Performing Arts Tour to Israel: Music in the Holy Land

We arrive today at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is a thriving metropolis with skyscrapers, shopping, nightlife and cafes. It is also the country’s financial and business center as well as its cultural entertainment capital. Our tour manager/guide will meet us at the airport, where we will transfer to our hotel, our home for the next 3 nights.

Enjoy breakfast before a day of sightseeing along the beautiful Mediterranean coast.

We will see Jaffa’s picturesque Harbor and visit the city’s Old Section, which has been restored as a charming artists’ colony and cultural center. We will walk along the winding cobblestone lanes past art studios and galleries to see the Clock Tower. Then, have your camera ready for a photo stop at Jaffa’s observation point, overlooking the “white city” of Tel Aviv. We will have some free time in Tel Aviv before our first performance.

Your first performance will be today.

En route to Caesarea we pass through Tel Aviv's major thoroughfares, including Ibn Gvirol Street where we will stop by the square were Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin was assassinated on November 04, 1995.

Our day continues in Caesarea Maritime. This ancient port city was built by Herod the Great on the ruins of an ancient anchorage known as Stratton’s tower. Among the magnificent array of archaeological finds we see at the site are the restored Crusader fortifications, a Byzantine street and a Roman Theater.

En route to Haifa, we will stop on Mt. Carmel for a breathtaking view of Haifa Bay. We then will have ample free time to explore the city of Haifa.

After an early start this morning we visit Nazareth, where Jesus spent the hidden years of his childhood. Our trip will include the following sights:

We will explore the Basilica of the Annunciation, one of Christendom’s most revered shrines and the largest church in the Middle East. It was built on the site where the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Next we will see the Church of Joseph, built over a cave known as Joseph’s Workshop.

We will also walk through the Bazaar of Nazareth and pass the modern white stone fountain known as Mary’s Well. It was built over an ancient well that dates back to Biblical times.

This afternoon we stop in Capernaum, located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and considered the center of Jesus’ ministry while he was in the Galilee. Here we see the ruins of an Ancient Synagogue with its recently discovered mosaic floor. We will also visit Tabgha, the traditional location where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish.

Next we drive along the Jordan Valley and ascend the Judean Hills, passing by Jericho and the Good Samaritan Inn on our way to Jerusalem.

We end the day in the capital of Israel, famous for its timeless beauty. As you wind your way through Jerusalem, you will pass some of the Nation’s landmarks, such as the Hebrew University, the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) and the State Supreme High Court.

Today we experience one of the world’s most incredible phenomena and historical finds as we journey to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. To the north we will see Jericho, before traversing miles of desert and arid rock to arrive at the point from which the Qumran Caves are clearly visible. It was here in 1947 that a Bedouin shepherd boy discovered the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known manuscripts in the world.

Next, we drive along the shores of the sea to Ein Gedi, a desert oasis that is mentioned several times in the Bible.

Our day continues at Masada, the most spectacular ancient archaeological site in Israel, world famous for its recognition by UNESCO for its unique structure and history. We will ascend by cable car to this mountaintop fortress. King Herod chose Masada as a place of refuge, and built fortifications and splendid palaces. We will explore the magnificent ancient ruins, the synagogue, the baths, the defending walls, and the water cisterns that are an engineering feat still today.

After a day of extraordinary vistas, we will enjoy the opportunity of a lifetime: experience the exquisite sensation of floating effortlessly upon the buoyant waters of the Dead Sea, claimed to be a natural health and beauty spa. Lunch will also be included today.

Our day begins at the Western Wall, the holiest site in the Jewish world. We will enter the Western Wall Tunnel, a tunnel exposing a section of the entire length of the Western Wall, before exiting at the Old City at Dung Gate.

Our next stop is at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority. This new museum opened in March 2005 and is dedicated to documenting the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust period.

The afternoon is yours to explore the city before we come together for our next performance.

Your second concert performance will be today

After breakfast this morning, we drive to the Mount of Olives. At the summit of the Mount, have your camera ready for panoramic views of the walled Old City, Temple Mount, the Golden Gates, the Church of the Ascension, and the Churches of Pater Noster and Dominus Flevit.

We then proceed to the Old City; our Walking Tour starts at Jaffa Gate, where we walk along the colorful bazaar and explore the Christian quarter along the famous Via Dolorosa, believed by many to be the route Jesus followed as he carried his cross to Calvary.

Next we visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, perched on the hill known as Golgotha, marking the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

We will view the golden-topped Dome of the Rock with its stunning blue-gold ceramic tiles; the shrine is considered the third holiest site in Islam. Later we will also visit the Shrine of the Book, which houses the world famous Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Museum.

This afternoon we will make a visit to Bethlehem, which features prominently in both the Old and New Testaments. We will enter the Basilica of the Nativity and descend to the Grotto of the Nativity in the lower level of the church. We will visit the Herodion, a fortified palace built by Herod, and also see the Pools of Solomon, before we return to Jerusalem.

Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your tour manager/guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home from Tel Aviv.