CATHOLIC JOURNEY 8 DAYS

DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO TEL AVIV 

Welcome to the Holy Land, arrival into Ben Gurion International Airport and after clearing Passport Control and collecting your luggage, Jerusalem Vacations’ representative will meet and assisted at the airport. Then transfer to your hotel in Bethlehem. With no activities planned, you are free to relax or explore your neighborhood. Dinner and overnight at Hotel in Bethlehem.

DAY 2: MOUNT OF OLIVES-BETHLEHEM- SHEPHERD'S FIELDS

Start the day with a visit to Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Take a breath taking view of the Old city of Jerusalem. With a guide, visit the important Christian sites on the Mount of Olives : such as The Garden of Gethsemane where you will see 2,000 year old Olive trees that date back to the time of Christ, the Chapel of Ascension, the Pater Noster and the tomb of Mary. Drive back to Bethlehem; visit the Church of the Nativity the birthplace of Jesus since the 2nd century. As you enter the Church, you will proceed down to the Grotto of the Nativity. We’ll continue to Shepherds Field in Beit Sahour; this is the site where the angel of the Lord is said to have appeared before shepherds bringing them good tidings of the birth of Jesus, celebrate Mass. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 3: OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM

After breakfast, enter the Old City of Jerusalem via the Lion’s Gate and walk the Via Dolorosa the Way of the Cross at the Antonia Fortress, the spot where Jesus was condemned to death. Following His condemnation, He was taken (on the Road to Calvary) to His place of Crucifixion. Visit to  the Church of St. Anne's and celebrate Mass, the Pool of Bethesda, and Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Continue through the Armenian and Jewish quarters to the recently excavated and restored Cardo, the Roman road to see the Wailing Wall, the day of touring culminates with a visit to the Mount Zion, the Tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and Dormition Abbey. Return to the hotel in Bethlehem for dinner and overnight.

DAY 4: JERICHO- DEAD SEA BEACH -QUMRAN

After breakfast, drive through the Judean Desert to Jericho the lowest city in the world and probably the oldest, See the Sycamore tree and view Mount Temptation where Jesus spent His 40 days fasting. Then spend some time at the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. If weather and time permits, swim and float in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea. Last stop at Qumran. Qumran was built of 2,000-year-old ruins from the days of the Second Temple. It is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written and discovered. These writings have helped further the understanding of the Jewish background in Christianity. Drive back for about an hour to Bethlehem; check in at the hotel, dinner and overnight.

DAY 5: BETHLEHEM-JAFFA-CAESAREA- STELLA MARIS (HAIFA)-NAZARETH

After breakfast, visit to the Old Jaffa, walk through the narrow passages of Old Jaffa, believed to be the oldest port city in the world and see St. Peter's Church and take a spectacular view of Tel Aviv Shoreline. Drive north along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea, where you’ll visit the ancient Roman ruins of Herod’s Harbor and the Roman Theater. It is one of the biggest amphitheaters built during the Roman era and used for chariot races and gladiator fights. Afterwards proceed to Mount Carmel with a visit of the Stella Maris Church, 1st Mass of the group on Mount Carmel. Visit the beautiful Baha’i Gardens with its 19 terraces and the Shrine of the Bab. The Baha’i faith developed in the 19th century, and this is one of their religious places. Beneath the gardens you find the German Colony, where you have time for a stroll. Transfer to your hotel in Nazareth, check in at hotel , dinner and overnight.

DAY 6: NAZARETH-CANA-MT TABOR- BOAT RIDES

After breakfast, visit to the town of Nazareth, the place where Jesus spent his childhood. Main attraction is the Church of the Annunciation, believed to be where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary her pregnancy. Continue to the town of Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle. He turned water into wine during a wedding. To This day, couples renew their marriage vows in the church and celebrate Mass in Cana. Drive to Mount Tabor, mentioned in the Old and the New Testament, and visit on top the Franciscan Church of Transfiguration and have a panoramic view over the Jezreel Plain. We continue and enjoy a boat ride on the beautiful and scenic Sea of Galilee, Transfer to your hotel in Nazareth, check in dinner and overnight.

DAY 7: TIBERIAS: SEA OF GALILEE-YARDENIT

After breakfast, departure to discover the holy places on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the largest freshwater lake in the Holy Land. Visit the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus proclaimed His great Sermon on the Mount. Near the Mount is Tabgha the location of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, in which Jesus is said to have fed a large crowd with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Next visit the Church of the Primary of St. Peter, nearby to the east on the lakeside. The black basalt Franciscan chapel is built on the site where Jesus is said to have appeared to the Apostles after his Resurrection. Continue visiting Mary Magdalene's birthplace in Magdala, then drive to Capernaum on the northern shoreline of the Sea of Galilee; to visit the site and Synagogue where Jesus preached, healed the sick, and performed many miracles. Your day concludes at, Yardenit, believed to the baptism site of Jesus; chance to renew your baptism in the Jordan River and Celebrate Mass. Transfer back to your hotel in Nazareth, dinner and overnight.

DAY 8 – DEPARTURE    

We have reached our final day on this tour. Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Tel Aviv Airport for departure.