This tour is listed in the Top 10 of Best Experiences in the Middle East on Tripadvisor.
Searching Availability...
Overview
On the way from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, your guide will tell you about the history of Israel and the Jewish people. After about an hour we arrive at the Mount of Olives where we have a magnificent view over both the Old City of Jerusalem and the real Old City; the City of David. Transportation is with minibus with maximum 18 participants.
Next we walk down the Mount of Olives and will visit the Dominus Flevit church and the hundred thousand Jewish graves towards Gethsemane, the place of the kiss of Judas, ,aka the Betrayal of Christ, Judas kiss and the fairy-like Grotto of Mary.
If we are on schedule we have a break and stop for coffee or juice at the All Nations Cafe.
The bus will be waiting for us and bring us back up to the Old City, which we will enter through the Dung Gate before ascending to the Temple Mount, the site of the original Jewish Temples and now the site of the Al Aksa Mosque and the iconic golden Dome of the Rock.
Through the Muslim and Christian quarter we will stop for lunch. Those who want to shop for souvenirs can do so (only) during lunch time.
After lunch we continue through the Jewish quarter, passing the Roman Cardo on the way to Mount Zion where we will visit the Room of the Last Supper.
Next we will visit the Western Wall, aka Wailing Wall or Kotel, the holiest place which Jewish people can visit.
Then we will follow the last stations of the Via Dolorosa, aka the Way of the Cross or just "Painfull Way" to the place of the crucifixion of Jesus at Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus at the Holy Sepulcher Church.
Please note: we will NOT enter the tomb. If you want to enter the tomb, you can go to the church during lunch and wait in line, it can take hours, with no guarantee you will be able to enter the tomb before we leave.
On Jewish and Muslim holidays it is NOT possible to visit the Temple Mount.
Changes to the programs are possible due to security or weather conditions.
What do others say about this tour to Jerusalem on Tripadvisor?
Paul D
Excellent experience!
We took the tour on the last day before shutdown due to coronavirus. In spite of the uncertainty and challenge of the time, Menno provided us with a great tour of Jerusalem. He drew us a great picture of all of the complexities of Jerusalem, from history, religion, and politics, that gave me and my family a deeper understanding of the city and times. Note, we did have the advantage that there were no crowds! I would recommend them to anyone wanting to get a full feel of the visit when they restart.
Best wishes Menno in this challenging time!
Written March 21, 2020
Lana704
Melbourne, Australia
A great tour if you are first time in Jerusalem
The tour starts at 9 am, which is good - gave us time to get there by public bus. The tour schedule is very efficient, no time wasted for souvenir shops and long lunch. Nadia gave an excellent overview of the whole history of Jerusalem during bus ride from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. If you first time in (Old) Jerusalem, this tour will give you a very good starting point to explore it more afterwards. It is also good if you have only one day there. You can't manage to visit as many sites and get as much information in one day by yourself. Thank you Nadia!
There were 19 people in our group.
Written March 17, 2020
dsfeiken
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jerusalem with Menno: highly recommended!
We decided to do a single day visit to Jerusalem departing from Tel Aviv. We hesitated to book because of the early departure times of most other excursions. We booked with Menno beause he offered single day tours, both in English and in Dutch AND his depature time was round 09:00. Our trip to Jerusalem was one of the highlights of our 5 day stay in Israel. Menno knows his history and is able to adapt to both the beginner and the expert. We can only repeat what we've experienced: don't visit Jerusalem without a guide; you'll completely miss the context.
Written March 15, 2020
meg d
Corona, CA
Excellent Tour of Jerusalem
We greatly enjoyed this tour to Jerusalem. Efrat was a perfect guide. She had excellent command of the English language and was very knowledgeable and passionate. She answered any question, be it religious, historical or political. We had a small group of 10 people in a comfortable van. No shopping which was great! Just a jam packed day of seeing the key sites. Thank you for a wonderful day.
Written March 13, 2020
William S
Fantastic tour of an amazing city!
The Boutique Tour of Jerusalem from Tel Aviv was everything we hoped for and far more. What a day! Nadia's command of ancient history (and modern-day political reality, by the way!) was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour as Nadia summarized 4,000 years of history on our bus ride and then guided us through all the notable sites in (old) Jerusalem! We would highly recommed this tour to any and all!
P&B
USA
Written March 9, 2020
Nomad318325
Perfect group tour with Nadia Samakh, excellent multi-lingual guide
My wife and I had the pleasure of joining this tour in February. The tour started in Tel Aviv and during the drive to Jerusalem, our guide, Nadia Samakh, gave us an historical overview of the city and some of the sites that we were to visit.
The tour started at the Mount of Olives, at a lookout which gave us a view of the old city. We then walked down hill, visiting a number of holy sites, with Nadia giving us the historical context of each venue we visited. Thorough and knowledgeable commentary was very helpful to our understanding of all the faiths interacting in Jerusalem over the centuries. The mini-bus was waiting for us at a scheduled pick up location and we were transported to the Dung Gate of the old city, where we accessed the Dome of the Rock for a visit. We had a mid-tour stop for a rest and simple lunch. The tour ended at the Western Wall before the transfer back to Tel Aviv.
I recommend this tour to any person interested in a more in depth visit to Jerusalem. While we previously visited Jerusalem on multiple occasions, this tour gave us more insight into the churches, synagogues, and other holy sites. The commentary very much added to our appreciation of the city.
