PopPop and I want to take each of our grandchildren on a special trip to celebrate their thirteenth birthday and their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Our granddaughter chose Israel. How we chose our guide and why he was the correct guide to choose is the subject of another post.
We included our granddaughter in the selection of activities. As she is athletic and wanted to experience as much of the outdoors in Israel as possible, the following itinerary reflects this desire. Also, her brother had been to Israel for a month and curated the itinerary to leave out what he considered boring on his trip.
It was important for us to have our granddaughter fall in love with Israel and want to return again and again, so we did not intend nor want to include everything and anything. We were looking for age appropriate activities and experiences and these are the best of the best.
DAY 1 SUNDAY: LEAVE USA
BEST PRIVATE GUIDE FOR TEENS
guide: www.israelwithalex.com
Alex’s Contact Details: 00972-545-216-237, alex.stein@talk21.com
See separate post about Alex.
DAY 2 MONDAY: Arrive Tel Aviv in the morning. Go to Jerusalem one hour from Ben Gurion Airport. Check in King David Jerusalem. Day at Leisure. Walk to Western Wall and Old Jerusalem.
(5 NIGHTS)(why we chose the King David and how to get the best deal there is the subject of another post. It is great to have a base for several nights in one place with a teenager who can then spread out.).
Bar Mitzvah celebrations at the Western Wall from 8 am – 3 pm Mondays and Thursdays (one of the reasons we chose to land on a Monday so we could see the celebrations at the wall on the day we were acclimating to the time change. It was a great experience to find our own way through Old Jerusalem to the Wall and back to the hotel.
King David Jerusalem (5 nights)
23 King David St. Jerusalem, 94101
Reservation Tel. +972-3-7408966 Hotel Tel. +972-2-6208888
Afternoon alternative: walk to Yad LaKashish (workshop open until noon, call first; gift shop until 4:30 pm). Rehov Shitvei Israel 14, Jerusalem. Workshops and Crafts gift shop. From within Israel, (02) 628-7829 http://www.lifeline.org.il/storehome_en.php Back to King David.
DAY 3 TUESDAY: UNESCO World Heritage Site: Old Jerusalem: Tour of Western Wall Tunnels
City of David, Western Wall, Jewish Quarter, Cardo and Hurva Synagogue, Markets of Old City.
TUESDAY (OVERNIGHT JERUSALEM)
*Tour of the WESTERN WALL TUNNELS. Reservation required.
*Visit the CITY OF DAVID, the oldest part of Jerusalem, the remains of the Southern Wall excavations, and the WESTERN WALL.
*Visit the JEWISH QUARTER, including the Cardo and the Hurva Synagogue.
*Enjoy a walk through the markets of the Old City.
OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM
OLD CITY MAP OF QUARTERS OF JERUSALEM
WESTERN WALL TUNNELS
DAY 4 WEDNESDAY: Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, Supreme Court, Machane Yehuda Market, Rappelling at Gei Ben Hinom
WEDNESDAY (OVERNIGHT JERUSALEM)
*Start the day with a special Bat Mitzvah tour at YAD VASHEM Holocaust Museum
YAD VASEM: special Bar and Bat Mitzvah tour. Contact Yad Vashem for an amazing personalized tour.
*Enjoy lunch in Jerusalem’s famous MACHANE YEHUDA MARKET
Take a guided tour of the SUPREME COURT at noon.
English Tour: Sun-Thurs at 12:00pm
Address: Sha’arei HaMishpat St., Givat Ram
Jerusalem,Israel
AFTERNOON:
Rapelling at Gei Ben Hinom with Yaacov
Email: snappling@funinjerusalem.com
Website: www.challengetours.org
Parking: Large free parking lot
This was a wonderful introduction to rapelling and easy and close to the center of Jerusalem. See post on our guide for more details.
DAY 5 THURSDAY: Jerusalem and South: archeological dig; Plant a tree in honor of the Bat Mitzvah; ATV Jerusalem Hills, Sound and Light Show Tower of David
THURSDAY (OVERNIGHT JERUSALEM)
*Take part in DIG FOR A DAY at Beit Guvrin 9:30 am Fabulous, better than anticipated. https://www.funinjerusalem.com/dig-4-day/ Email: dig@funinjerusalem.com
Website: www.archesem.com
Email: dig@funinjerusalem.com
Website: www.archesem.com
Email: dig@funinjerusalem.com
Website: www.archesem.com
*PLANT A TREE in honor of the Bat Mitzvah.
2 pm
*Enjoy an ATV TOUR in the Jerusalem Hills. 3 pm
*See the SOUND & LIGHT SHOW at the Tower of David. 8:30 pm
Sound and Light
Tower of David Order online Tickets >>https://www.tod.org.il/en/the-night-spectacular/
DAY 6 FRIDAY: Day at Leisure
FRIDAY JUNE 7 (NO GUIDING – OVERNIGHT JERUSALEM)
FREE DAY in Jerusalem. Pool. Shopping. Teens like some down time!
DAY 7 SATURDAY: South to North: UNESCO World Heritage Site Masada, Ein Gedi, Dead
Sea float, Jordan Valley and Sea of Galilee
SATURDAY (OVERNIGHT GALILEE)
*Take the cable-car to the top of MASADA, before delving into its exciting history and place in contemporary Israel mythology.
*Enjoy a short walk to the waterfalls of EIN GEDI.
* Float in the salty waters of the DEAD SEA.
*Head north via the Jordan Valley.
MASADA
DEAD SEA
Head north via the Jordan Valley.
Select a hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
DAY 8 SUNDAY, Galilee and Golan Heights: Kibbutz Shooting Range, Rope Park at Kibbutz Sasa; Mount Bental view, Ramot Ranch horseback riding at sunset over Golan Heights
SUNDAY (OVERNIGHT GALILEE)
*Start the day with shooting at Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar.
*Head to Rope Park at Kibbutz Sasa: a superb rope-climbing challenge in the Upper Galilee!
TOP TIP: After sweating your way around Etgar BeHar, head to the Booza ice-cream factory at the entrance to Kibbutz Sasa!
*Lookout over Syria from MOUNT BENTAL.
*Finish the day with a visit to Ramot Ranch for horseback riding at 5:30 pm
MOUNT BENTAL
ROPE PARK at Kibbutz Sasa
For more details, call 04-6988626 or see their official website.
Finish the day with a visit to Ramot Ranch for HORSEBACK RIDING
DAY 9 MONDAY: North to Tel Aviv: Rosh Hanikra Grotto by cable car, UNESCO World Heritage Site: City of Acre: Akko fortress and market and Tunisian synagogue, Caesarea
MONDAY (OVERNIGHT TEL AVIV)
*Start the day with a visit to the ROSH HANIKRA GROTTO.
*Tour the atmospheric old city of AKKO, including the Hospitaller Fortress, the market, and the Tunisian Synagogue.
*Visit the ancient archaeological site of CAESAREA, the remarkable port city built and initiated by Herod the Great, including the theater, hippodrome, and aqueduct.
AKKO
CAESAREA AMPITHEATRE
Tel Aviv Hotel
(2 nights)
ARRIVE IN THE EVENING AT THE HOTEL
DAY 10 TUESDAY: Tel Aviv: Bullet Factory, Yanit 2000 Water Park, Craft Market, Graffiti Tour
NAHALAT
BINYAMIN
ART &
CRAFT
MARKET
TUESDAY DAY 10 (OVERNIGHT TEL AVIV)
*Visit the incredible underground BULLET FACTORY at the Ayalon Institute.
*If time permits: Shop at the Nahalat Binyamin ART & CRAFT market.
*If can get tickets: Visit the PALMACH MUSEUM
*Graffiti Tour and Workshop
DAY 11 WEDNESDAY
FLY TO USA
ARRIVE HOME USA
For more detail: See post on our private guide.
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