for an optional dinner and later spend the night in the hotel. Overnight in Jerusalem

Begin your day with breakfast at the hotel and then head out to the New City of Jerusalem. Visit the Sanctuary of the Book in the Museum of Israel, where you can see the manuscripts of the Dead Sea, as well as a model of what the city of Jerusalem looked like in the time of Jesus. Later, enjoy a view of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before continuing towards Ein Karem, a picturesque neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, to visit the Sanctuary of John the Baptist. From there, proceed to Yad Vashem, the memorial to the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. Established in 1953, it is located at the foot of Mt. Herzl. In the afternoon, travel to Bethlehem and step into the Church of the Nativity, the Grotto of the Nativity, and the grottoes of Saint Jerome and Saint Joseph. Return to Jerusalem for an optional dinner and to spend the night in the hotel. Overnight in Jerusalem.