11 Day Israel - A Culinary Experience-Experience Israel through your Taste Buds | Tours to Israel
 Tuesday. Depart USA to Israel, arriving in Tel Aviv the next day. Your international flight will include meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey. FLIGHT
Wednesday. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport. Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities. Transfer to Tel Aviv. Drive through Tel Aviv, known as the "city that never sleeps" and pass by centers of culture and recreation such as the Habima Theater, sprawling beaches, Dizengoff Street and Rabin Square. Check into the hotel. Festive welcome dinner and orientation at the Mika restaurant hosted by Master Chef Mika Sharon. Free time in Tel Aviv with an opportunity to: Meander through the Old City of Jaffa, stroll down Rothschild Boulevard with its many cafes and bars, experience the Tel Aviv Port with its restaurants and clubs, explore the newly gentrified Neve Zedek neighborhood and saunter down the Tel Aviv Beach Promenade. (D) TEL AVIV
Thursday. Breakfast at the hotel. The New Israeli Culinary Revolution: Introduction with master chef Yisrael Aharoni, followed by a culinary exploration through the streets of Tel Aviv. Walking tour through colorful newly gentrified Neve Zedek, one of Tel Aviv's cultural centers with many small boutiques and galleries as well as the Suzanne Delal Dance and Theater Center. Drive to Kibbutz Netiv Halamed Hey and visit the Elah Valley Winery, one of Israel's newest and most successful wineries with tasting and dialogue with the winemakers. Cocktails at the Ilana Goor Art Gallery in Jaffa to see her own work as well as her world-renowned eclectic collection of paintings and sculpture. Return to the hotel for rest and relaxation. Dinner at the Bruno restaurant with Master Chef Eyal Shani. Free evening in Tel Aviv with an opportunity continue discovering the Old City of Jaffa, Rothschild Boulevard, the Tel Aviv port, Neve Zedek Neighborhood, and the Tel Aviv Beach Promenade. (B, D) TEL AVIV
Friday. Breakfast at the hotel. Check out of the hotel and depart Tel Aviv. Stop at Moshav Ornat in the Sharon plain for a chocolate making workshop. Drive along the Trans-Israel Highway for a close up view of the 'Security Barrier' along the seam zone between Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Visit a Druse village in the Carmel Mountains for a window into the unique world of the Israeli Druse community, with home hospitality lunch. Visit the innovative Zippori National Park, site of Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi's codification of the Mishna and a renowned mosaic collection. Drive to the Upper Galilee. Check into the Mizpe Hayamim Spa Hotel. Free time to enjoy the Spa. Festive Shabbat Dinner at the Muskat gourmet restaurant. (B, D) ROSH PINA
Saturday. Breakfast at the hotel. Guided visit through Rosh Pina, a quaint town nestled in the hills of the Upper Galilee and one of the first communities established by the Rothschild Family in the Land of Israel at the end of the 1880's. Jeep ride through the Galilee Mountains from the Bat Ya'ar Ranch through the Biriya Forest. Return to the Spa for rest and relaxation. Late afternoon guided walk through Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a contemporary artist colony, including guided visits to the Ari, Caro and Abuhav Synagogues with their great stories and mystical messages. Dinner at the home of Genine and Ronnie Bar-El in Safed, a unique combination of Jewish artistic creativity and gourmet culinary expertise, located in one of Safed's oldest and most special homes. (B, D) ROSH PINA
Sunday. Breakfast at the hotel. Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve, located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River and the Biblical settlement of Dan. Explore Israel's security situation on the Golan Heights while overlooking the Hula Valley from former Syrian fortifications. Cross the Golan Plateau to the border with Syria and observe the abandoned city of Kuneitra and the United Nations outpost located nearby. Visit and wine taste at the award winning Golan Winery, located in Katzrin on the Golan Heights. After launching in 1984, its wines were recognized as Israel's first world-class wines. Depart for the Gilboa Hills. Visit and taste at the Gilboa Spice Farm overlooking the Jezreal Valley. Depart for Jerusalem via the Jordan Valley. Welcome to Jerusalem. Enter the vibrant and colorful 3,000 year old city of Jerusalem and experience the convergence of the old and the new. Stop at Mount Scopus to recite the traditional "shehechiyanu" blessing upon entering Jerusalem. Check into the hotel. Dinner on your own, followed by free time in Jerusalem. (B) JERUSALEM
Monday. Breakfast at the hotel. Jerusalem and Food - Tradition and Politics: Dialogue with Shari Ansky, food writer, critic and chef. Guided walk through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem with visits to some of the sites excavated over the past 30 years, including: The Cardo, Byzantine street that is now the oldest shopping arcade in the world. Guided visit to the Davidson Archaeological Park with a special visit to the Davidson Center to view the new three-dimensional computer generated presentation of "Life During the Time of the Temple," followed by a guided visit to the Southern Wall Excavations. The Kotel (Western Wall). Visit the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Western Wall along Temple Mount. Participate in a Kosher Cooking workshop with Master Chef Shalom Kadosh, followed by dinner. (B, D) JERUSALEM
Tuesday. Breakfast at the hotel. The Memory of the Holocaust in Contemporary Israeli Society: Dialogue with Holocaust scholar, Dr. Rachel Korazim. Guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, which includes: The Avenue of the Righteous, the new Historical Museum, the Children's Memorial, the Valley of the Communities and a concluding memorial service. LaDa'at - Judean Hills Wine Route: Take part in a vintners journey through the new Judean Hills wine route, exploring some of the new and very successful wineries that have sprouted over the past ten years. This will include possible visits to the Kastel, Katlav, Flam and Har El Wineries with wine tasting and dialogues with wine makers and connoisseurs. Free evning. Enjoy dinner on your own in Jerusalem, at a choice of a wide array of restaurants. (B) JERUSALEM
Wednesday. Breakfast at the hotel. Descend to the Dead Sea Basin. Ascend via cable car or walk up the snake path to Masada, Herod's mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Discuss Masada's role as a symbol of Jewish defense and its current significance in modern Israel. Experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you float in its waters with lunch on your own. Short hike to Nahal David, which is the freshwater spring at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a lush oasis in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem. Dinner at the Arkadia Restaurant in Jerusalem with Master Chef Ezra Kedem. (B, D) JERUSALEM
Thursday. Breakfast at the hotel. LaDa'at - The Geopolitics of Jerusalem: Travel through the city of Jerusalem exploring some of the political and diplomatic complexities of recent years, including Har Homa, Gilo and the new 'Security Fence' in the Jerusalem area with an in-depth study seminar on the ramifications of current developments. Visit the Israel Museum, one of the most creative and innovative museums in the world with a wide and eclectic collection ranging from Judaica and archaeology to Renaissance and contemporary Israeli art. Conclude with a visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Shrine of the Book and the newly restored Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem. Free time for last minute shopping and exploration in Jerusalem. The Seven Species and the Kitchen - Go out in to the Judean Hills with Chef Moshe Bason to pick spices and herbs, followed by a shopping visit to the Machane Yehuda open air market and a cooking workshop with dinner. (B) JERUSALEM
Friday. Breakfast at the hotel. Check out of the hotel. Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport. Departure flight to the USA, arriving the same day. Your international flight will include meals, drinks and in-flight entertainment for your journer. (B) FLIGHT
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