Depart your Tel Aviv hotel by private, air-conditioned vehicle and travel northeast to Galilee, the picturesqueĀ mountainous region in northern Israel.Ā As you travel, admire theĀ pastoral landscapes, and hear about Galileeās history and rich Jewish heritage from your private guide.
Stop at Zippori National Park, home to the excavated remains of the 1,800-year old city of Zippori. Hear how this once-thriving city was mentioned in the Talmud and, after capture by the Romans, served as Galileeās administrative capital in the 1st century AD.
Walk the timeworn Roman streets past the ruined houses of Jewish nobles, and enter the Nile House, famous for its mosaics of what might have been a Nile River festival.Ā
OgleĀ the images of wild animals and Amazonian warriors, and admire the famous nearby āMona Lisa of Galilee,ā a mosaic of a beautiful woman with an enigmatic smile.Ā View the biblical-themed mosaics at the crumbled, 5th-century synagogue, and lastly, seeĀ the water tunnel that fed water to the city from the surrounding mountains.
Next, drive through Galileeās hills to Safed (Zefat), the center of Kabbalah, the ancient Jewish mystical tradition whose originsĀ date to the 16th century and before.Ā
Follow the historical trail through the town's cobbled old quarter, and visit some of Safedās best-known synagogues including the Ha Ari, Abuhav and Yosef Caro.
Stroll through the charming Artists Quarter and stop at theĀ cemetery, the resting place of many great rabbis. Wander around the tombstones to see the graves of greats suchĀ as Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as āARI,ā and then leave for Mount Meron Nature Reserve, one of the most revered Jewish sites in Israel and conclude your tour with a hotel drop-off in Tel Aviv.
