After pickup from your central Tel Aviv hotel, settle into your air-conditioned coach and begin your full-day trip as you travel toward Jerusalem.
On route, hear about Jerusalem’s turbulent history and how the city is considered holy by the followers of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths.
On arrival, stop at the Mount of Olives and soak in the stunning panoramas from the slopes over the Old City. Pick out the main landmarks with pointers from your guide, including the Temple Mount Esplanade, where heaven is said to meet earth. Travel along the Kidron Valley and pass the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus is believed to have prayed before his crucifixion.
Continue to nearby Mount Zion to visit the Tomb of King David – Israel’s famous and revered second king immortalized in the bible’s story of the battle between David and Goliath. View the sarcophagus, and visit the Hall of the Last Supper built on the site where Jesus is traditionally held to have eaten his last meal with his disciples.
Next, enter the Zion Gate into Old Jerusalem and after a visit to the 16th-century Sephardic synagogues, discover how Jerusalem’s elites lived over 2,000 years ago at the Herodian Mansions. The excavations here have revealed the marble walls and mosaics of the luxurious homes that were built on terraces here to give them views of the temple.
Lastly, head south of the Old City to the site of the original City of David, captured by King David over 3,000 years ago. Here, explore some of the most exciting over-ground and underground archaeological treasures of this aeons-old settlement, the first foundations of present-day Jerusalem.
Having explored the ruins, relax on your ride back to Tel Avvi, where your tour finishes with a hotel drop-off.
