Luxury Israel Voyages

The bustling port town of Ashdod provides easy access to Israel’s most important cultural hubs, the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv and glorious Jerusalem. In Tel Aviv, explore the White City, a vast collection of exceptionally preserved Bauhaus-style buildings that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Step into beguiling artists’ studios and galleries in neighboring Jaffa, a town of densely packed streets that is possibly the world’s oldest port. As one of the holiest sites for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed walled Old City of Jerusalem abounds with countless religious and cultural treasures. Watch the sun glinting off the gilded Dome of the Rock, spend some time reflecting at the Western Wall and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built at the location where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried. Take in sweeping views of the entire city from the Mount of Olives, which overlooks the Gardens of Gethsemane, home to gnarled olive trees over 2,000 years old. A bit further east, float upon the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth, and contemplate the profound significance of these sacred lands.

In ebullient Haifa, you’ll be dazzled by one of the most meticulously maintained parks in the world, the terraced Bahá’í Gardens, where each tree, flower and even blade of grass is lovingly tended by followers of the Bahá’í faith. This UNESCO World Heritage site, which is dotted with ornate buildings and fountains, lies at the base of Mount Carmel. For exceptional views of the city and the shimmering sea, ascend further up the holy mountain aboard a cable car, alighting at an ideal lookout near the Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris. Roam through the 12th-century underground headquarters of the Knights of Saint John in Acre, a UNESCO World Heritage site nearly 4,000 years old. In the vaulted Hospitaller Quarter, witness how medieval crusaders lived and received medical treatment. Above ground, the Ottoman influence is evident at the splendid Khan al-Umdan, a colonnaded gathering place for merchants. Travel to nearby Nazareth and visit the contemporary Basilica of the Annunciation, erected where Mary is said to have learned from the Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth to the son of God, and experience life 2,000 years ago at Nazareth Village, an interactive community populated with denizens enacting life in Jesus’ time.