Easter in the Holy Land

Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport and transfer to Tel Aviv.
Hotel accommodation in Tel Aviv.

After breakfast we go to Jaffa, the ancient port city that evokes the Prophet Jonah and St. Peter, today a picturesque artists’ quarter. We continue along the coast up to Caesarea, founded by King Herod and capital of the Roman Empire in the East, to visit the ancient Roman Theater, the Crusader wall and the Aqueduct. Continue to Haifa, ascend to Mount Carmel to remember the Prophet Elijah in the Carmelite Monastery and enjoy a panoramic view from Stella Maris. We continue to Acre, the Crusader city with its magnificent original medieval fortifications.
Arrival in Galilee. Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast at hotel we depart via Magdala to the Mount of Beatitudes, site that commemorates the Sermon on the Mount. Visit Tabgha (site of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes) and the Church of St. Peter Primacy. Continue to the “city of Jesus’ Capernaum, home of the Lord’s public ministry in Galilee.
Visit the Synagogue where he prayed, St. Peter’s House and the ancient ruins. Then enjoy a trip along the Lake Galilee on a boat. After we travel to Mount Tabor, we take a taxi to visit the Church of the Transfiguration. Then we proceed to the Jordan River to evoke Jesus’ baptism at Yardenit. Return to hotel. Dinner and overnight in the Galilee.

After breakfast, we visit the Mary’s Well and visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and St. Joseph’s carpentry in Nazareth. Pass by Cana where the first miracle was performed and continue our journey along the route of the Jordan River Valley to Jericho, the oldest city in the world. We stop to observe the Mount of Temptation.
Then we continue our journey to visit the Dead Sea area, where we can observe the Qumran Caves, where were found the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. At the end of the day we ascend to Jerusalem and with a triumphal entry into the Holy City and a panoramic view from the top of Mount Scopus we end our day.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem.

Breakfast at the hotel and start our visit to Jerusalem. We depart from the hotel to the Mount of Olives where we can see a magnificent view of the Holy City. Visit the Chapel of the Ascension of Jesus, the Church of Patter Noster and the Church of Dominus Flevit. We walk on the path of Hosanna to the Church of the Agony next to the Garden of Gethsemane. Continue to the Tomb of the Virgin and the Cave of Betrayal. Then to Mount Zion to visit the Cenacle, recalling the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, the Tomb of King David and the Dormition Abbey.
Return to the hotel in Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight.

After breakfast we depart to Ein Karem, identified as the birthplace of John the Baptist. We continue to visit the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin to St. Elizabeth. Travel to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, with the Grotto of the Nativity, the Church of St. Catharina and the Grotto of St. Jerome. Visit the Shepherds Field. Return to the hotel in Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Jerusalem.

After breakfast, departure to the Old City to visit the Western Wall, the Pool of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church. Walk along the Way of the Cross -Via Dolorosa, Lithostrotos, Ecce Homo Arch, up to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Of late, stroll through the new part of Jerusalem sightseeing tour to the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset); visit the Israel Museum where we will see the Model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple and the Shrine of the Book which contains Dead Sea Scrolls. Pass the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and view the Menorah, symbol of the State of Israel.
Return to the hotel in Jerusalem. Farewell dinner with diplomas of Jerusalem Pilgrim.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for boarding formalities.