Amen to that. Explore the importance of Jerusalem to the three Abrahamic monotheistic faiths and observe their practices at the holy sites in the Old City. Etched in stone. Tour Roman-era archaeological sites, including Masada, Beit She’an and Caesarea. Look both ways. From atop Mt. Bental in the Golan Heights, explore the security situation in the north, looking over Israel's Hula Valley on one side and into Syria on the other. From the gospel to graffiti. See Jaffa, where some deeds of St. Peter’s ostensibly took place, and check out Tel Aviv’s hip street art.

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$11,995 per person, double occupancy

Saturday, April 2
Tel Aviv, Israel / Jerusalem
Arrive in Israel and transfer to our hotel in Jerusalem. KING DAVID HOTEL

Sunday, April 3
Jerusalem—Overview
Gather for an orientation briefing and welcome lunch at our hotel. Proceed to Mount Scopus to take in an overlook of the city, followed by a welcome reception and dinner. KING DAVID HOTEL (B,L,D)

Monday, April 4
Jerusalem—The Old City’s Jewish Quarter
After a guest lecture by a local political science professor, explore the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. View some of the sites excavated over the past 30 years, including the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, home to the Southern Wall steps, where Jewish pilgrims once entered the Temple Mount and where Jesus is said to have overturned the tables of the money changers. Observe the faithful praying at the Western Wall, and wind through the Western Wall Tunnel, which runs along the length of the Temple Mount. KING DAVID HOTEL (B,L)

Tuesday, April 5
Jerusalem—The Old City’s Christian Quarter
Return to the Old City to delve into its Christian Quarter. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, widely thought to be the place of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. In the afternoon tour the Israel Museum, which features more than 5,000 years of archaeological and cultural treasures, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, considered the world’s oldest existing biblical manuscripts. KING DAVID HOTEL (B,L,D)

Wednesday, April 6
Jerusalem—The New City / Bethlehem
Attend a guest lecture by a Holocaust scholar, then explore Yad Vashem, Israel’s national memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. After a stop at the bustling Machaneh Yehudah market, take an optional excursion to the West Bank city of Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity, the basilica constructed around the cave venerated as the birthplace of Jesus, or further roam around Jerusalem independently. KING DAVID HOTEL (B,L,D)

Thursday, April 7
Jerusalem—The Old City’s Muslim Quarter / Ramallah / Rawabi
Admire the Temple Mount, or Noble Sanctuary, arguably the most hotly contested piece of real estate in the world. Site of the First and Second Temples, this platform is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Islam’s third-holiest site. Later visit the Hand in Hand bilingual school, dedicated to bringing together Jewish and Arab children. Accompanied by a Palestinian reporter, drive to the West Bank city of Ramallah to convene with key Palestinian figures, then continue to Rawabi, a new Palestinian town, to meet with the development’s chief architect. KING DAVID HOTEL (B,L)

Friday, April 8
Jerusalem / Gush Etzion
This morning talk with an Arab-Israeli journalist about the current territory dynamics. Next, drive to Gush Etzion, the block of West Bank settlements originally established in the 1920s, and converse with a settler. Gain insight into new developments around Jerusalem, including the security barrier, or separation fence. Participate in a traditional Shabbat dinner, pending availability with chayelim bodedim, lone soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces who have no immediate family in Israel. KING DAVID HOTEL (B,L,D)

Saturday, April 9
Jerusalem / Masada / Dead Sea
Travel through the Judaean Desert past Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, to Masada, Herod’s mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the Roman legionnaires. Continue to the Dead Sea to float in its mineral-rich waters. KING DAVID HOTEL (B,L)

Sunday, April 10
Jerusalem / Qasr al-Yahud / Sea of Galilee / Rosh Pinna
Drive to the Jordan River to Qasr al-Yahud where, according to Christian tradition, the baptism of Jesus took place. Head north along the Jordan Rift Valley to the Sea of Galilee and visit Tabgha, where Jesus is said to have performed his miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes. Explore Capernaum, which ostensibly served as a base for Jesus during his Galilean Ministry and enjoy the spectacular vista from the Mount of Beatitudes, believed to be the site of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Pass through the charming town of Rosh Pinna and check in to our hotel. MIZPE HAYAMIM (B,L,D)

Monday, April 11
Rosh Pinna / Golan Heights / Tzfat
Travel to the Golan Heights to the former Israeli and Syrian fortifications and to the top of Mount Bental for a view of Quneitra, the largely destroyed and abandoned Syrian garrison town that now lies in the U.N. demilitarized zone. Sample wine from a local, family-run vineyard, then proceed to Tzfat’s Old City. A centuries-old center of Kabbalah, the town has a rich history, including its 16th-century synagogues and contemporary artists’ colony. MIZPE HAYAMIM (B,L,D)

Tuesday, April 12
Rosh Pinna / Akko / Caesarea / Tel Aviv
After visiting the subterranean Crusader Halls in the Old City of Akko (or Acre), drive along the coast to Caesarea Maritima. Built by Herod the Great, Caesarea was home to one of the most impressive architectural feats of the ancient world: an artificial harbor constructed in the open sea. Continue to Tel Aviv, the first Hebrew city of modern times. DAVID INTERCONTINENTAL (B,L)

Wednesday, April 13
Tel Aviv
Meet with a former U.S. ambassador to Israel (schedule permitting), then drop by the Yitzhak Rabin Center for Israel studies, which was established to promote tolerance across all sectors of Israeli society. Stroll around the newly renovated neighborhood of Sarona, now a trendy culinary market. This afternoon explore Tel Aviv independently or discover the urban culture of the city during an optional tour of Tel Aviv’s graffiti and street art. DAVID INTERCONTINENTAL (B,D)

Thursday, April 14
Tel Aviv / Jaffa
Venture to Jaffa Port where, according to tradition, Jonah emerged from the whale and Saint Peter raised Tabitha. Visit the Israeli Innovation Center at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, which showcases Israeli ingenuity and promotes prosperity and peace among Israel’s citizens and between Israel and its neighbors. Talk with one of former President Shimon Peres’s closest advisers. Wander through a Tel Aviv neighborhood famous for its Bauhaus buildings, past Independence Hall, where Israel’s independence was declared in 1948. Gather for a farewell reception and dinner. DAVID INTERCONTINENTAL (B,D)

Friday, April 15
Tel Aviv
Transfer to the airport for flights home. (B)

Covid-19 and Travel
With travel requirements and local Covid-19 conditions changing weekly, travel protocols for specific destinations will be shared with confirmed travelers closer to departure. To read more about Travel/Study’s approach to ensuring traveler health and safety, visit our Covid-19 Travel page.

Size
This trip requires a minimum of 20 participants and is limited to 34. Travel/Study is committed to providing a low-density experience on all programs and will implement protocols to do so, including social distancing on transportation as well as during lectures, meals and excursions. Single accommodations are limited.

Cost*
$11,995 per person, double occupancy
$15,250 per person, single occupancy
*Stanford Alumni Association nonmembers add $300 per person.

Included

• 13 nights of deluxe hotel accommodations
• 13 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 8 dinners
• Welcome and farewell receptions
• Gratuities to guides and drivers for all group activities
• All tours and excursions as described in the itinerary
• Transfers and baggage handling on program arrival and departure days
• On-tour quarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage
• General medical, accident and evacuation insurance
• Educational program with lecture series and predeparture materials, including an education resource list and travel information
• Services of our professional tour manager to assist you throughout the program

Not Included

• Your personal flights to and from the program
• Passport and visa fees
• Immunization costs
• Meals and beverages other than those specified as included
• Independent and private transfers
• Nonquarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage
• Baggage insurance
• Excess-baggage charges
• Personal items such as internet access, telephone calls, laundry and gratuities for nongroup services

Air Arrangements
You are responsible for booking and purchasing airfare to the start location and from the end location of the program. These air purchases are NOT included in the program cost. To assist you in making these independent arrangements, we will send you details with your confirmation materials on when to arrive and depart.

What to Expect
We consider this program to be moderately strenuous, at times physically demanding and mostly busy. We will have a very full schedule of excursions, lectures and special events, with very little downtime, and most days will require early-morning starts. Daily excursions involve one to three miles of walking with tours lasting as long as four hours. Much of the walking takes place at ancient sites, where paths can be rocky and uneven, and you may have to walk through tunnels, in caves or in dimly lit spaces, as well as on city streets, which can be uneven, cobblestone and slippery. In some instances, such as museums, guided tours require standing in one place for as long as 50 minutes at a time and climbing up and down several flights of stairs that may not have handrails. Many sites and buildings do not have elevators and also do not allow buses to pull up in front, thus necessitating a walk of several minutes, sometimes uphill, to reach the entrance. Our journey at times requires several hours of travel by motor coach, the longest drives being up to five hours long (with stops). Participants must be physically fit, in good health and able to keep up with an active group of travelers. We welcome travelers 15 years of age and older on this program.

Eligibility
We encourage membership in the Stanford Alumni Association as the program cost for nonmembers is $300 more than the members' price. The nonmember fee is waived for anyone traveling as a paid guest of a current member, as well as for emerita or emeritus faculty and staff. To purchase a membership, call (650) 725-0692 or click here for more information.

Deposits, Payments and Cancellations
A $1,000 deposit is required to reserve space. Deposits and any payments are refundable, less a $500-per-person cancellation fee, until 120 days prior to departure. After that date, refunds can be made only if the program is sold out and your place(s) is resold, in which case a $1,000-per-person cancellation fee will apply.

Insurance
Stanford Travel/Study provides all travelers who are U.S. or Canadian residents with minimal medical, accident and evacuation coverage, as well as on-tour quarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage, under our group-travel insurance policy. Our group policy is intended to provide minimal levels of protection while you are traveling on this program. You may choose to subscribe to optional nonquarantine-related trip-cancellation, -interruption and -delay insurance coverage and/or baggage insurance. Information offering such insurance will be included in your confirmation materials. The product offered includes special benefits if you purchase your insurance within 14 days of receiving your welcome email.

Responsibility
The Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford University and our operators act only as agents for the passenger with respect to transportation and ship arrangements and exercise every care possible in doing so. However, we can assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity in connection with the service of any automobile, motor coach, launch or any other conveyance used in carrying out this program or for the acts or defaults of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the program. We cannot accept any responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, force majeure or other causes beyond our control. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates include arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make such alterations to this published itinerary as may be deemed necessary. The right is reserved to cancel any program prior to departure in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. The right is also reserved to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the program. No refund will be made for an unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. Baggage is carried at the owner's risk entirely. It is understood that the ship's ticket, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the passenger and the cruise company. The airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not on board their plane or conveyance. Neither the Stanford Alumni Association, Stanford University nor our operators accept liability for any carrier's cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a nonrefundable ticket in connection with the tour. Program price is based on rates in effect at the time the brochure is published and is subject to change without notice to reflect fluctuations in exchange rates, tariffs or fuel charges. As a condition of participation, all confirmed participants are required to sign an Assumption of Risk.

California Seller of Travel Program Registration #2048 523-50