Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, where you will be met by an IBMT Tours member and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Tel Aviv.
DAY 3 Monday
CAESARIA / MUHRAKA / MEGIDDO / ACRE
We drive up the coast to Caesarea, and the seaside vista sparkles, Caesarea was the Roman capital with many ancient ruins and archaeological digs to visit. High up on the list of sites to see is a Roman aqueduct and theatre that held prominence during this era. The next stop you will make is at Muhraka – this is the place where Elijah and the Prophets of Baal had a confrontation that reverberated for many years. You will be attracted to the fantastic views on Jezreel Valley and lower Galilee while you are in the area and it affords plenty memory-making photo opportunities for travelers. Megiddo is the site where Armageddon took place and the battlefield is on display that presents a traveler an excellent chance to learn of the history of the area. Next stop on day is Acre, see the underground Crusader City, and crypt housed in the city. The old city is recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site and your day ends with a trip to a local market and the harbour.
Breakfast, Dinner and overnight in Galilee
DAY 4 Tuesday
TIBERIAS / CAPERNAUM / BANIAS
Day four is another day with plenty of activities that start with a quick tour of Tiberias that leads into a boat tour of the Sea of Galilee. The Yigal Alon Centre is waiting for you after your boat tour, an ancient fishing boat from the first century is displayed there and it called the ‘Jesus Boat.’ In Capernaum, you will be taken to a second-century synagogue, next is the site of the miracle of fish and loaves at Tabgha. The Church of the Multiplication was built in the fourth century and has the most amazing mosaic floor that will take your breath away. For the religious traveler, the Mount of the Beatitudes will hold significant importance; it is where Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount, a message that resonated with his disciples for centuries. Once you have seen those sites, a trip to the Golan Heights will be the last stop where you will access the area through the Banias Springs.
Breakfast, Dinner and overnight in Galilee
DAY 5 Wednesday
CANA / NAZARETH / BEIT SHEAN
Day five will be another day that will keep the traveler busy – first up is the Wedding Church in Cana, where Christ performed his first miracle turning water into wine. More religiously focused travel stops continue with our arrival in Nazareth. The Church of the Annunciation, St Joseph’s carpentry workshop, and The Spring of the Virgin Mary will see our tour group spend quality time at. The spring has been identified as the place where the Angel Gabriel revealed himself to the Virgin Mary and told her she would bear the Son of God. A stop on the road at Yardenit is a place of importance as it was a place where many baptisms were conducted for the followers of Christ on the Jordan River. The ruins and the archaeological dig at Beit Shean is one of the most impressive reflections of Roman and Byzantine culture that Israel has to offer.
Breakfast, Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem
DAY 6 Thursday
JERUSALEM : OLD CITY
A spectacular day waits as we tour ‘The Golden City,’ and our focus is on the Old City, where we start the tour at Mount of Olives. It provides a panoramic view of the Old City and an ancient Jewish cemetery outside the walls of the Old City. The wonders of the Old City are many, we will visit to all of them during your stay in Jerusalem, churches will be the focal point of this part of the day. The Church of All Nations, also known as “The Basilica of Agony” is the first stop. Next, is a Roman Catholic Church on the Mount of Olives next to the Garden of Gethsemane. The apostles relate, Christ went to the garden to pray before his arrest, as he knew he would be crucified and asked for forgiveness for those who played a role in his death. It isn’t often that you can visit a street, which was the main street of a city 2000 years ago. But, a walk along Cardo will show you the tapestry of the city in those days. Once you have made your way down the Cardo, Temple Mount is the next place to visit, with the Western Wall in close proximity. If you want you can say a prayer. Walk in to Christ’s path when you travel down the Via Dolorosa, where he was led down on this street with the cross on the way to Mount Calvary. After your spiritual walk in Christ’s sandals, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands as a testament to the history of the Old City. For the shopper and the haggler in you, we drive to “The Arab Bazaar” to test your bargaining skills, where everything is under the sun and the price is always negotiable. The last stop of the day is “The Garden Tomb”, which is considered by some Christians to be the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. Capping, our day is a feast at our exquisite hotel.
Breakfast, Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem
DAY 7 Friday
JERUSALEM : NEW CITY / YAD VASHEM | BETHLEHEM
Drive to Ein Karem to visit the Church of Visitation; proceed to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the Holocaust. Visit the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea scrolls are housed, and the miniature model of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. Proceed to Bethlehem*, birthplace of Jesus; visit Shepherds' Field; walk through Manger Square to visit the remarkable Church of Nativity. Return to Jerusalem.
Breakfast, Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem
DAY 8 Saturday
QUMERAN / MASADA / DEAD SEA
Drive through the Judaean Hills to Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in 1947 by a Bedouin boy. Continue along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada, the last stronghold of the Jews after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD; ascend Masada by cable car and tour the mountain fortress built by King Herod; visit the remains of the walls, the water cistern and Herod’s Palace; descend by cable car. Continue to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth; enjoy the opportunity to float in the unsinkable water and cover yourself with the mineral rich mud, believed to have therapeutic effects (weather permitting).
Breakfast, Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem
DAY 9 Sunday
DEPART TEL AVIV
You’ll leave with a tear in your eye, and many, many great memories that will be able to relate to family and friends after you arrive home. This trip will just whet your appetite, and like most our travelers who fall in love with Israel, you will come back and book with us at IBMT Tours.
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