Thursday – Arrival

The beginning of your journey in the Holy Land. Upon arrival to Tel Aviv Airport you will be met by our representative who will be holding a sign with your name on, immediately after passport control. Our representative will guide you to pick up your luggage, after which you will be escorted via Customs to meet your driver who will transfer you to your hotel.

Overnight: hotel in Tel Aviv

Friday – Tel Aviv / Sea of Galilee / Tiberias

Your guide will pick you up from your hotel.

Drive for a visit of the port city of Jaffa (Joppa) where we will take a short walking tour in picturesque alleys of the old, fortified town. We will pass by the house of Simon the Tanner and marvel at the views from the hill top. We drive north along the coastal road – Via Maris, to the archaeological ruins of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great in honor of Augustus Caesar. From here we go on to visit Megiddo where the book of Revelations mentions a great battle at the place called Armageddon, an ancient city inhabited continuously for more than five millennia (6000-500 B.C.). After exploring the ancient ruins we drive toward the Sea of Galilee, stopping at Cana to visit the Wedding Church where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine.

Overnight: hotel in Tiberias

Saturday – Sea of Galilee

Visit the sites on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, the stage for many of the events in Jesus’ life. Drive along the shore of the sea to Capernaum, known as “His Town”, the center of Jesus ministry where he

spent much time healing the sick and performing miracles. On to Tabgha, the site of Christ’s miracle of feeding the 5,000, visiting the Church of Multiplication, where the mosaic floor depicts a basket with loaves and two fishes, and the Church of the Primacy of St Peter, commemorating Jesus’ reinstatement of Peter as chief among the Apostles. Continue to the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the sea, where Jesus preached the “Sermon on the Mount” and it is believed that he picked his 12 apostles. Ascend to the Golan Heights to view the panoramic view of the peaks of Mt. Hermon and the rugged Golan plateau.

Visit Banias (Caesarea Philippi), one of the sources of the River Jordan, where Jesus took his disciples, revealing his purpose and His Church before his last trip to Jerusalem and where Simon identified Jesus as the messiah. Drive to the southern part of the Sea of Galilee to visit the Yardenit Baptismal Site.

Overnight: hotel in Tiberias

Sunday – Nazareth / Jordan Valley / Beit Alpha / Jerusalem

Sail on a boat on the Sea of Galilee to experience the tranquility and scenery little changed during the past

2000 years (subject to conditions and fee). Travel through the Galilee to Nazareth, where Jesus spent his childhood, and the Church of Annunciation, built on the site where archaeologists believe the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary. You will also see Mary’s Well and Joseph’s Church. Visit the ancient synagogue at Beit Alpha, located at the foot of the northern slopes of the Gilboa Mountains which has one of most preserved and beautiful mosaics in Israel. Drive through the Jordan Valley, passing by Jericho, before ascending through the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem.

Overnight: hotel in Jerusalem

Monday – Masada & Dead Sea

Through remarkable scenery of the Dead Sea we travel to Masada which is situated on an isolated cliff in the Judean Desert. The site was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Ascend by cable car to the fortress, which was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, King Herod’s palace, the synagogue, bathhouse and much more. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea below. Visit the site of the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Nearly 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the earth’s surface. If weather permits it’s possible to “float” on the salty, mineral rich, water.

Overnight: hotel in Jerusalem

Tuesday – Jerusalem

Start the day at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book with the famous Dead Sea scrolls, then a visit to the beautifully renovated model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Next is Ein Karem, a picturesque village in the south western outskirts of Jerusalem, with a great significance in Christian traditions, since this is where according to tradition John the Baptist was born. Visit Yad Vashem the official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, located at the foot of Mt. Hertzl. Visit Bethlehem – the birthplace of Jesus at the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square.

Overnight: hotel in Jerusalem

Wednesday – Jerusalem

Enter the Old City of Jerusalem where you will see the Western Wall and the actual site of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount. Walk the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, to Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, housing both the traditional site of Crucifixion and the Tomb of the Resurrection.

To the southwest, just outside the Old City, is Mount Zion, with the traditional tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent his last night and was betrayed by Judas. Enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem – the holy city for each of the world’s three great religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam, from atop the Mount of Olives.

Overnight: hotel in Jerusalem

Thursday – Departure

Transfer to the airport for departure, or extension tour to Jordan and/or Egypt.

*** The sequence of the tour and sites visited may be amended due to circumstances at the company’s or the guide’s discretion ***