1st Day: Tel-Aviv airport – Jerusalem
We arrive Tel-Aviv airport where we will be met upon arrival and transferred to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
2nd Day: Mt. of Olives / Gethsemane / Mt. Zion / Bethlehem
We start our tour this morning with a drive up to the Mt. of Olives for a unique view of the Old City of Jerusalem. We continue to visit Pater Noster Church and the site of the Ascension. We then follow the traditional Palm Sunday road to Dominus Flevit and continue our walk down to visit the Rock of Agony and the Church of Gethsemane. We then make a stop at the nearby Mary’s Tomb before we board our bus and proceed through the Kedron Valley to Mt. Zion to visit the Room of the Last Supper, King David’s Tomb and the Church of St. Peter in Galicantu. In the afternoon we drive to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherds’ Field. We return back to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
3rd Day: Old City of Jerusalem
This morning we take a walking tour of the Old City. We begin at the Wailing Wall and ascend to the Temple Mount to see Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Then we pass by Stephen’s Gate to visit St. Anne Church and Pool of Bethesda. As we walk the final steps of Jesus on the Via Dolorosa, we visit the Church of Flagellation, Ecce Homo Arch, Calvary and the Church of Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre). We exit the Old City walking through its narrow streets, gates and bazaars on our way back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
4th Day: Caesarea / Mt. Carmel / Nazareth / Cana / Tiberias
We leave Jerusalem this morning and head up north along the Mediterranean Sea to visit the awesome ruins of Caesarea. We continue through the Jezreel Valley to the fields of Armageddon and Megiddo as we drive to Haifa where we ascend to Mt.Carmel to visit Stella Maris Convent and Prophet Elija’s Grotto. We then proceed to Nazareth to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, the excavations under the Basilica, St. Joseph’s carpentry shop and Mary’s Well. We continue from there to visit Cana, and view Mt. Tabor at a distance on our way to the Galilee for dinner and overnight.
5th Day: Sea of Galilee / Capernaum / Tabgha / Mt. of Beatitudes / Magdala / River Jordan
We begin our day with a visit to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered his most famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ We then drive along the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum where we visit the synagogue and Peter’s house. We continue to Tabgha – the chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and from there to St. Peter’s Primacy nearby. An inspiring boat ride on the Sea of Galilee will take us close to the shores of the newly discovered site of Magdala where the recent excavations revealed the old home town of Mary Magdalene and the 1st century synagogue. We also visit the newly built Spirituality centre and make a final stop at River Jordan before we proceed to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
6th Day: Jericho / Qumran / Dead Sea / Massada
Our tour this day takes us to Jericho to see the Sycamore Tree and Elisha’s Spring, There we will have a splendid view of the Mt. of Temptation. We then proceed to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and continue past Ein Gedi to visit Massada. On our return we take a dip at the Dead Sea. Time permitting we visit Bethany before we head to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
(Optional – Massada)
7th Day: Ein Karem / Israel Museum
This morning we drive to Ein Karem to visit the birth place of John the Baptist and the Church of Visitation. We make a stop at Yad Vashem and continue past the Kenesset to the Israel Museum to visit the Model of the City and the Shrine of the Book.
Rest of the day is Free to spend at the Museum, re-visit some of the places and sites, or do last minute shopping. Dinner and overnight.
8th Day: Tel-Aviv Airport / Departure
We leave Jerusalem this morning and head toTel-Aviv airport for our return back home.