Holy Land Tour of Israel

Tour Features

Tour the Holy Land and re-live history at places like the Old City of Jerusalem, Nazareth, The Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Visit all the historical and biblical sites in Israel - the land of the Bible.

Itinerary

Day 1. ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. You will be met by one of our representatives, assisted through customs and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv, for Dinner and overnight.

Day 2. TEL AVIV, JAFFA, CAESAREA, MUHRAKA, MEGIDDO, NAZARETH, TIBERIAS
After breakfast visit JAFFA – south of Tel Aviv which is considered to be the world's oldest sea-port, with Jewish legend attributing it to Japeth, son of Noah and the Greek legend to Joppa, daughter of the gods of the winds. It was here in the 8th Century B.C. that Jonah started his journey to Nineveh. Much of Old Jaffa has been lovingly restored and now houses an artists colony and galleries, together with the many churches and mosques which make for a unique site. Drive along the coastal road to CAESAREA an ancient Mediterranean city halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa, containing many ruins most of which date from the Crusader period. Prominent among these are the hippodrome, the Crusader city and the Roman amphitheater. Continue to MUHRAKA with a breathtaking view of the north of Israel. Here Elijah conformed and defeated the Priests of Baal. Travel to MEGIDO overlooking the Jezreel Valley is considered the Armageddon of the New Testament and its history stretches back some 6,000 years.

Day 3. Mount OF BEATITUDES, BANIAS, GOLAN HEIGHTS, CAPERNAUM, BOAT RIDE, JORDAN RIVER (YARDENIT)
Baptism in the Jordan River at YardenitAfter breakfast drive to Mount OF BEATITUDES where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. On to BANIS one of the main sources of the Jordan River which runs through lush woodlands and ends in a broad lagoon in the shadow of Mount Hermon. Philip son of Herod established here the city by the name of Caesarea Philippi and the town is mentioned in the New Testament and Talmud. Drive in the GOLAN HEIGHTS the site of fierce battles between Israel and Syria during 1967 and 1973. Visit CAPERNAUM on the northwest shore of the sea of Galilee were Jesus began his preaching career. The town is also well known during Second Temple. Roman and Byzantine periods. Take a boat ride on the sea of Galilee. Drive to YARDENIT where the Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee, this spot a few meters down from the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, was developed as a baptism area. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 4. JORDAN VALLEY, BEIT SHEAN, JERICHO, QUMRAN, DEAD SEA (SWIM)
After breakfast travel through the beautiful Jordan Valley Visit BEIT SHEAN with its magnificent archaeological excavations. Continue via JERICHO a flourishing oasis in the Judean Desert at the northern end of the Dead Sea. Archaeological research has confirmed Jericho as being the oldest city in the world. Jericho was the first city conquered by Joshua in the Promised Land and it appears as the background for many incidents in the New Testament. Drive to QUMRAN remains of a settlement on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea and the site the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by desert Bedouins. Drive along DEAD SEA called the "Sea of Salt" the lowest spot on the surface of the globe. Here you can experience floating and swimming in these waters which have amazing healing powers. Dinner and Overnight at the Dead Sea.

Day 5. METSADA, BEERSHEVA, LACHISH, ELAH VALLEY, BELL CAVES OF BEIT GUVRIN, BEIT SHEMESH, JERUSALEM
MassadaAfter breakfast we will visit METSADA a massive rocky outcrop in the Judean Desert 2km from the shore of the Dead Sea and the site of the most dramatic act in Jewish history when Jewish rebels elected mass suicide rather than submit to Roman capture in 73 A.C. The site has been fully excavated and the remains of Herod's impregnable fortress have been exposed, as have the remains of the eight roman army camps that surrounded the mountain, and the rebel's living quarters. Then on to Beersheva the capital of the Negev. Continue to Lachish and drive through the Elah Valley where David slew Goliath. Visit the Bell Caves of Beit Shemesh and then ascend to the Golden City of Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 6. NEW CITY OF JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM
MOUNT OF OLIVES – a mountain to the east of the Old City which has been used as a cemetery since ancient times. Christian tradition maintains that many events related to the life of Jesus took place on the mountain, hence the many holy sites that are situated there. Mount Scopus, Knesset and Menorah, YAD VASHEM a memorial to the Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust. Entering through the Valley of the Righteous which commemorates the heroic acts of gentiles who saved Jews, one reaches the Memorial Hall containing an eternal flame and the names of the concentration camps inscribed into the black granite floor. An adjoining hall bears the names of the names of the victims and a photo exhibition and Holocaust library. Visit the Model of Jerusalem as in Jesus' day. Drive to BETHLEHEM the site of the tomb Rachel and the birthplace of Jesus. The town is dominated by the Church of the Nativity, built on the grotto where Jesus is believed to have been born. It has many other sites of great historical and religious.

Day 7. OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM
Dome of the Rock in JerusalemFull day Old City, waking tour day. You will visit St. Stephen's gate. VIA DOLOROSA also called the Way of the Cross a series of lanes in the Old City that according to Christian tradition was Jesus' route from Pilate's judgement hall to Golgotha. There are 14 Stations along the route each commemorating an event along Jesus' route to crucifixion. Walk through colorful bazaars. View the TEMPLE MOUNT in the southeast corner of the Old City, this walled in platform was the site of both the First and Second Temples, but is now occupied by five Moslem Mosques. The Dome of the Rock, the Mosque of Al Aqsa, the Dome of the Prophet and the Dome of Elijah. Visit the WESTERN WALL part of the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, which became the focal point of the Jewish religion after the Second Temple was destroyed. Access to Jews was denied when the area was under Jordanian rule but since the Six Day War, the site has been enlarged and renovated, and archaeological work has been conducted in the vicinity.

Day 8. DAY LEISURE
Today will be a day at leisure to relax, shop and re-visit any site that caught your interest. Breakfast and dinner are provided in hotel.

Day 9. DEPARTURE
You will be transferred to Ben Gurion Airport and one of our representatives will help you through your formalities. Departure flight.