Masada, Jerusalem & Dead Sea Tour

About

Panoramic Outlook on Jerusalem

Mount of Olives

Old City Jerusalem

Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum

Floating on the Dead Sea

While there's months worth to see and do across Israel, a visitor could see only the sites on this two-day tour and still leave happy. Spanning the breadth of Jerusalem and the Judean Desert, the tour encompasses all the must-see landmarks of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea region, with all the convenience a quality tour affords.

Day 1:

The tour begins with a sweeping vista of Jerusalem, allowing participants to see laid out before them the hallowed monuments of ancient Jerusalem and the vibrant bustle of the modern city. You'll then embark on a walking tour of the Old City, including:

• Mount Zion, focal point of exilic Jewish yearning and resting place of King David
• The Cardo, the remnant of the main thoroughfare of Roman Jerusalem, currently a ritzy shopping center
• The Via Dolorosa, the "Sorrowful Way," the path of Jesus' last walk through Jerusalem between sentencing and crucifixion, with stops at each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross
• The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the ancient and labyrinthine church built over the tomb of Jesus, split between monks of the various Catholic and Orthodox sects of the Christian faith
• The Western Wall, or Kotel, the last remnant of the Second Temple, regarded as the holiest prayer site in the Jewish faith.

In the afternoon, the group will visit Yad Vashem, the official state Holocaust museum, a harrowing, emotional but ultimately enlightening journey through the Nazi genocide of the Jews of Europe.

Yad Vashem is closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays - should the tour take place then, the group will instead visit the Mount of Olives or a site of similar significance.

You'll spend the night in Jerusalem, before embarking on...

Day 2:

On the second day, you'll make an ear-popping descent from the cosmopolitan bustle of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv into the stark and harshly beautiful wastes of the Judean Desert, popular through the ages among religious ascetics of all stripes and home to the Dead Sea, the world's lowest spot.

First you'll visit Masada, a mesa overlooking the Dead Sea where King Herod built an impressive winter palace, and where more than 900 Jewish men, women and children held out against the Romans in the wake of the Great Jewish Revolt before committing mass suicide in 73 CE just as Roman troops were about to finally break through the fort's walls.

You'll then follow the shoreline of the Dead Sea to Dead Sea Mineral Beach, where you can slather yourself in the sea's mineral-rich mud (excellent for your skin) and then partake in a grand Israeli tradition: reading a newspaper while floating on your back in the sea's bouyant, salty water.

For day one, modest clothing is required: head coverings for men at Jewish sites (and lack thereof at Christian sites), no exposed knees or shoulders for women, and no shorts for either gender.

For day two, be sure to bring sunblock, water, hats, comfortable shoes, a swimsuit, beach towels and beach sandals.

This tour's itinerary is subject to change. All local operator contact details are included on the confirmation voucher, and the operator will gladly answer all of your questions after booking.

• Transportation to and from your hotel 

• One night at a tourist class hotel in Jerusalem, on a bed and breakfast basis

• Entrance fee to the Massada National Park and two-way cable car

Note that pick-up times vary depending upon the hotel location and traffic, and the exact pick up time will be within 20 minutes of the times stated below. Please wait in your hotel lobby for pick-up at the following times:

• 06:30 Netanya Hotels

• 07:00 Herzliya Hotels

• 07:20 Tel Aviv Hotels

• 09:00 Jerusalem Hotels

Return between 05:00pm - 06:30pm at the hotel pick-up on second day.