At Routes we create personalized Bar and Bat Mitzvah tours for groups and families who want to combine a world-class vacation in Israel with the meaningful ceremony and celebration of their child's bar/bat mitzvah. Let us plan the perfect event for you. We will work closely with you to customize a trip that will ensure all ages benefit from this experience.
When planning the Bar or Bat Mitzvah service, we will use our wealth of knowledge to suggest special locations for the ceremony, including Massada, the Western Wall, Southern Wall and Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem, Biblical Tent and ancient synagogues in the Golan and Galilee as well as other spiritual settings. We can arrange the ceremony for you at the beach front, archeological site or even underground in a cave! Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration can also be hosted in the traditional setting of a deluxe hotel or hall
Take full advantage of the range of our services when we customize your family's trip itinerary. We recommend a variety of hotel options, high quality guides/educators, and exciting new tours and activities so that you can choose what options match your family's needs.
Read below for a sample itinerary of a 10 day Bar/Bat Mitzvah tour:
Day 1
Arrival to Ben Gurion Airport
Meet Your Routes Representative Upon arrival and receive assistance at passport Control and other formalities.
Meet your Tour Guide/Educator and your Deluxe Luxury van/minibus/bus
Program Opening in Old Jaffa
Walk Through Neve Tzedek and Nachalat Binyamin
Check In to the Hotel
Opening Dinner at a Local Restaurant
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Day 2
Breakfast
Visit to the Palmach Museum
Visit Independence Hall
Drive North
Visit Ancient Caesarea
Pioneers Lunch and Tour at Moshav Nahalal
Drive to the Hotel
Dinner at the Hotel
Overnight: Kibbutz Guest House in the North
Day 3
Breakfast
Start this day with an incredible overview of Lebanon
Visit to the Mystical City of Tzfat. Tour and Shopping
Free time for lunch on own
Hike and Overview of the Galil from Mt. Bental
Return to the Hotel
Dinner at Ja'Uni in Rosh Pina
Overnight: Kibbutz Guest House in the North
Day 4
Sleep In
Breakfast
Overview of the Montfort fortress in Park Goren (Possible Hike)
Visit and explore the Old City of Acco. Descend into the headquarters of the Knights of St. John to see the Crusader Crypt- Return to surface and explore Ottoman Acco and the 18th century Turkish Bazaar, stop at Kahan El-Umdan, and the picturesque Pisan port. Drive to Rosh-Hanikra on the Mediterranean. Enjoy the cable car ride to the grottos carved into the white chalk stone.
Return to the Hotel
Dinner on own
Optional visit to the Canada Center (Bowling, swimming, ice skating, basketball, shooting...)
Overnight: Kibbutz Guest House in the North
Day 5
Breakfast
Off Roading Jeep Adventure through the old Syrian Defenses to the top of the Golan
Overview of Syria from Mt. Bental
Lunch during the Jeep Ride in the field
Visit and Tour Ancient Beit Shean
Depart South to Jerusalem
Dinner on own
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day 6
Bar Mitzvah Day!
Breakfast
Bar Mitzvah Ceremony in a Unique Location Followed by a Small Luncheon
Take part in an active Archeological Excavation at the Beit Guvrin caves and prepare to get your hands dirty as you uncover pottery from the Hellenistic period, 2,300 years ago. This will be followed by a cave crawling adventure (for the whole family)
Return to Jerusalem and Change for the Evening
Banquet FestiveDinner in Jerusalem (Arcadia or Similar)
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day 7
After Breakfast, we will begin our day touring in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Start the walking tour in the City of David.
Visit the Cardo and the Jewish Quarter
Lunch on Own in the Old City
Visit to the Western Wall Tunnels and also visit the Davidson Center, which brings the Temple Mount ruins to life.
Finish the Day by taking part in a fun and interactive ride back into history at the "Time Elevator"
Dinner on own
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day 8
Breakfast
Today we will visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance site. Since its inception, Yad Vashem has been entrusted with documenting the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust period, preserving the memory and story of the six million victims.
Visit to the Mount Herzl Museum and Cemetery
Drive South
Camel Trek in the Desert
Bedouin ‘Hafla", Hospitality and Dinner at the Bedouin Tent
Overnight in Arad
Day 9
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning ascent of Masada via the Roman Ramp
Overview and Tour of Masada, built by King Herod and the last refuge for Jewish zealots after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple (70 C.E.)
Swim and float at the Dead Sea Spa and Lunch
Drive to Mitzpe Ramon
Dinner at the Hotel
Overnight: South
Day 10
Breakfast
Rappelling on the Edge of the Crater (The largest natural Crater in the world !)
Hike and Tour inside the Crater (Bring Bottles to fill up with colored sand)
Lunch on own
Travel to the Center of the Country
Program Summary and Dinner
Depart to the Airport
Overnight: Flight Home
A Rough Idea of Costs for Bar/Bat Mitzvah Trips
There is a very wide range of prices which can apply to a tour, depending especially on the number of people in the group, the season in which the tour takes place, the level of hotel accommodation, the number of touring days as well as the range and type of activities which are included. We provide here a very rough estimate of possible costs so that you can get a sense of the type of expense involved, but please note that actual pricing for a specific group could be significantly higher or lower than these examples.
The following chart illustrates possible costs for a variety of accommodation levels and group sizes. All prices are per person per day in USD and are based on double occupancy (except the costs for one person which are based on single occupancy). All prices include Israeli Buffet Breakfast, a professional full time guide, private transportation, the expenses of the guide and a budget for entrances to sites. Not included in these estimates are lunch, dinner, extras, supplements for Single room and gratuities. All estimates assume regular rooms in the hotels but do not include supplements for high seasons (or discounts for low seasons). Supplements would of course apply for any deluxe or upgraded rooms and suites requested.
The costs below also include a Tour Planning Fee which applies to a customized tour, and which covers the costs of the extra dedicated staff time and administrative expenses involved in such specialized travel.
Prices per Person for Different Group Sizes and Different Hotel Levels
# of People >
30
15
10
6
4
2
SGL Supp
Level of Hotel V
Kibbutz
150
185
235
255
325
510
45
4 Star
165
210
260
280
350
550
70
Moderate 5 Star
215
260
315
335
415
630
115
5 Star Deluxe
250
295
355
375
460
690
145
There are discounts available for a child (and in some hotels for 2 children) staying in the same room as the parents.
Payment Arrangements
Once the Tour Request Form is received, you will be contacted by your personal Routes Travel tour operator. Your tour operator will guide you through the trip planning process and provide you with necessary time tables and payment guidelines. Once you are comfortable with the guidelines involved, the Routes Travel team is ready to begin investing the time and effort which go into the development of a personalized itinerary. At that time we require a tour registration fee . The deposit is non-refundable, but it is fully applicable to the total cost of the tour.