Region: Tiberias, Bethlehem
Tour type: Full Day
Activities: excursion
Dates: Year Round
Duration: 8 day
Christian Israel Tour
This trip is an Orthodox Christian pilgrimage. It includes visits to religious sites with stops at places of historical and archaeological importance connected to the bible. If you are interested in the Early Church, Monasticism and the Ancient Middle East then this is your best choice.
Day 01
Tel Aviv / Tiberias.
Upon our arrival at the Tel Aviv airport, you will be met by our guide and driver, proceed to Nazareth, one of the holiest towns in Christendom. See St. Marys Well where the Angel Gabriel told Mary she will give birth to Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Greek Orthodox Church of Annunciation, where we see frescoes of all the main Orthodox Saints, We celebrate Divine Liturgy in this peaceful spot. Continue to Cana to visit the Greek Orthodox Church, site of Jesus’ first miracle.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
Day 02
Drive to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, then to Tabgha, Greek for Seven Springs and the Church of the Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves. Visit the Church of St. Peters Primacy. Explore Capernaum, headquarters of Jesus ministry in Galilee and see the new church built on St. Peters House. See the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostles, with its lovely pink domes and an outwardly setting overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Sail across the Sea of Galilee. Today you share in the traditional lunch of delicious St. Peters fish. The final stop in our very busy day is at Yardenit on the river Jordan, the traditional baptismal site. Where John baptized Jesus.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
Day 03
We start the day with a visit to Mt. Tabor and the Church of Transfiguration, then proceed down the Jordan Valley towards Jericho, the oldest known inhabited city in the world. Here we will have lunch and stack up on healing Dead Sea products, and handicrafts made by local Bedouins. Now is your opportunity to take that Camel ride. A short drive to Saint George of Koziba Monastery and walk down the steep narrow hill to the magnificent Monastery built in a rock ravine in the Judean Desert, and wander in amazement how did the monks manage to build this shrine of faith. Proceed to Bethlehem to check in at Manger Square hotel which is a 4* hotel opposite to the Nativity Church.
Dinner and overnight.
Day 04
Enjoy the unforgettable view from atop the Mount of Olives, and marvel at the site before you. A 4000 year old city centre of three main monolithic faiths, and the place where Our Lord sacrificed himself for our salvation. See where Jesus taught the Apostles to pray Our Father and visit the church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension. Walk down the Palm Sunday road, stopping at the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene. Light a candle with a prayer in the Tomb of Holy Mother and continue to the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, the garden of Our Lords agony. Descend across the Kidron Valley, to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu where the Apostle denied Christ three times. Continue on to Mt. Zion, to visit the Room of the Last Supper, King David’s Tomb and the Church of the Dormition. Conditions permitting, visit Bethany, site of the House of Mary and Lazarus.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
Day 05
Start the day by visiting the Monastery of St. Theodosius and Mar Saba founded in 5th century by monk Saba. Continue to Bethlehem, and the Shepherds Field and Grotto. We have Holy Liturgy in the Church of the Nativity, the Byzantine church built over the birthplace of Our Lord, and see the cave of St. Jerome. We also tour the Monastery of Prophet Elias. On the way back to Jerusalem stop at the village of Ein Karem the birth place of St. John the Baptist, and see the Russian and the Greek Orthodox Churches. Tonight we enjoy a performance of the Israeli Folklore troupe.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
Day 06
Enter the old city via Zion Gate to see: the Wailing Wall, the Temple Mount, the Pool of Bethesda, St. Annes Church (birthplace of Mary), the Chapel of Flagellation, Ecce Home Arch. Then go on to the Via Dolorosa, to the Prison of Christ, and to retrace the final hours of Our Lords life as you pass the Stations of the Cross, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of His death and resurrection. We climb the stairs to reach Golgotha, the place of crucifixion. The main altar here is in the care of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy. Then we are actually led into the Tomb, the place of resurrection, guarded by Greek Orthodox monks. Take a moment in this Holy Place to feel the spirit engulf you, and appreciate all that Our Lord had given you and your loved ones.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
Day 07
After breakfast, we drive to Jericho, the oldest city in the world. Continue to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Visit Mount of the Temptations and the Sycamore Tree. Have a float in the Dead Sea. Drive to Bethlehem.
Dinner & Overnight at hotel.
Day 08
Check out from hotel to proceed to Airport for departure.
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