5-day tour of guiding a beautiful tourist group from the U.S. in Israel has ended!
It was intense, crazy, and unique! Almost 40 strangers turn into one big happy family.

So what did we have?

Calling a taxi for people who didn’t wake up on time, Cases of COVID-19 (yes, it was still here), Bumping into the most extensive demonstrations in Israel for a long time.

A checkpoint in Bethlehem closed on us and stressed everyone! Two tourists went to get tattooed in the old city as a souvenir, and flights were canceled, so we made some phone calls to fix it through the middle of the night.

Luckily, my bus driver was an amazing partner who managed to escape the busy roads; he was acting much like the group tour leader, helping to count the people, taking care of everyone, and always gently with a huge smile. ❤️

After preparing a big suitcase, taking a taxi to the Tel Aviv hotel, and enjoying the beach, the tour officially started. We all met at the Metropolitan Hotel in Tel Aviv to drink wine and get to know each other. I gave them whispers and name tags and checked that everyone was there. The hotel is very central, on Trumpeldor Street in Tel Aviv and Ben Yehuda Street. It is two minutes from the beach! I got a large room with a fantastic view!

Thanks for reading!  I am Neta Brint. I am a tour guide in Israel.

I would like to share with you a five-full-day group itinerary in Israel so you can get a glimpse of it. this grp was by Gate1 Travel, a company that i love to work with. Let’s go!

 Tel Aviv and Jaffa – the first day of the trip

Day 1 | Tel Aviv 6:30 Am

After waking up at half past six am, we checked out of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Hotel, put our luggage on the bus, and drove to Jaffa.

The whispers I handled the night before made my life much easier as I did not have to speak too loud (only to whisper 😉).

We walked from a famous “Whale statue” that resembles the story of Jonah the prophet through the old city of Jaffa to the stunning view from the summit garden.  We view the beautiful beaches of Tel Aviv after walking in the artist’s quarter and stopping at the ancient Egyptian gate.

We visited St. Peter’s Catholic Church, and it started to rain. Jaffa is one of the world’s most ancient ports. Many empires want to take over it since this is the gate to the land of Israel. If you take over Israel, it is much easier to take over Egypt or Syria.

We took the first group photo with the best view of the beach in Tel Aviv and continued to a neighborhood “like Paris” in Israel, Neve Tzedek, for a bus tour. This was the first Jewish neighborhood outside of Jaffa walls. Why did I say it’s like Paris? Today, there is a big community of Jews that immigrate to Israel (we used the word ascended “make Aliyha”- as they came back to their ancient homeland). so you can hear the French language everywhere.

From there, we went to Rabin Square. Because it was a Saturday, there wasn’t much traffic; we got off the bus and visited the memorial to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. They were moved by the story and by Rabin’s unique connection to Bill Clinton. We continued to the national park of Caesarea, following my favorite king, King Herod the Great. We took another group picture there, but first, we practiced singing at the ancient theater of Caesarea. I told them they would have a  performance within two days at the theater in another National Park … Beit Shean.

We chose the classic song ROW ROW ROW Your Boat…. We were not singers, and there was not such a big crowd to witness us singing.

We continued our journey to Daliat El Carmel to a Druze restaurant. Druze are a minority in Israel; they are Arabs but not Muslims, and they have a secret religion. For example, they believe in Reincarnation, and there are many stories about small kids who have a vision of their past family, and they ask their original family to meet them according to their visions. We call the Druze our brothers as they join the IDF, and we greatly appreciate those wonderful people.

From there, we continued to our last site for the day, Capernaum, the town of Jesus. We followed the white synagogue, which symbolizes to us the ancient synagogue below it that was in Caper Nahum, where Jesus spoke and also stayed with the mother of his disciple Peter at their home. We went down to see the Sea of ​​Galilee, and I almost managed to photograph a jumping fish! We continued to the Prima Galil Hotel in Tiberias for dinner and a glass of wine.

A day of sightseeing in the Galilee and the Golan

Day 2 | The Galil

The next morning was very busy. After breakfast at the Prima Galil Hotel in Tiberias, we went to the Church of beatitudes on Mount beatitudes.

My group liked the octagonal church designed by the architect of the churches in Israel, the Italian Antonio Bellucci.

The church was made of local basalt stones. Check out the gorgeous balcony surrounding the church, perfect for photogenic shots. We have read the story about Jesus’ speech to his disciples—the Beatitudes. It started with “blessed are,” and Jesus blessed the poor and the helpless so that they would reach the kingdom of heaven compared to the rich and the greedy.

Two of my group members wanted to attend the church alone and did not take the tour with me. They took a bus from the hotel in Tiberias and tried to explain to the driver that they wanted to go to the Church of Beatitudes. The Hebrew translation does not match the church’s name (Church of the Blessed), so they eventually found themselves lost in Afula. At least they could drive to Nazareth, which is also on their list. (Pro tip: if you are traveling alone, make sure you have your site’s Hebrew name to show people).

We continued to Safed village, and on the way, I played them the song “So Far” by the Nechama girls, which I think gave them spiritual vibes. They were excited and asked for the song’s name. This small city is all about the Jewish Kabala and Judaism.

In Safed, we visited Grandma Yocheved’s Messiah Alley, who waited for the Messiah every day with an empty cup of tea because when he arrived, he would pass through the narrow alley in Safed on the way to Jerusalem. We visited the Defender Square in the city’s center, where there was fighting during the Israeli-Arab war, and went to the Ari Synagogue. I told them about Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, who married at age 15, and by the time he was 16 years old, He studied Kabbalah.

Kabbala is a mystical and hidden part of Judaism. Madonna is the most famous student of Kabbala, and she even received a Hebrew name—Ester.

Rabi Yitzchak Luria, also called The “Ari,” had the extraordinary power to read what people were thinking through Hebrew letters on their foreheads. That is why everyone in Safed covered their foreheads with a hat in case he saw them on their way. When we arrived, I got really worried because the synagogue was closed, but luckily, it opened eventually five minutes after we arrived.

I gave them time to walk around the charming galleries in Safed, and in the meantime, I dropped by to visit the Kabbala Center. If you are traveling in Safed with a group or family, you must visit Eyal at the Kabbala Center. There is a movie that explains the Kabala, gorgeous observation, and, most importantly, toilets.

We went on a guided tour of Kibbutz Gadot with lunch. We had an excellent guide named Or, and the tourists had to clear the food like real Kibbutzniks. These visits to the kibbutz make you want to leave everything and live quietly in the kibbutz bubble. The kibbutz is a communal way of living. Today the system changed, and it’s not 100% communal.

We continued from there to the Mount Bentel lookout. It was frozen! I told them about Israel’s wars,

borders, and Eli Cohen. Did you watch The Spy on Netflix? Check it out

We took a patriotic group photo on the Bental Mountain.

We continued to the bus and ended the subject of battles with the song Imagine by John Lennon with a bit of optimism.

We continued to visit the olive factory in Kazrin, and the tourists enjoyed touching smashed olives that produced amazing health creams. We finished the Golan Heights winery tour drunk and tired.

Going down to Jerusalem

Day 3 | Going south to Jerusalem

We checked out of the Prima Galil Hotel the next day and drove south to Beit Shean National Park.

The site that best suits him to win the title of Israeli Pompeii! The buildings from the Roman period, the bathhouse, the mosaics, and the remaining columns were shattered by the great earthquake in 749. The size of the broken columns is enormous, and we know what year the earthquake was based on the coins a person was holding in his hand when the column fell on him. In addition, it is one of the most photogenic places, but avoid coming here in the peak of July and August.

Demonstrations in Jerusalem

From there, we finally went to Jerusalem!! We were greeted with a lot of noise from the demonstration in the center of the city, and because of the rush, we decided to cancel the Israel and Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum for that day and take them instead to Bethlehem.

After we made a short stop at the lovely Lady Stern Hotel to drop off our luggage and use the bathroom, the group drove with the driver to Bethlehem. The other bus guide and I were able to rest a bit, and I also had to put stickers with room numbers on my guests’ luggage (because they didn’t have enough time due to being in a hurry). After an hour, we went to the market to eat a yummy challah with schnitzel

In the evening, we arranged a dinner at the old train station in the German colony and, from there, drove to see the Tower of David’s Sound and Light show in the old city. The problem was that the Bethlehem border, where they waited to cross out from, just closed down… They had to make a detour and leave through another exit (Beit Sechor). Because they were delayed, I arranged with the driver, Hamudi, to drop them off at the restaurant and meet them directly there. The roads were completely blocked due to the protest, so I went for the light rail option with the guide next to me, Uri. From the entrance to the Jaffa Gate, I walked and caught a ride with the other bus driver (they ate dinner next to the show in the old city). I guided the people on the bus on their ride as a favor. I finally met them at Landwer restaurant at the old station! The food was excellent: salads, pasta, pizzas, meat, and tea with cookies.

After we finished eating, we went to the Old City for a stunning audiovisual show about the history of Jerusalem at the Tower of David. I’m so excited about tomorrow as it’s the highlight of our tour!

The old city

Day 4 | The Old City of Jerusalem

Finally, we will travel to the old city of Jerusalem, the most magical place on our itinerary. Our timing is critical, and we must follow the schedule. Four people did not show up in the morning. It turns out they didn’t hear the alarm clock ring. I hade to leave and start the tour on time, thanks to the office’s help, two of them joined us in the Old City. Two others did not answer our office calls and missed this part. We started at Mount Zion. We visited the Last Supper room, They said its looks nothing like Leonardo Da Vinci famous painting…

 I gave them, as a bonus, a secret rooftop view because they are such an incredible group.

Then, We took a group photo in the most photogenic place in Israel, near the Dormition Church.

From there, we finally entered the old city through the Zion Gate, through the Jewish Quarter. On the way, we saw the temple lamp “Menhora” model and the impressive ruined synagogue. I gave them a few minutes to write a note with their wishes and place it inside the wall, and then we started the Christian tour in the old city, following Jesus’s walking path.

They were excited to follow the path of Jesus and finally arrive at the Church of the Sepulcher, the

The most important church for Christianity, where Jesus was crucified, died, and ascended to heaven. This was the highlight for my Christian tourists

From there, we continued to Morristan Square for lunch, which had a stunning view!

Then, we went through the market to the Jaffa Gate and returned to the hotel. Some people continued with me on a tour of the new city – the Israel Museum and Yad Vashem Museum.

At the Israel Museum, I showed them the model of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple, and I showed them the stairs that led to the Temple Mount and the Temple. I told them that the first astronaut, Neil Armstrong, said he was more excited to step on those steps Jesus walked on than on the moon! We continued to the Museum of the Dead Sea Scrolls to witness our nation’s most precious treasure. From there, we arrived at Yad Vashem, and after an explanation and a short visit to the children’s hall, they entered the museum by themselves. They left the museum with a complicated and heavy feeling, and one of the travelers shared that she was in one of the buildings that collapsed on September 11. We returned to the hotel and walked around the market again, looking for dinner, and this time, I chose a hamburger. The service was terrible, but the hamburger was reasonable.

Day 5 | Masada and the Dead Sea

The last day of our tour! We woke at half past six, had breakfast, and set off. We made a restroom stop and took camel photos at Lido Beach. I bought them a special gift case as a souvenir to bring to them at the farewell conversation in the evening, which includes multi-purpose cream, Dead Sea mud, and Turkish Hamsa (against bad) . We arrived at Masada and got on the cable car. I told them about the two main stories of the place – Herod’s Winter Palace and the Jewish rebellion in 73 AD after the Temple was destroyed. I asked them what they would have done if they had seen the enemies approaching them on a ramp en masse, and one of the tourists answered that he would have escaped by cable car 😉 .

If you are planning to visit Israel, Masada is considered the country’s number one national park. Trust me, you will not see anything like it in any other country.

We continued for a dip in the Dead Sea at Kalia Beach. They expected to float effortlessly and quickly and were frightened by the sharp stones but were excited about the Dead Sea. The highlight for them was their visit to the lowest bar in the world!

Farewell drink

That evening, we arrived at the hotel and had a farewell conversation with a toast. It was fascinating to hear them share their experiences and the unique formation between the group members. It was challenging to guide a group of almost 40 people, but hearing that they appreciated my efforts and the drivers’ efforts this whole week was worth it!

We explored so much of Israel’s highlights in such a short time and had so much fun!

Israel is very tiny; next time you plan a vacation and have at most five days, book a flight and come to explore this fantastic country that has everything. Hope to see you in Israel soon!