Jerusalem: The Golden City

Fly from London Heathrow to Tel Aviv with British Airways. On arrival, transfer to Jerusalem and stay 6 nights at the Bat Sheva Hotel. Evening welcome dinner.

Begin today in the Christian quarter with an exploration of the medieval citadel and Tower of David Museum, a historical and archaeological landmark of global significance. Walk along the old city ramparts for stupendous views of Jerusalem and to see how the locals live. Continue via Muristan to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where exclusive access to the rooftop Ethiopian monastery (Deir al-Sultan) has been arranged. Walk along the Roman-Byzantine cardo to Damascus Gate before touring the Garden Tomb. After lunch, take a short drive to Bethlehem for an overview of Shepherd’s Field and a visit to the Church of the Nativity. Conclude the day with a visit to a winery and enjoy a selection of local vintages.

The rising hill to the east of the city is the Mount of Olives, where you start the day with a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Continue to the Russian Orthodox Church of St Mary Magdalene and its onion-shaped gilded domes. Visit the Church of All Nations, famous for the striking blue, green and gold mosaics that decorate its 12 domes. Enter the old city walls from St Stephen’s Gate, today known as theLion’s Gate, followed by a walk to Herod’s Gate. Continue to St Anne monastery, the Monastery of the Flagellation, and Ecce Homo Arch. Enter the Temple Mount (subject to the discretion of local officials). Here, observe the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain before finally visiting the Marwani Musalla and Al-Aqsa mosque from the outside

Start today’s tour on Mount Zion outside King David’s Tomb – first identified in the 11th century and later incorporated into a mosque in the 15th century. In the room above is the Hall of the Last Supper, or Coenaculum, said to be the location of Christ’s last supper with his disciples. Continue to the Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem to see the renovated neo-Byzantine Hurva synagogue. Walk to the Broad Wall, assumed to be part of the fortifications that were built by King Hezekiah in the eighth century BC. It sits beneath the level of the street and measures 7 metres thick and 65 metres long. Proceed to the Wohl Archaeological Museum in the Herodian quarter, via Batei Makhase Square. This museum is famous for its explicit evocation of how life was 2,000 years ago. Visit the Burnt House, named after the time when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the first century. Continue to see the original 12th-century crusader walls of St Mary of the Germans, followed by a visit to the colossal Western Wall, Judaism’s most holy site, built by Herod the Great. From here you will explore the impressive Western Wall tunnel to observe the wall’s foundations and other ancient structures, along with engaging displays on the layers of history revealed by the tunnel. Head to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park where you will finish your day with a tour of the Davidson Center

Drive to Herodion, a truncated volcano-shaped mound 11km south of Bethlehem. View the palace and tomb of King Herod within the great fortress. Drive to Jericho, thought to be one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements in the world. Visit Hisham’s Palace, an early Islamic hunting lodge currently under excavation. Continue to the Monastery of the Temptation, said to be the site at which Christ was tempted by the devil during his 40-day fast.

Explore the New City of Jerusalem and visit the Israel Museum, partly accompanied by the curator. Here you see some of the most celebrated collections of art and archaeology in the country, including the complete interiors of synagogues from Europe and India. Continue to the Rockefeller Museum that concentrates mainly on the archaeology of the Holy Land, where you will see its collection of Dead Sea Scrolls. In the afternoon, proceed to one of the city’s most celebrated landmarks, Jerusalem’s YMCA. Finish the day with an evening farewell dinner.

Morning at leisure. Afternoon transfer toTel Aviv airport for a return flight to London Heathrow with British Airways.