DAY 1: Mon - Departure from USA
- Board your international flight from the USA to reach Israel in the next day. Meals will be served on board of the flight
|
DAY 2: Tue - Arrival Israel
- Upon arrival to the Ben Gurion International Airport you will meet our representative and transfer to your hotel in Tel Aviv
- Dinner at the hotel
- Overnight in Tel Aviv
- Meal: Dinner
|
DAY 3: Wed - Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Haifa, Nazareth
- Morning mass at local church or our hotel (church name to be advised).
- Begin the day with a visit to Old Jaffa. Walk through the cobblestoned alleyways and visit the home of Simon the Tanner. We continue to Rothschild Boulevard and the White City of Tel Aviv (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and learn about the Bauhaus architecture.
- We drive north along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea, the former capital of Judea, to visit the Crusader Fortress built upon the ancient city of Caesarea, named after Augustus Caesar, who imposed the tax that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.
- We continue to Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery that is located above the cave where Elijah issued his challenge to the False Prophets. We drive through the Carmel Mountains to Haifa for a panoramic view of the bay and the Bahai Gardens.
- Continue along the Jezerel Valley to visit the town Jesus lived in Nazareth to the Church of Annunciation by passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first public miracle.
- Overnight in Galilee
- Dinner at the hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|
DAY 4: Thu - Around Sea of Galilee, Golan Heights
- Morning mass at local church or our hotel (church name to be advised).
- Our day starts at the Holy Sites of Sea of Galilee. First we reach Tabgha where 5,000 were fed by Jesus who performed the miracle of the multiplication of fish and loaves. Directly on the lakeshore is the St. Peter Primacy chapel, where Jesus bestowed church leadership upon Peter.
- Then we visit Capernaum, the launching place of Jesus ministry and look at the ancient synagogue and the house of Simon Petrus.
- Continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount for lunch you have the opportunity to taste the famous Petrus fish Optional. Visit the 2000 years old ancient boat at the Jesus Boat Museum, located in Kibbutz Ginosar. We enjoy a boat ride on the beautiful and scenic waters of the Sea of Galilee. We drive to the Golan Heights for a panoramic view on the area.
- Dinner at the hotel
- Overnight in Galilee
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|
DAY 5: Fri - Dead Sea, Qumran, Quasr El Yehud, Masada, Jerusalem
- Morning mass at local church or our hotel (church name to be advised).
- Descend through the Judean wilderness to the Dead Sea basin, lowest spot on earth and visit the ancient caves of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
- We continue to Quasr El Yehud the traditional Baptism site on the Jordan River. Drive by Ein Gedi, David hideout from Saul, to the fortress Masada, last stronghold and stand of the zealots against Rome, on the edge of the barren Negev Desert. Ascend and descend the site by cable car. Have time to swim in the waters of the Dead Sea and relax on its shore. Before arriving in Jerusalem, we will stop at the famous Montefiore windmill in the neighborhood of Mishkenot Shaananim and enjoy a viewpoint on the Old City with a welcome drink.
- Dinner at the hotel
- Overnight in Jerusalem
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|
DAY 6: Sat - Jerusalem Old City, Bethlehem
- Morning mass at local church or our hotel (church name to be advised).
- This morning we start the day at Mt. of Olives for an introduction to Jerusalem. Ascend the mountains of Jerusalem from Scopus to Mt of Olives for an outstanding breathtaking view of the city across the Kidron Valley to the Eastern Gate Visit the Garden of Gethsemane.
- We continue through the Christian Quarters, and then a visit to the St. Anne Church , the home of Jesus maternal grandparents and the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the crippled man. We will walk the Via Dolorosa, the way of the Cross at the Antonia Fortress to visit Judgment Hall of Pilate all the way to Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Well then arrive to the Garden Tomb, an ancient Jewish sepulcher which matches the New Testament description of the tomb in which Jesus was buried. Afternoon visit to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, including the Church of the Nativity, Manger Square.
- Dinner at the hotel
- Overnight in Jerusalem
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|
DAY 7: Sun - Depart
- Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for flight back home.
- Meal: Breakfast
|
