CALL OUR EXPERTS 0330 818 8907

ABTA and ATOL Protected
Escorted Tours

Israel The Holy Land


Route:
  • UK
  • Tel Aviv
  • Galilee
  • Jerusalem
  • UK
Tour Pace:

8 DAYS from £1599pp

Tour Highlights
  • Enjoy two full-day tours of Jerusalem's religious and historic sites, including the Israel Museum, Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall
  • Sail the Sea of Galilee, seeing Mount of Beatitudes and the ruins of Capernaum
  • Learn about daily life in a kibbutz
  • Explore the lively city of Tel Aviv and the nearby ancient port city of Jaffa
  • Visit the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth and the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem
  • Marvel at the UNESCO-listed walled city of Akko and the ancient ruins of Bet Shean

or call us on 0330 818 8907

Israel The Holy Land

Biblical sites lie next to ancient synagogues and the sacred Islamic Dome of the Rock in Israel, a country where the most spiritually significant sites of Judaism, Islam and Christianity converge. Take in the most sacred of these areas and structures as you visit the Virgin Mary's home in Nazareth, cross the waters of the Sea of Galilee, ascend the Mount of Beatitudes and travel the path Christ took to his crucifixion on this riveting eight-day tour.

Tour Itinerary

1
UK to Tel Aviv

Depart London on your scheduled flight to Tel Aviv, located on Israel's glittering Mediterranean coastline. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

2
Tel Aviv to Galilee

Embark on a morning tour of Israel's second city Tel Aviv, home to the unique Bauhaus-style buildings of its UNESCO-listed White City and glorious stretches of beach. Reflecting Israel's long and rich past, the city is also dotted with numerous historical sites and a visit to Jaffa, located on the outskirts of the city, allows you to explore this centuries-old city which has been conquered and re-conquered countless times throughout its history. Wander the cobbled alleyways of the area, taking in the historic port which has been in continuous use for over 4,000 years. Travel north to Caesarea to explore the harbour ruins and pillared amphitheatre of this ancient beachfront archaeological site. Next, a journey to the UNESCO listed, walled city of Akko (also known as Acre) teeming with fortifications, underground crypts and Ottoman-era structures. Join Marco Polo, the Knights of the Secret Order of the Templars and the Crusaders, who have all passed through the walls of this city, as you explore its landmarks before you make your way to your hotel in Galilee.

  • Breakfast & Dinner
3
Galilee

A morning tour of a local kibbutz gives you a chance to witness this unique, communal style of living and learn more about the values of social equality and shared ownership that underpin these communities. Travel onward to the Sea of Galilee, home to some of Christianity and Judaism's most important sites; the area around this lake also offers rolling hills, valleys and quaint, small towns. Enjoy a full day exploring the biblical sites of this region, set against this picturesque backdrop. Sail the Sea of Galilee as you cross these waters by boat to the ruins of the former fishing village of Capernaum, once home to the apostles Simon, Peter, Andrew, James and John. Continue onward to the secluded site of the feeding of the 5,000 before visiting the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Christ gave his Sermon on the Mount. Today, the site is a tranquil garden with a Byzantine church featuring stained glass depictions of the eight beatitudes and sweeping views over the lake and countryside.

  • Breakfast & Dinner
4
Galilee to Jerusalem

After breakfast, depart Galilee for Jerusalem, stopping en route in Nazareth where you can wander the cavernous interior of the Church of Annunciation, believed to be the home of the Virgin Mary. Continue north to the extensive archaeological ruins of Bet Shean, best known as the site where King Saul was killed by the Philistines. Explore the fascinating excavations peppered throughout the area, which include amphitheatres, bathing houses and pagan temples. Continue on to Jerusalem, passing through the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley, dotted with palm-filled date farms, before checking into your hotel in time for your first dinner in Israel's age-old city.

  • Breakfast & Dinner
5
Jerusalem

Explore Jerusalem's recent and ancient history on today's full-day city tour. The morning starts with amoving visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum where you will gain insight into the grim experiences of the Jewish people during World War 2. The nine galleries of the museum display photographs, films, documents, letters, works of art, and personal items found in the camps and ghettos of Nazi Germany. After this poignant experience, visit the seat of the Israeli government at the Knesset before stopping in at the Israel Museum, home to almost 500,000 objects and artefacts. Witness the aged parchment of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain the oldest known biblical manuscripts, and marvel at the amazing reconstruction of Jerusalem as it was before its destruction by the Romans in 66CE. Next, wander the stall-lined alleyways in a spice-scented souk before walking through the sacred hallways of the UNESCO recognised Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, where it is believed Christ was born.

  • Breakfast & Dinner
6
Jerusalem

Churches, mosques and synagogues lie side by side in Jerusalem, a site of spiritual significance for three of the world's major religions. On today's tour, follow the path Jesus took to his crucifixion as you walk the Via Dolorosa, a winding street that leads to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. A visit to this church gives you access to two of Christianity's holiest sites - the hill of crucifixion and the tomb where Christ was buried and resurrected. Journey through Kidron Valley along the route of Jesus' flight to the Mount of Olives, as you make your way to the centuries-old religious monuments of Temple Mount, including the gleaming, golden Dome of the Rock - an Islamic shrine and important pilgrimage site. Continue onward and join the pilgrims fervently praying at the Wailing (or Western) Wall before visiting the Antonia Fortress where Jesus was tried for his crimes.

  • Breakfast & Dinner
7
Jerusalem

Enjoy today at leisure, with the chance to explore Jerusalem at your own pace. Those wishing to delve further into the city's history might wish to take in the gnarled olive trees and colourful church of the Garden of Gethsemane or examine 6,000 years of artefacts on exhibit at the Bible Lands Museum. For those wanting a less history-focused experience, a walk down Ben-Yehuda Street gives you access to the city's best shopping and cafes and the chance to enjoy creamy hummus or fragrant falafel in one of its eateries. Alternatively, take an optional excursion (at a fee) to the Dead Sea for the chance to float on its salt-filled waters, then explore the caves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and visit the imposing natural rock fortress at Masada, the site of the battle between the Jewish people and their Roman occupiers.

  • Breakfast & Dinner
8
Jerusalem to the UK

After breakfast, depart Jerusalem for Tel Aviv where you'll board your return flight to the UK, or continue on to your chosen extension.

  • Breakfast

Important Information

Visas

A visa is not required for entry into Israel as a tourist. On entry, visitors are granted leave to enter for a period of up to 3 months. Visitors entering via Ben Gurion airport are given an entry card instead of an entry stamp in their passport. While this practice is in place at other ports of entry, there have been instances where passports have been stamped for entry purposes. You should keep your entry card with your passport until you leave. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Israel. Visa requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destination's tourist board or embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

Payment

If booking more than 10 weeks before departure a deposit of £250pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 10 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 10 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

Flight Information

Your initial flight is to Ben Gurion International Airport (Tel Aviv) with Virgin Atlantic, departing from London Heathrow Terminal 3. (Please note if you are flying before 13/03/2023, your flight will be with British Airways). Each passenger is entitled to 23kg of hold luggage. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. Checked baggage allowance may vary. If it shows '23k' this means your allowance is 23kg; or '1PC' means one piece not exceeding 23kg. Hand Luggage: One piece of hand luggage with maximum total dimensions not exceeding a total of 115cm in size (56cm x 45cm x 25cm) and 8kg in weight. Please refer to the airline's website for further details and the most up-to-date information.
IMPORTANT: Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 10 days before departure. A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you.

Health and Vaccinations

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

Physical Accessibility

This tour is accessible to most people with a good level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves climbing of steep stairs and getting on and off coaches and boats. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

Group Size

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 15, and the maximum will be 35. If in the unlikely event there are less than 15 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

Tour Guide

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival by your national guide who will remain with you for the duration of your trip. You will also be joined by a local guide in each of the cities which you visit, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Currency Information

The currency in Israel is the Israel Shekel. Currencies such as Pound Sterling, US Dollars, Euro and other major currencies can be exchanged in Israel. ATMs and exchange facilities are available. We advise that you request bank notes in smaller denominations, as it can sometimes be hard to get change from large notes and smaller notes are handy for smaller purchases.

Personal Expenses

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £400 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.

Tour Dates & Prices

Depart UKArrive UKPrice
2024 Dates
27 May 202403 Jun 2024SOLD OUT
17 Jun 202424 Jun 2024£1999.00
02 Sep 202409 Sep 2024£1999.00
09 Sep 202416 Sep 2024£1999.00
16 Sep 202423 Sep 2024£1999.00
28 Oct 202404 Nov 2024£2099.00
04 Nov 202411 Nov 2024£1899.00
18 Nov 202425 Nov 2024£1899.00
02 Dec 202409 Dec 2024£1599.00

Included in the Price

  • Local English-speaking Guides
  • Scheduled Flights from the UK.
  • All internal travel including air-conditioned/heated transportation.
  • Accommodation, meals as specified and entry fees to all sights.
  • All airport taxes and security charges.

Additional Expenses

  • Visas
  • Insurance
  • Tips
  • Any meals not specified in your itinerary
Important

Please note the hotels given are a guidelines only and may change. If the hotels detailed are not available, alternatives will be used of a similar standard. Please refer to your final documentation for confirmation of your hotels. You will receive this between 7-10 days before departure.

What to expect

Fact File
Currency

Israeli new shekel

Average Flying time

5 hours

Min/Max temperature

8 °C / 26 °C

Spoken languages

Hebrew

When to go

Weather can vary quite considerably throughout the year, so please familiarise yourself with the climate charts below.

Tel Aviv

Jerusalem

What to pack
  • Sunscreen and insect repellent
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Waterproof lightweight jacket
  • Sunglasses and hat
  • Ruck sack
  • Camera and charger
  • Loo paper for public WCs
  • Binoculars
  • Swimwear
  • Anti-bacterial hand sanitiser
  • Personal toiletries and first aid kit
  • A travel plug adaptor: The voltage in Israel is 220 V. You will need a 2-round pin plug or 2-flat pin plug adapter. Should you plan to use your own hairdryer, travel iron, video camera, battery charger, electric shaver, etc, it is advisable to bring a multi-adaptor
Customer Rating:
7.5/10
Angela Browne
11th Dec 2019

Hotel in Tel Aviv - excellent

Hotel for Galilee - just ok

Hotel in Jerusalem - fabulous location. Room good. Food good.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
8.8/10
J Mellor
11th Dec 2019

I want to praise Tamai our guide and the driver absolutely excellent.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
7.5/10
Paul Heseltine
10th Dec 2019

Standard accommodation, food good but repetetive.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
10/10
M Ratcliffe
2nd Dec 2019

We were not informed of flight changes! Only found out when we rang about extra trips, could have caused problems with train and hotel bookings if we hadn't of made this call.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
8.8/10
Jenny Corbett
27th Nov 2019

Good hotels. Would have liked to stay in town centre.
Our guide, Tami, was brilliant. We were lucky to have her. Mercury should use her again. We all felt she was outstanding.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
7.5/10
L Kirk
26th Nov 2019

Ear phones from the guide to us would be helpful as when it's very busy we can't hear.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
8.8/10
Frank Shaw
28th Sep 2019

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. However, you have some serious and significant communication and Admin issues. The main part of the holiday was fine but when we went to Tel Aviv for the add on we had no communication whatsoever about how we were going to get to Tel Aviv or when we'd be picked up for the trip from the hotel to the airport. We were left completely in the dark about transfer arrangements and your representative simply said it was nothing to do with her and we had to make our own arrangements.. Can you please confirm what you are going to do about this.. Thank you. Frank Shaw.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
10/10
Barbara Gentry
29th Jun 2019

Our guide Jan was excellent but the person who should have found us while we were waiting to go through passport control was looking for people on our tour in a very haphazard way and missed us which meant we didnt know where to go once in arrivals and had to ask a security guard who told us where your groups go. If I'd been on my own I would have been very worried. Also our driver left us waiting for him in hot sun for 30 mins in Jerusalem and never helped hotel staff with bags being busy eating lol.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
10/10
Adrian Grant
26th Jun 2019

All good

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
10/10
Joan Dyson
30th Oct 2018

All very good, our guide was excellent

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
10/10
Heath Rees
20th Oct 2018

Good hotels and food - we recommend the Tel Aviv extension for rest and recuperation after the tour and you might meet Uri Geller as we did!!

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Customer Rating:
10/10
Paul And Baudelis Westoby And Perdomo
8th Jun 2018

All very good and good value given how expensive Israel is.

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Value for money
Tour Map
Israel The Holy Land Route Map
Tour Dossiers
Extensions
  • Israel
    Tel Aviv City Stay

    4 nights from £539pp

    View
Here to help

Hotels & Accommodation

Extensions

Tel Aviv City Stay
Tour Route
  • UK
  • Tel Aviv
  • Galilee
  • Jerusalem
  • Tel Aviv
  • UK

Stretching along Israel's Mediterranean coastline, Tel Aviv's first-class eateries, pulsing nightlife and seaside neighbourhoods are waiting to be discovered on this three-night extension. Whether you choose to tour the historic wonders of the city, sunbathe on one of its 16 glorious beaches or sample the city's fantastic shopping and dining options, an extended stay in this lively city is the ideal way to round off your tour.

4 nights
from £539pp
View Tour + Extension
View Tour + Extension