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: Caesarea / Muhraka / Mt. Carmel / Galilee
We leave Jerusalem this morning and head up north along Mediterranean Sea to visit awesome ruins of Caesarea. We continue northward along the coastal highway to visit Muhraka, We drive on the coast; highway takes us to Mt. Carmel where we visit Stella Maris Convent and Prophet Elija’s Grotto. We proceed to Kursi and Beth Saida before we head to our hotel in the Galilee for dinner and overnight.
6th Day: River Jordan / Mt. Tabor / Nazareth / Cana
Our day begins with a stop at River Jordan. We proceed to Mt. Tabor to visit the Church of Transfiguration and continue from there to Nazareth to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth to visit Home of Mary, Church of St. Joseph and Mary’s Well. We drive afterwards to make a stop in Cana before we return back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
7th Day. Mt. of Beatitudes / Around the Lake / Magdala
We make a first stop today at the Mt. Beatitudes where Jesus delivered His famous “Sermon of the Mount”. We drive around the Lake of Galilee and visit Capernaum,
Tabgha – the chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and the nearby St. Peter’s Primacy. In the afternoon we take an inspiring boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and proceed to the newly excavated site of Magdala, home town of Mary Magdalene, where we will visit the 1st century synagogue and the newly erected Spirituality Centre. We head on to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
8th Day: Jericho / Qumran / Massada /Dead Sea
Our tour this day takes us around new Jericho to see the Sycamore Tree and Elijah’s Spring.There we will have a splendid view of the Mt. of Temptation. We proceed to visit Qumran and then drive past Ein Gedi to visit Massada. On our way back, we stop for a short swim in the Dead Sea. Time permitting, we include a visit to Bethany before we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
9th Day: Free day
We take this day to be on our own to do reflections, re-visit to some of the churches or to do last minute shopping.
10th Day: Tel-Aviv airport / Departure
We conclude our pilgrimage this morning and head to Tel-Aviv airport for our return back home.