DAY 01: ARRIVAL TEL AVIV AIRPORT
Arrival in Tel Aviv Israel’s modern-day metropolis. At Ben Gurions airport you will meet your guide and driver. Our representatives will assist with the necessary formalities before transferring you to the hotel along the Mediterranean for dinner and overnight.
DAY 02: CAESAREA/HAIFA/TIBERIAS
After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, drive through the resort town of Nethanya “Pearl of the Sharon”, to Caesarea. This city was named in honor of Augustus Caesar. Visit the remains of the fortifications, moat, Roman amphitheater, and the aqueduct. Continue north along the Mediterranean Sea to Haifa on the slopes of Mount Carmel. We stop for a spectacular view over the city and bay, past the majestic gold domed Bahai Temple and the Persian Gardens. Visit the site where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal. Travel through Megiddo on your way to Nazareth, the boyhood town of Jesus. Visit the Church of the Annunciation. Continue on to Cana of Galilee where the first miracle took place – the transformation of water into wine. Descending 636 feet below sea level, arrive in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee by early evening, in time for dinner. Tonight we will be given an opportunity to attend the Galilee Experience Show.
DAY 03: THE GALILEE/TIBERIAS
Your day begins with a visit to Mount Beatitudes, revered by Christians as the site where Jesus preached his immortal Sermon on the Mount, and the chapel at Tabgha, dedicated to the feeding of the multitude. A short drive takes you to Capernaum visiting the area where Jesus lived, the House of Simon Peter and the Synagogue. Visit Tiberias before boarding a launch cruise that will take you across the tranquil Sea of Galilee to visit Ein Gev Kibbutz. A devotional service can be held aboard the launch. Drive to the River Jordan. After a time to rest and relax our motor coach takes you to the Golan Heights and the sources of the Jordan River at Banyas (Caesarea Philippi) at the foot of Mount Hermon. Return to the hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.
DAY 04: TIBERIAS/MASADA/JERUSALEM
Early morning departure to Masada, along the shores of the Dead Sea. Ascend the fortress by Cable Car. Visit the remains of the famous fortifications where the defenders of Masada made their last stand against the advancing Roman troops. See the remnants of water works, Herodian palaces and Roman temples. On the way to Qumran, stop at Ein Gedi. Visit the community center and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered at Qumran. Continue to Jericho, known as the oldest walled city in the world. View Mount of Temptation, visit the site of Canaanite Jericho and Elisha’s Fountain. Continue to Jerusalem seeing on the way the Inn of the Good Samaritan. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in the Jerusalem Area.
DAY 05: JERUSALEM, THE HOLY CITY
The Mount of Olives, located on the eastern side of the city across the Kidron Valley offers a magnificent view of the Old City, Temple area, Judean Hills, and on a clear day the Dead Sea and the hills of Moab. As you descend the Mount, visit the Church of Pater Noster, the Chapel of the Ascension, Bethpage, Dominus Flevit, Bethany and the Tomb of Lazarus. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Church of the Agony and the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed and was betrayed by Judas. See the Tomb of Absalom, the Pool of Siloam and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Today your tour will also include some of the more recent landmarks of this unique city, Mount Hertzl, Yad Vashem – the Holocaust Memorial, the Hebrew University and the Knesset Parliament Building. Visit Ein Karem – the birthplace of John the Baptist. Drive to Mount Zion to see the Upper Room, the Tomb of King David and the Potter’s Field. See the Palace of Caiphas where Jesus was taken from Gethsemane and held in the cell dungeon before his crucifixion. View the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley from the balcony of the church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. Dinner in Jerusalem with overnight at your hotel.
DAY 06: THE OLD CITY, JERUSALEM
This morning, we begin a walking tour, entering through St. Stephen’s Gate, of the Old City where a thousand and one sights and sounds greet you. Visit the Pool of Bethesda, the Ecce Homo Arch (Behold the Man) and walk the Via Dolorosa, the traditionally accepted last route trodden by Christ when led to his crucifixion. Continue to the temple area on Mount Moriah. Visit the Dome of the Rock erected in 691 around the rock upon which Abraham is believed to have intended to sacrifice Isaac. Both Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple stood here. Visit the Wailing Wall before continuing to the church of the Holy Sepulcher near Jaffa Gate. Visit the Jewish quarter and the Cardo. As the day comes to an end, visit the Garden Tomb and Golgotha. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
DAY 07: BETHLEHEM/JERUSALEM
A short six mile drive south of Jerusalem brings us to the hillside city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Visit the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square, the oldest church in Christendom built over the cave where Jesus was born. See the Fields of the Shepherds. Drive on the highway of the patriarchs to Hebron visiting Abraham’s Well, the Pool of Solomon and the Cave of Machpelah located beneath a huge mosque, whose foundation dates back to Herod’s time. Return to Jerusalem with a brief stop at Rachel’s Tomb.
DAY 08: TEL AVIV/NORTH AMERICA
Early morning transfer to the airport in Tel Aviv. Say goodbye to the Lands of the Bible as you board your return flight, bringing home memories that will last for a lifetime.