PILGRIMAGE IN THE HOLY LAND 10 DAYS / 9 NIGHTS

Day 1: Arrival
Arrive in Israel. Meeting and assistance by our representative, transfer to your hotel. Overnight: Tel Aviv / Netanya

Day 2: Tel Aviv and the vicinity
A short tour of Tel Aviv, the commercial center of Israel. Visit the Museum of the Diaspora. Proceed to the ancient port city of Jaffa where Jonah set out for Tarshish. See the house of Simon the Tanner. On to Beit Guvrin bell caves to explore the hideout of Bar Kochva warriors. Overnight: Tel Aviv / Netanya

Day 3: Caesarea, Haifa, Acre
Drive along the coastal road to the Crusaders port city of Caesarea and the Roman capital of ancient Israel. See the Roman Theatre from the days of King Herod and Paul’s imprisonment. Then to Haifa to view the golden domed Bahai Temple and its beautiful Persian gardens. Continue along the Haifa Bay to Acre to visit the Knights’ Halls, the Crusaders’ underground city. Overnight: Haifa

Day 4: Nazareth, Tabor, Galilee
Visit Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle. On to Nazareth to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation. Visit the Blessed Cave where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. View Mary and Joseph’s house and Carpentry. Ascend Mount Tabor, where Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Peter, James and John. Visit the Church of Transfiguration. Overnight: Galilee

Day 5: Sea of Galilee, Caesarea Phillipi
A boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum the center of Jesus Ministries. Visit the ruins of the ancient Synagogue and see the house of Peter. Continue to Tabgha and visit the traditional site of the Multiplication Miracle of Loaves and Fishes. On to the Church of Primacy of St. Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee wherein lies the Rock of Mensa Christi. Stop at the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus proclaimed his Sermon on the Mount. Proceed north to the Banias (Caesarea Phillipi). Overnight: Galilee

Day 6: Beit Shean, Jericho, Jerusalem
Drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to Yardenit to view the baptismal site. Continue to Beit Shean and explore the excavations of this beautiful Roman-Byzantine City (Scythopolis). Drive via the Jordan Valley Rift through Jericho the world’s oldest city. Continue to Jerusalem. End the day with a panoramic view of the city from Mount of Olives. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 7: Old City of Jerusalem
Enter the walled city at Jaffa Gate on foot. Visit the tower of David and its exhibition on the history of the city over the ages. Walk through the street of the Jewish Quarter to the restored Roman Cardo. Continue to the Western Wall. Ascend the Temple Mount and see the Dome of the Rock and the El Aqza Mosque. Walk along the Via Dolorosa passing the Stations of the Cross, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Proceed to the Garden Tomb (Gordon’s Calvary). Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 8: New City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem
Drive to the Israel Museum to visit the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. Continue to Yad Vashem, the Memorial to the Holocaust. On to the model of Jerusalem during the second Temple period. Proceed to Bethlehem to visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. Back to Jerusalem to Mt. Zion, just outside the City Walls, to view the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where the Apostle denied Jesus three times, the Room of the Last Supper and King David’s tomb. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 9: Qumran, Dead Sea, Massada, Bethany
Depart Jerusalem via the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Stop in Qumran and view the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Drive along the shore of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi, where David hid from King Saul. Continue to the mountain fortress of Massada. Ascend by cable car to visit the excavations of the site where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans in the 1st century. Time and weather permitting, enjoy a ‘swim’ in the Dead Sea. On the way back to Jerusalem visit Bethany the site of Lazarus tomb and the House of Mary. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 10: Departure
Departure transfer and assistance.

 

PILGRIMAGE IN THE HOLY LAND 8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS

Day 1: Arrival
Arrive in Israel. Meeting and assistance by our representative. A short tour of Tel Aviv, the commercial center of Israel, including its ancient port city of Jaffa, where the prophet Jonah boarded a ship bound for Tarshish and Peter had his vision. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day 2: Caesarea, Haifa, Galilee
Drive along the coastal road to the Crusader port city of Caesarea and the Roman capital of ancient Israel. See the Roman Theater from the days of King Herod and Paul's imprisonment. Then to Haifa to view the golden domed Bahai Temple and its beautiful Persian gardens. Ascend Mt. Carmel to Stella Maris church, the Carmelite Monastery, the Chapel of the Holy Family and Elijah's Cave. Continue to the Mukhraka "Horns of Carmel" to view the site where Elijah fought the false prophets. Overnight: Galilee

Day 3: Galilee
Visit Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle changing water into wine. On to Nazareth to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation. Visit the Blessed Cave the site where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. View Mary and Joseph's house. Ascend Mount Tabor with its spectacular view of the Galilee, where Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Peter, James and John. Visit the Church of Transfiguration. Overnight: Galilee

Day 4: Sea of Galilee, En route to Jerusalem
Drive through Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene. Stop at the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus proclaimed his Sermon on the Mount. Continue to Tabgha and visit the traditional site of the Multiplication Miracle of Loaves and Fishes. On to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee wherein lies the Rock of Mensa Christi. A short journey to Capernaum the centre of Jesus' Ministries. See the remains of the ancient Synagogue and the house of Peter. A boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to Tiberias. Visit the Baptismal site on the Jordan River. Continue to Jerusalem. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 5: Jerusalem
Ascend the Mount of Olives to marvel at the spectacular view of the Holy City of Jerusalem. Walk down the hill the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension. On to the church of Dominus Flevit and the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus endured his agony. Descend across the Valley of Kidron. Continue to Mt. Zion, just outside the City Walls, to view the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where the Apostle denied Jesus three times. Visit Room of the Last Supper, King David's Tomb and the Church of the Dormition from which place Blessed Mary ascended to heaven. Drive to Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity, built over the Manger where Jesus was born. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 6: Jerusalem
Enter the Old City of Jerusalem and visit the Western Wall, the holiest shrine of the Jews. On to the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosques, holy shrines to the Moslem world. The walking tour will continue with the Pools of Bethesda, St. Anne's church (the birthplace of Mary), the Chapel of Flagellation, Ecce Homo Arch ('Behold the Man') and onto the Via Dolorosa (the way of the cross). We will pass the Stations of the Cross on the way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, incorporating both Calvary and the Resurrection Tomb. A short drive to Ein Kerem, the birthplace of John the Baptist, and the site of Visitation. Continue to the model of Jerusalem of second temple period. Drive via the Knesset (Israel's Parliament) to the Israel Museum with the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 7: Dead Sea, Massada
Descend from Jerusalem to the Judean desert towards the shores of the Dead Sea. Pass the Inn of the Good Samaritan. Arrive at Massada, the last outpost of the Jewish Zealots, who committed mass suicide rather than surrender to the Romans in the 1st century. Then to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls where found. Stop at Jericho the world's oldest city. Close by, view the Mt. of Temptation where Jesus was tempted, and finally to Bethany, the site of Lazarus tomb and the House of Mary and Martha. Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 8: Departure
Departure transfer and assistance.