Day1 ARRIVE IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL.
Welcome to Israel! Check into your hotel, then this evening, meet your Tour Director and fellow Travellers. (D)
Day2 TEL AVIV-JAFFA- CAESAREA-MUHRAQA-MEGIDDO-TIBERIAS.
Leave Tel Aviv and drive to the old port of Jaffa. Sightseeing continues at Caesarea, an ancient port turned stunning archaeological zone. Admire the restored 3,500-seat Roman THEATER, the aqueduct, harbor, and the crumbled moat and towers from the 12th-century CRUSADER FORTRESS. Next, visit MUHRAQA on Mount Carmel, site of Elijah's contest of faith with the priests of Baal. From here, travel to the ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF MEGIDDO, an age-old fortified town and site of the Battle of Armageddon in the End Times, according to the Bible. Overnight in the lakeside city of Tiberias. (B,D)
Day3 TIBERIAS. EXCURSION TO KIBBUTZ GINOSAR, CAPERNAUM, MOUNT OF BEATITUDES, TABGHA & CAESAREAPHILIPPI.
Today, travel to Kibbutz Ginosar to see the ancient boat at the JESUS BOAT MUSEUM, followed by a CRUISE on the Sea of Galilee. Next, visit Capernaum and see its ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE AND THE HOUSE OF ST. PETER. Travel north to the MOUNT OF BEATITUDES, where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount, and continue to Tabgha to visit the CHURCH OF THE MULTIPLICATION, the site where Jesus fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves. On to Caesarea-Philippi (Banias), home to one of the springs of the Jordan River and a place where Jesus taught his disciples. (B,D)
Day4 TIBERIAS-CANA- NAZARETH-JERICHO-QASR EL YAHUD-JERUSALEM.
This morning, stop in CANA, site of Jesus' first miracle when he turned water into wine at a wedding. Continue to Nazareth and visit the CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, and of the old village. Leave the Galilee area, drive through the Jordan Valley, and visit Jericho, where the shouts and trumpet blasts of Joshua and his army caused the city fortifications to crumble. Then, visit the Qasr el Yahud BAPTISMAL SITE and ascend the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem, with a stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Old Town. (B,D)
Day5 JERUSALEM. EXCURSION TO BETHLEHEM.
Start today by assisting the volunteer PANTRY PACKERS in assembling food parcels destined for Jerusalem's needy. Then, set off on a touching walking tour of Jerusalem's Old Town. From the MOUNT OF OLIVES, take in memorable views over the city. Descend via the PALM SUNDAY WALK and visit the GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, where Jesus prayed on the night before his arrest. Visit the CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS, located next to the garden, then enter through St. Stephen's Gate and arrive at the POOL OF BETHESDA. Follow in Jesus' footsteps along the Way of the Cross to the CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. Walk through the JEWISH QUARTER, reconstructed following unification of the city after the Six-Day War in 1967. Stop at Mount Zion to visit KING DAVID'S TOMB and the CENACLE-the Upper Room where Jesus and his disciples had the Last Supper. A special point of interest is the Cardo, Jerusalem's main street 1,500 years ago. View the unearthed colonnaded thoroughfare with its ancient marketplace. Travel to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus and King David. Visit one of Christianity's holiest places, the CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, situated on the site where Jesus was born. (B,D)
Day6 JERUSALEM.
Today, head for the Southern Wall excavations and visit the DAVIDSON centre, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the country. Continue with a stop at the WESTERN WALL, the holiest place in Judaism today. Next, visit the GARDEN TOMB, where you enjoy the scenery of the beautiful garden, a perfect place for personal reflection and worship. Then, visit the ISRAEL MUSEUM to see the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as a scale model of Jerusalem at the time of Christ. Later, tour YAD VASHEM, the "World Holocaust Remembrance centre." (B,D)
Day7 JERUSALEM. OPTIONAL EXCURSION TO QUMRAN, MASADA & THE DEAD SEA
Today is free to relax, revisit some of the Jerusalem sites at your own pace, or join an exciting optional excursion to the Dead Sea, the planet's lowest point on dry land. Travel through the mountainous Judean Desert to Qumran with an included visit to the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada and ride the cable car up to the magnificent rock fortress. The fortification, perched high on a clifftop plateau above the Dead Sea, was where 960 Jewish rebels made their last stand against Roman forces in 73 AD. Later, head for the shores of the Dead Sea, where you'll have time to experience the incredible buoyancy in the salt water. Return to Jerusalem in the late afternoon. (B)
Day8 JERUSALEM.
Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning (nearest airport is Tel Aviv). (B)
