Israel and Egypt Tour with 17 Day Tour with the Sonesta St George Nile Cruise

Arrival at Tel Aviv International Airport. A Noah Tours representative will meet you after passport control and accompany you to your transfer to your hotel.

After breakfast drive through Jaffa, an ancient port city and the oldest part of Tel Aviv. Continue on to the ancient city of Caesarea which was built by King Herod the Great while driving along the beautiful Mediterranean coast. We will then proceed to Haifa, passing by Mt. Carmel to see the famous Bahai Gardens. From Haifa, we will drive to Nazareth and the Church of Annunciation. Pass by Cana, where the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine took place.  End the day with an overnight in Tiberias/Galilee Sea.

Start the day with an exciting boat ride on the Galilee Sea. Continue to visit Biblical Magdala and its most recent excavations and discoveries. See the Ancient Synagogue, mentioned in the Bible, from the Period of Jesus. Ascend up to Mt. Beatitudes, where Jesus gave the “Sermon on the Mount”.  Continue the day in Capernaum, known as “The Town of Jesus”, and visit the synagogue and Peter’s house. Take a lunch break with a delicious St. Peters fish lunch. Next, we will visit Tabgha, the place where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes took place. You will also have the amazing opportunity to see the famous mosaic under the altar of the ancient church of Tabgha. Proceed to the Golan Heights and have an overview from above. End the day at your hotel in the Galilee Sea for your overnight.

Begin the morning by driving along the Jordan River to Yardenit Baptismal Site. Visit Qumran and see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Travel on to Masada where you will take a cable car up to the fortress. The history of the famous Jewish fortification will unfold before your eyes; the palaces built by King Herod, the synagogue, and bathhouses used by the Jews. Descend Masada by cable car and drive to the Dead Sea for some relaxation and a dip in the water. Overnight at a Dead Sea hotel and spa where you will be able to take advantage of the spa facilities.

Check out from our hotel. Start our journey to Jerusalem ascending via the Judean Desert. Go up to the Mt. of Olives, a cemetery that once was covered in olive groves, where you will have a magnificent panoramic view of Jerusalem. A visit to Israel’s official memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem, located on Mt. Herzl. Depart for Bethlehem to see the Church of Nativity located at Manger Square. Overview of the Judean Desert and Shepherd's Field. Finish the day back in Jerusalem continue the day with an exciting tour of the Mahane Yehuda Marketplace (Shuk) and experience life as an Israeli. Return to the hotel in Jerusalem for your overnight.

The morning will begin with the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed and his disciples slept the night before his crucifixion. Make your way to Mt. Zion where you will visit David’s Tomb and the site of the Last Supper, also known as the “Upper Room”. We continue to the Christian Quarter where you will enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus was crucified. From there, walk where Jesus walked and make your way down Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross). The day will continue with a trip to The Cardo, what used to be a main street in the Old City during the time when Judea was under Roman rule. Go down to the Western Wall and spend some time in reflection and/or prayer. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Today will begin with a short city tour in New Jerusalem, we will pass by the Israeli parliament “Knesset”, and if time permits, stop by the famous menorah. We will visit the Israel Museum, Israel’s national museum, where you will see the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as a model of the Second Temple. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your flight to Cairo. Flight to Cairo. Overnight in Cairo.

We begin our day with an early flight to Cairo. Once in Cairo tour the ancient city of Memphis which lies some 12 miles south of Cairo. The ancient city is now an open-air museum testifying to the magnificence of its four thousand years of history. Serving Memphis lies the necropolis Saqqara a vast, ancient burial ground, featuring numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step pyramid of Djoser. We then proceed to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx located on the Giza Plateau. The Great Pyramids of Cheops or Khufu; of Khafre or Chephren; and of Menkaure have always loomed large as emblems of ancient Egypt and were listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Valley Temples surrounding the pyramids provide an insight into dominating religious motives of the era. Return to hotel for overnight.

Visit the Egyptian Museum, with its fantastic display of ancient civilization. Next, see the Mosque of Mohammad Ali, the Citadel, the old city, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue also known as the Geniza Synagogue. Its storerooms were found to contain over 2,000 medieval manuscripts, a collection known as the Cairo Geniza. After, visit one of the oldest and most famous Coptic Churches in Egypt, the El Mullakah Church (Hanging Church). Continue to the City of the Dead, a four-mile-long grid of tombs and mausoleums where people live and work amongst their ancestors. End today's tour at  Bazaar Khan el-Khalili. Overnight in Cairo.

With an early morning drive from Cairo to Alexandria, start by visiting Catacomb Kom El Shoqafa, the largest and most important burial site in Egypt. Next, Pompey's Pillar, a memorial column made out of red Aswan granite erected by the Roman ruler of Egypt in honour of Emperor Diocletian. Conclude at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a commemoration of the ancient Library of Alexandria that was destroyed centuries ago. Overnight in Cairo.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Aswan. Aswan is known for its beautiful Nile Valley scenery and its peaceful aura. Spent some free time in Aswan getting to know its views and attractions. Overnight in Aswan. Tomorrow morning there is an optional tour at Abu Simbel. 

Embark with the Sonesta St George Nile Cruise before lunch at 12:00 PM. Lunch on board. Visit the High Dam, Philae temple & Sail on the Nile by Motor Boat. Afternoon tea. Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Dinner on board. Overnight on the cruise.

Optional tour to Abu Simbel.

Breakfast on board. Sail to Kom Ombo. Visit the Temple shared by two gods Sobek and Haeroris in Kom Ombo. Sail to Edfu. Lunch on board. Visit Edfu Temple. Dinner on board. Sail to Esna. Overnight on the cruise

Early morning sail to Luxor Breakfast on board. Visit the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut at El-Deir El-Bahari and the Colossi Memnon. Lunch on board. Afternoon tea. Dinner on board. Overnight on the cruise.

Breakfast on board. Disembark at 08:00 am. Visit East Bank (Karnak and Luxor Temples).  See the Karnak Temples, which are the largest Pharaonic temple complex in the world, with some parts constructed by Ramses II. Continue to the Temple of Luxor, another startling temple that was established around the 14th century BC. After the tour transfer to Luxor Airport for your flight back for your overnight to Cario.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and drive to Cairo Airport for departure.