1st Day: Tel-Aviv airport / Arrival
We arrive Tel-Aviv airport where we will be met, assisted and transferred to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
2nd Day: Ein Karem / Shepherds Field / Bethlehem
We drive this morning to Ein Karem to visit the Church of Visitation and the Church of St. John the Baptist. We continue heading towards Bethlehem for a stop at the Shepherds’ Field.
In the afternoon, we visit the Grotto and the Chapel of St. Gerome at the Basilica of the Nativity. Our final stop will be at the Milk Grotto before we return to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
3rd Day: Mt. Olives / Gethsemane / Mt. Zion
We ascend this morning to the Mt. of Olives for a unique view of the Old City of Jerusalem. We visit Pater Noster Church and the Chapel of the Ascension. We then walk the traditional Palm Sunday road to Dominus Flevit to visit the Rock of Agony at the Church of Gethsemane and the nearby Mary’s Tomb.
In the afternoon we drive through the Kedron Valley to Mt. Zion to visit the Cenacle, the Dormition Abbey and the Church of St. Peter in Galicantu. We return back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
4th Day: Old City of Jerusalem
Our walking tour starts with a view of the the Western Wall and the Temple Mount where we see Al – Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. We then pass by St. Stephen’s Gate to visit St. Anne Church and the Pool of Bethesda. As we walk the Via Dolorosa, we visit the Church of Flagellation, Ecce Homo Arch, and the Stations of the Cross that take us along the final steps of Jesus to Calvary and the Holy Tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Our tour ends this day as we walk out through the bazaars and gates of the Old City to our hotel where we will have dinner and overnight.
5th Day: Mt. Carmel / Nazareth / Cana / Tiberias
We leave Jerusalem this morning and drive along the coastal highway passing by Caesarea to Haifa. We ascend to Mt. Carmel to visit Stella Maris Convent with Prophet Elija’s Grotto.
We proceed from there to Nazareth to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, Home of Mary, the Church of St. Joseph and Mary’s Well. We continue our drive in the afternoon for a stop in Cana before we head to Tiberias for dinner and overnight.
6th Day: River Jordan / Mt. Tabor / Capernaum / Tabgha / Mt. of Beatitudes
Our day begins with a stop at River Jordan.
From there, we drive up to Mt. Tabor to visit the Church of Transfiguration. We continue to the Sea of Galilee to visit Capernaum and Tabgha to the chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and from there on to St. Peter’s Primacy. Afterwards, we ascend to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus gave his most famous ‘Sermon on the Mount‘ before we return back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
7th Day: Magdala / Jericho / Dead Sea
This morning we take an inspiring boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We then drive to the newly discovered old town of Magdala, home town of Mary Magdalene, where we will visit the on-going excavations that have revealed the 1st century synagogue and the recently built Spirituality Centre.
We proceed from there to Jericho to see the Sycamore Tree and Elijah’s spring. There we will have a splendid view of the Mt. of Temptation. We then head to the Dead Sea for a short swim. Time permitting we visit Bethany. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
8th Day: Tel-Aviv airport / Departure
We conclude our pilgrimage to the Holy Land and head to Tel-Aviv airport for our return flight back home.