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Itinerary

Shavuos week in Jerusalem, paced for the all-night learn.

Shavuos in Jerusalem has a uniquely compressed rhythm — one intense yom tov night and day (in Israel), built around the all-night tikkun leil Shavuos and the vasikin at the Kotel at sunrise. The week's itinerary is engineered to get you there rested.

Seven days. Two front-loaded days of rest. One of the most powerful nights in the Jewish calendar.

  1. Day 1

    Arrival — two days before erev yom tov

    Shavuos is a compressed yom tov — essentially one day in Israel (two outside) — which means jet lag must be resolved before the all-night tikkun leil Shavuos. Land Sunday for a Wednesday-night yom tov start. Light day of arrival; early dinner; early sleep. This step is non-optional if any male guest plans to stay up all night learning.

  2. Day 2

    Monday — Kotel + neighborhood orientation

    Morning visit to the Kotel; walk back through the Old City and Jaffa Gate. Afternoon: neighborhood orientation around your hotel — shuls where you'll daven, mikveh locations, pre-yom-tov shopping routes for Machane Yehuda (if your wife or husband wants fresh flowers or produce). Early dinner; another early night.

  3. Day 3

    Tuesday — day trip or rest day

    Option A (light): stay in Jerusalem, rest, spend time with family, light walks. Option B (moderate): Kever Rachel + Chevron day (2-3 hours, emotionally heavy). Option C (active): Tzfat day trip — Ari shul, mikveh, Tzfat artists. Pick based on your family's energy; most Shavuos families choose option A because the tikkun leil is coming Wednesday night.

  4. Day 4

    Wednesday — erev Shavuos

    Morning: pre-yom-tov mikveh for men. Early afternoon: candle-lighting prep, yom tov meal preparation coordination with hotel kitchen (menus are set but we confirm allergens, simcha add-ons, and family-specific requests). 45-min rest before Mincha and yom tov.

  5. Day 5

    Erev yom tov night — tikkun leil Shavuos

    Festive first meal after Maariv. After seudah: men walk to the Kotel for the mass tikkun-leil-Shavuos learning (tens of thousands), or stay at a hotel-adjacent bais medrash. Women often gather for shiurim at the hotel or at nearby programs. Dawn: Kotel vasikin minyan — one of the most powerful tefillos in the Jewish year. Post-davening sleep until midday.

  6. Day 6

    Shavuos day

    Late wake; late brunch (hotel accommodates post-vasikin schedule); afternoon rest. Kriat HaTorah of the Aseres HaDibros is the kriah of the year — families often daven together at a hotel minyan for the special kriah. Second meal afternoon; early Mincha; Maariv; havdalah.

  7. Day 7

    Post-yom-tov days + departure

    Thursday post-Shavuos is a full travel-recovery day for most families. Friday + Shabbos at the hotel for families extending; Sunday or Monday departure typical. Shavuos week's post-yom-tov days are among the quieter Jerusalem tourism windows — take advantage of less-crowded Old City walks and Mahane Yehuda without Shabbos-eve intensity.

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Planning Shavuos in Jerusalem?

Tell us the year, your family, and whether you have anyone going to Kotel vasikin. We'll help you pick the hotel whose Kotel walk supports the plan, and we'll pre-build the itinerary around your family's energy.

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