ISRAEL:  Where Ancient Meets Modern

In an ancient, historic land, time has both stood still and moved into the 21st century.

Here you can find culture, beaches, mountains, rivers, and bustling cities.

For the LEISURE Traveler:

You will enter Israel through Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv sits on more than 10 miles of Mediterranean coastline, lush with virtually every level of beachfront accommodations as well as 12 municipal beaches and a major marina.  There are city markets, incredible world class entertainment and shopping areas as well as museums and areas that are architecturally and historically significant.

There are three "beach" towns:  Herzliya, Netanya and Ashkelon, all offering stunning beaches, seaside accommodations and exquisite dining.

Jerusalem, while classified as a "Holy City", has a wealth of 4- and 5- star accommodations, theatres, dance companies and entertainment venues, while dining options run the gamut.  There are enough lively bars, pubs and clubs to satisfy most any party-goer.  Shopping is a cultural adventure and a must visit spot is the teeming Arab market with twisting alleyways, delicious and diverse aromas coming from the variety of spice and food stalls.

Haifa, Israel's third largest city,  has terraced landscape that offers breathtaking panoramas, particularly from the must-see Baha'i World Centre on Mount Carmel's northern slope.  Dining can be contemporary creations to inexpensive though tasty falafel counters to middle-class restaurants, bars and trendy cafes.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Over the last 26 years, UNESCO has designated six (6) World Heritage sites in this tiny country.  In 1981 UNESCO named the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls as a World Heritage site, citing its 220 historic monuments as well as the West Wall.  Twenty years later UNESCO named Masada as a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel and as the site of the last stand of the Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman Army in A.D. 73.  That same year, UNESCO named the Old City of Acre, or Akko, a World Heritage site partially because of the remains of a Crusader town, dating from 1104 to 1291, lies almost intact both above and below today's street level, providing an exceptional picture of the layout and structures of the capital of the medieval Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem.  In 2003 UNESCO named the White City of Tel Aviv as a heritage site as a section of the city that was constructed from the early 1930's till 1948, reflecting modern organic planning principles.  In 2005, UNESCO named the Biblical Tels of Megiddo, Hazor and Beersheva to its list of World heritage sites.  The three tels present some of the best examples in the Levant or elaborate Iron Age and underground water collecting systems, created to serve dense urban communities.  And last, but not least, in 2005 UNESCO named the Incense Route and the Desert Cities in the Negev as the sixth World Heritage site. The four Nabatean towns of Haluza, Mamshit, Avdat and Shivta, along with associated fortresses and agricultural landscapes in the Negev Desert, are spread along routes linking them to the Mediterranean end of the Incense and Spice route.  Together, UNESCO says, they reflect the hughly profitable trade in frankincense and myrrh form south Arabia to the Mediterranean, which flourished from the 3rd Century B.C. until the 2nd century.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SPECIAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCE!

Israel Elite is uniquely designed for the most discriminating traveler......

ISRAEL ELITE

11 DAYS / 9 NIGHTS

Valid: Jun 2008 to Feb 2009