Day 1 Arrival at Ben Gurion airport. Meeting and assistance through customs by our representative and transfer to your hotel in Jerusalem. After checking in and refreshing up, join us for a cocktail followed by dinner and wine to start out culinary experience and introduce you to the herbs and spices of Israel. Overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem Day 2 After a full Israeli style breakfast, at your hotel, we will start the day at MachanehYehudah open market, probably the most colorful in Israel. We will explore as well the surrounding area, one of Jerusalem’s oldest neighborhoods and on the way get to taste olives and olive oil, great goat cheeses, hummus and more. Today lunch is at the “Eucaliptus” Restaurant and taste Israel cuisine at its best, the menu focuses on the foods indigenous to the land of Israel, and dishes are made with natural local ingredients. After lunch drive to Mt. Olives for a breathtaking panoramic view of the City of Jerusalem. Enter the Old City through the Lion’s Gate, walk along the Via Dolorosa with its 14 Stations of the Cross and arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the holiest shrine in the Christendom. Return to your hotel for a short break and in the evening drive to a real Israeli home and have dinner with a family. After dinner return to your hotel for overnight. Overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem Day 3 After breakfast, enter the Old City again, this time from the Zion gate and into the Jewish Quarter. Walk through the Cardo, the old Roman road of Jerusalem, leading into the Wailing Wall, the holiest place for the Jewish people. After a visit to the wall, continue to Ben Yehuda Street, the main artery of Jerusalem shops with the souvenirs you can take with you home and nice trendy coffee shops. This area was built by Teddy Kolek, the late legendary Mayor of Jerusalem, as a tiny replica of his native Vienna. Day 4 After breakfast depart to Caesarea, the ancient Roman and later Crusader port. We will see the amphitheater and the aqueduct. The site has also Christian importance as here was the conversion of Cornelius the centurion, the conversion of the first gentile. We continue along the shores of the Mediterranean towards the Tishbi Winery, a short distance away from Binyamina. Tishbi is a family of the vineyard growers since 1880, who decided to build their own winery in 1985. Taste the excellent wine and the local cheese there. Do not miss visiting the Alambic Still producing high quality brandy, the only one of its kind in Israel. Continue to Tiberias and arrive to your hotel for overnight. Overnight: Hotel in Tiberias Day 5 Start our day in the Galilee with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Continue towards the Golan Heights area. Visit Chateau Golan winery, one of the unique boutique wineries in the area. Continue on to Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee. Arrive at Muskat restaurant at MizpeHayamim, known for its locally grown and served organic vegetable, herbs and fruit. Lunch at Muskat, hosted by chef Haim Tibi. After lunch we will visit the important sites around the Sea of Galilee. Start at Mt of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, probably his most famous. Continue to Capernaum, the ancient village house of Peter and see the synagogue where Jesus preached. Free evening in Tiberias to experience the street food and enjoy street life by the lake. Day 6 We then drive to Nazareth, in the Northern part of Israel. Visit the Church of the Annunciation and the famous “Shuk” (the market) and continue to Diana, probably the most authentic Arab restaurant in Israel. You will taste the famous “kebab” minced on the spot, accompanied by local wine and followed knafa, a well-known Arab sweet delicacy and coffee. On the way to Tel Aviv stop by the Olio Olive Oil Mill and learn about the different types of olive oil. Continue to your Tel Aviv hotel; the evening is free to discover the varied culinary options Tel Aviv has to offer. Overnight: Tel Aviv Day 7 After breakfast drive along the coast to the old city if Jaffa. This was the most famous port of Israel for thousands of years and the export port for the famous Jaffa Oranges. Continue walking the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel’s Metropolitan, with its samples of the bygone era of the 30s of the last century, the Bauhaus. Proceed to the Chloelys, reputably one of the best fish and seafood restaurants in Israel hosted by Chef Victor Gloger, the Argentine born, who studied and worked in Paris for over 15 years. We now drive to the old port of Tel Aviv, now an area of restaurants, clubs and shopping including an amazing Chocolate factory called Max Brener. Drive back to your hotel for a short break and go out for tapas in the the Old Train Station area. Return to your hotel for overnight. Overnight: Hotel in Tel Aviv Day 8 After breakfast departure to the airport for your flight back home.
