Premiere Hotels*
Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the View Scheduled Dates or Private Dates tabs.
Elma Arts Complex Luxury Hotel
Zichron Ya'akov (2 nights)
This arts-focused hotel features splendid views of forests and the Mediterranean Sea. (pool, spa)
Bayit Bagalil
Rosh Pina (2 nights)
A Mediterranean-style property overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. (pool, spa)
Kibbutz Merom Golan
Golan Heights (1 night)
* Casual Hotel
Enjoy the simple guest cabins on this kibbutz, ideally located in the northern part of the Golan Heights on the slopes of Mount Ben Tal. (pool)
American Colony Hotel
Jerusalem (2 nights)
Built atop ancient Ottoman ruins, this family-owned boutique hotel—and member of Leading Hotels of the World—embodies both modern Jerusalem and its historic past. (pool, spa)
This Trip Is Rated Levels 1-4
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
Daily Route Options (drag to see full )
| Daily Route Options |
| 1 |
|
|
20* |
600 |
30 |
1300 |
|
|
|
|
| Walking Tour of Caesarea (1 Hour) |
| 2 |
|
|
22* |
400 |
|
|
41* |
2000 |
60 |
3800 |
| 3 |
|
|
12* |
1400 |
27* |
2300 |
|
|
42 |
5900 |
| 4 |
14* |
600 |
|
|
34* |
2600 |
|
|
51 |
5800 |
| Walking Tour of Safed (1 Hour) |
| 5 |
|
|
17* |
1200 |
|
|
38* |
3100 |
|
|
| 6 |
|
|
|
|
37 |
600 |
|
|
|
|
| 7 |
|
|
|
|
33 |
2000 |
49 |
2400 |
|
|
| 8 |
Walking Tour of Jerusalem (2 - 4 Hours) |
|
|
Note:
To make for the most comfortable ride to this particular trip, we've outfitted our titanium road bike with slightly wider tires. You'll appreciate this on those stretches of the route with hard-packed dirt (approximately 15% dirt and 85% paved).
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity level and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Meals
All breakfasts, 7 dinners, 6 lunches
Available Bike Options
The key to a stellar day’s ride is a bike that’s perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Read on for your available bike options for this trip.
Backroads Titanium Bikes (Included in your trip price)
Our custom-built titanium bikes are specially designed for you—and we offer different models for varied terrain so your bike is ideally suited to the region. Our custom-made bikes are included in your trip price.
Touring Bike (Included)
Performance Road Bike (Included)
Also Included
- Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
- Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
- Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
- On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
- Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
- Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
- Park and other entry fees
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
- Select coach transfers
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Get the Straight Talk about This Trip
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
Accommodations
Our Premiere Hotels on this trip are luxurious and offer top-notch amenities. We've also included a one-night stay at Kibbutz Merom Golan, which is much simpler than the Backroads standard, even for our Casual Hotels. Though humble, Merom Golan offers a great location, warm hospitality, strong cultural character and phenomenal views. We hope you'll appreciate its unique charm as much as we do.
Biking Routes in Israel
Biking in Israel is a different experience than biking in Europe. You won't find an extensive network of interconnecting roads like in Italy, for example. So we often shuttle to get to the starting points of the best routes, to reach our hotels at the end of a ride or to visit some of the most intriguing cultural and historical sites on our itinerary. And while biking is becoming more popular, many Israelis are still learning how to share the road, so stay alert!
Rest assured that we've designed some fantastic routes. Most of the busier roads have wide shoulders, and you can choose to shuttle past the sections that don't. No matter what, you can count on a culturally enriching and fascinating journey through Israel.
Why Travel with Backroads in Israel
We Don't Rely on Remote Control
Backroads doesn't use subcontractors – in Israel or anywhere else. During the time we've been offering trips in this fascinating country, it has developed into an attractive destination for those seeking a culturally focused active travel experience with luxury accommodations. We design and operate all aspects of the trip, complementing our Trip Leaders' deep knowledge with the expertise of trusted local guides, all to ensure you enjoy the best possible experience.
Everyone at Their Own Pace
We design and support our Israel trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
Your Trip Will Run. Period.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for one or two people (or a family of three or four), subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
The Best Leaders in Israel
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Israel, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
Only the Best Hotels
On this trip featuring Premiere Hotels, you can count on the best lodgings Israel has to offer. In fact, the hotels we've chosen in this region have higher retail room rates than those offered by any other active travel company—even when their trips cost more.
Our Cultural Roots Run Deep
Thanks to our extensive connections in Israel, Backroads takes you off the beaten track and deep into the region's culture in ways that traditional travel can never hope to do. We know the people and their customs, the legacy of art and architecture, the complex history and politic—and if we're not sure, our amazing local experts can fill in the blanks.
Your Hotels Are Locked In
It may seem obvious to say the great hotels we tell you about are the ones you'll actually stay in. But the fact is many companies haven't even booked the places they promise and are later forced to settle for inferior alternatives. We book our hotels and exact rooms long in advance—often over two years—so you stay where you expect to stay.
A Second Van When You Need It
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Israel—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
More Leaders to Support You
On our Israel trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the road—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
The Right Local Pairings
Our Trip Leaders combine deep local expertise with a firm grasp of North American expectations around quality of service. By the same token, we pair experienced Backroads leaders with local guides who know how to cater to your needs while cracking open the culture or natural history in ways that are meaningful, memorable and often magical.
