Friends of David & Jan Finer Trip to Israel

August 26 – September 3, 2026

Contents

Day-By-Day Itinerary (Subject to Change)

Day 1: Wednesday August 26, 2026

Welcome to Israel!

Arrive to Ben Gurion airport

VIP Assistance & Transfer to TLV

Check In

5:30 pm Welcome Drinks

6:30 pm Depart the hotel

7:00 pm Opening Dinner and Welcome at Guetta Restaurant in Jaffa

Overnight: Carlton Hotel , Tel Aviv

Breakfast at the Hotel

8:30 am Israel Update and Regional Snapshot with Col (ret) Miri Eisen

Meet your Guide, Yoav Bruck and opening session at the hotel

Depart the hotel

Walking tour of Jaffa and Neve Tzedek, the oldest neighborhood in Tel Aviv and Rothschild Avenue, Tel-Aviv’s first street and also one of the prettiest, also home to the most Bauhaus-style houses in Tel-Aviv

Lunch on route

2:00 pm Graffiti Tour Of Tel Aviv

7:00 pm Dinner at the home of Nachik Weberman

Overnight: Carlton Hotel , Tel Aviv

Breakfast at the Hotel

8:15 am Depart the Hotel to the Gaza Envelope

Possible Visit to Sderot

10:00 am Visit to Kibbutz Kfar Azza

Lunch En Route

Continue in the Gaza Envelope

  • Nova Party Site
  • Car Cemetery
  • Shuva Junction
  • Pay Our Respects to Bibas Family members that were murdered by the Hamas (Shiri, Ariel, Kfir) Sde Nitzan Cemetery

Return to TLV

Private Dinner in Tel Aviv

Overnight: Carlton Hotel , Tel Aviv

Breakfast at the hotel and check out

Travel North

Visit Caesarea, built by Herod, the extensive seaside ruins date back to Roman, Byzantine and Crusader times. Explore the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater, Crusader harbor and 12th-century ramparts, and marvel at the size of the recently uncovered Hippodrome

Druze lunch on route

Visit to Christian holy sites in the Galilee:

  • Capernaum, center of Jesus’ Ministry, view the ruins of an ancient synagogue and the site of Peter’s house
  • Stop at the Mt. of Beatitudes, the site of the Sermon on the Mount
  • Possible Visit Tabgha with St. Peter Primacy Church of Multiplication of the Loaves & Fishes –time permitting

Check in at the Hotel

7:00 pm Outdoor Catered Dinner with Chef Tal

Overnight: Theatron Hotel, Jerusalem

Breakfast at the hotel

Visit the Ramat David IDF AirForce Base – TBC

Visit to Metula with Geopolitical overview

Travel to the Golan

Lunch meeting with a Military Security Expert, Eyal Dror

3:00 pm ATV Adventure and overview of Mount Bental

7:00 pm Dinner at the Golan winery

Overnight: Magdala Hotel, Galilee

Breakfast at the hotel and check out

Depart South via the Jordan Valley

Visit Masada, the site of King Herod’s desert mountain get-away palace and scene of the Zealots’ last stand against the Roman legion. Explore the ancient excavation of Herod’s palaces, the bathhouse, storerooms, the ramp and one of the oldest synagogues in the world

Lunch, Swim and Float on the Dead Sea at Herods Hotel, Ein Bokek

Travel to Jerusalem

Check in to the hotel

Dinner at Restaurant

Overnight: David Citadel , Jerusalem

Breakfast at the hotel

Overview of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, from this point you can see the Gethsemane Gardens and the Kidron Valley below; the Golden Gates, and the churches, mosques, and synagogues of the three major religions that claim Jerusalem as their spiritual center

Old City walking tour – Three religions in one city

Explore the Jewish, Muslim and Christian Quarters of the Old City, passing the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa and the Church Holy Sepulcher

Lunch in the Jewish Quarter

Continue to the Western Wall and tour the Jewish Quarter

Shopping time

Dinner at RoofTop Restaurant, Notre Dame

Overnight: David Citadel , Jerusalem

Breakfast at the hotel

8:30 am – Visit to the Duvdevan Special Forces Base

11:00 am- Visit Yad Vashem (enter museum on own)

Tastings tour light lunch at Machane Yehudah – The market, located in the western part of Jerusalem, is around 80 years old and is filled with colors, noises, smells and the best products- (we could also do a dinner and cooking class here above the market)

Possible Meeting Slot with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet (Confirmed)

Meet with Rina Quint Holocaust Survivor in her home

7:00 pm Walk to Dinner at Satya Restaurant

Overnight: David Citadel, Jerusalem

Breakfast at the hotel and check out

9:00 am Visit Bethlehem/Manger Square/Shepherds Field

Lunch at the Tent Restaurant

Return to Jerusalem

5:00 pm Dinner at the hotel and closing

Departure to Ben Gurion Airport or Overnight for those extending

שלום ולהתראות! 
Shalom U’lehitraot!

Rates (Land Only)

$6,430 USD

Price per person sharing a double room

$ 8,050 USD

Single room for those rooming alone

Please note that above rates are based on a minimum participation of 30 paying participants. In the event the number falls below 30 the Tour will either be canceled, or postponed, or the Services included will have to be adjusted in order to fit within the rates originally published and/or a supplement will have to be charged in order to operate the Tour with a smaller number of participants.

Accommodation

The above listed include accommodation services at the following hotels or similar:

Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

3 nights in Premium rooms

קרלטון

Magdala Hotel, Sea of Galilee

2 nights in Standard rooms

מגדלנה

David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem

3 nights in Superior New City View rooms

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Included

Excluded

Guidelines for Payment and Cancellation

Payment Schedule:

  1. For new participants who have not previously registered or paid:
    • 50% of all expected charges are due by July 10, 2026.
    • 100% of all remaining expected charges are due by August 5, 2026.

      The payment is via Visa, MasterCard or American Express or Bank transfer.

  2. For participants who have previously registered and have funds on account with Routes Travel – please email us directly
  •  

Cancellation policy:

All cancellations must be made in writing and addressed to Deborah: [email protected]. The cancellation fee depends on the date when Operator receives written notification of Customer’s request to cancel the booking.

  • Cancellation received no later than July 10, 2026, is not a subject to a cancellation fee.
  • Cancellation received later than July 10, 2026, but no later than July 26, 2026, is subject to a cancellation fee equivalent to 50% of the Total Package Cost.
  • Cancellation received later than July 26, 2026, but no later than August 12, 2026, is subject to a cancellation fee equivalent to 70% of the Total Package Cost.
  • Cancellation received later than August 12, 2026, is subject to a cancellation fee equivalent to 100% of the Total Package Cost.

 

Cancellation in Exceptional Situations:

Notwithstanding the terms detailed in Cancellation Section above, in the event that the cancellation of the entire group unavoidably results from Force Majeure or Acts of God, the following cancellation terms shall apply instead.

  • In the event of cancellation occurring before July 10, 2026, no cancellation fee will be charged.
  • In the event of cancellation occurring later than July 10, 2026, a non-recoverable fee of USD $ 500 per person will be charged.

Travel Protection

More than ever, Travel Insurance is a vitally important feature of any planned travel and safeguards against unexpected developments

Travel protection offers many great benefits and peace of mind when traveling.  One of the many benefits is, to insure the travelers trip cost, in the event a traveler needs to cancel the trip, due to unforeseen medical illness of the insured or of an immediate family member.

The other key benefit included here is medical expense coverage, given that the majority of our health insurance plans, lack coverage for accidents/illness occurring outside of the US.

In addition to trip cancellation and medical expense coverage, other benefits protecting the travelers during their journey are , trip delay , trip interruption, lost or delayed luggage upon arrival in destination, medical evacuation, 24/7 emergency assistance and much more.

To receive a quote and for any travel insurance questions you may have, please reach out to Liana DiCurzio at Traveland. Her email is [email protected]   please be sure to mention that you are traveling with ToI/Routes Trips

We highly recommend reaching out for an insurance quote, as soon as possible after making the very first initial payment, as some benefits and plans such as the Cancel For Any Reason plan (CFAR),  are time sensitive,  and are only available  for purchase within 13 days of the very first trip payment

VAT (Value Added Tax)

Israeli VAT not applicable to non-Israeli tourists for a variety of services and is therefore not included in our prices. In this connection, please note the following:

  • Should any members of your group be either holders of an Israeli passport or residents of Israel, they are subject by Israeli law to Israeli VAT (Value Added Tax) which is 18%, a tax which is not included in the above prices since non-Israeli tourists are exempt from this tax on key services. If we are informed of the participation of Israeli citizens/residents in advance, we can bill accordingly from the outset. Otherwise, any Israeli passport holders and/or residents regardless of where they reside, will be charged VAT by the hotel reception.
  • With respect to tourists, although current regulations continue to exempt them from VAT on key services, this could change at any time, in which case VAT would have to be added by law to the services provided.

 

Any questions? Contact us at [email protected] 

If the trip is oversubscribed at the time of your registration, please fill in your information on the registration form, and you will be added to the program waiting list