Your trip includes
- Round-trip airfare from your desired Airport
- Prepaid seat assignments
- Airport Taxes and Fuel Surcharges
- Hotel accommodations: (or similar) in double occupancy
- ~ 3 nights: May 25 - 28: Magdala Guesthouse, Migdal, Israel
- ~ 5 nights: May 28 - Jun 2: Notre Dame Center, Jerusalem, Israel
- Transfers as per itinerary
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner daily (farewell dinner at Notre Dame Rooftop)
- Wine and mineral water with dinners
- Unlimited bottled water on the bus
- Wi-Fi on the Bus in Holy Land
- Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
- Whisper headsets (where needed)
- Assistance of a professional local Christian Guide(s)
- Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
- Mass daily & Spiritual activities
- Flight bag & Portfolio of all travel documents
Not Included
- Beverages not mentioned, Tips to your guide & driver
- Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETA-IL)
Itinerary
Day 1 | Sunday, May 24: Depart for Holy Land
Make your way to your local Airport, where you will board your overnight flight. Your meals are served on board.
Day 2 | Monday, May 25: Arrive in Tel Aviv and proceed to Tiberias
Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, make your way to the baggage claim area to collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrival hall, where you be greeted by your tour guide and/-or driver. Transfer to your hotel in Tiberias for check-in. Enjoy welcome dinner at the hotel before retiring for the evening.
• Holy Mass: Boat Chapel Magdala (Roman Catholic OR Divine Liturgy)
Day 3 | Tuesday, May 26: Cana, Nazareth & Haifa
Theme: The Annunciation
This morning, we drive to Cana. It was here that Jesus performed His first miracle, changing water into wine (John 2.). During your time at the Wedding Church, married couples will have the chance to take part in a ceremony to renew their wedding vows to each other, continue to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation and St. Joseph’s workshop, now a church. Within the Church of the Annunciation, we will make our way down to the Grotto to see the remains of the house of the Blessed Mother, and where the Angel of the Lord announced the good news to Mary. Celebrate Mass in this Church then continue to. At the end of the day visit Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery with the Madonna of Mt. Carmel. we return to the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight.
• Annunciation: Upper Basilica / St. Joseph (Roman Catholic OR Divine Liturgy)
• Or book the Annunciation for Greek Melkite ( Synagogue)
• Cana – St. John for renewal of Vows
Day 4 | Wednesday, May 27: Tiberias: Sea of Galilee & Caesarea Philippi
Theme: The Ministry of Christ in the Galilee
This morning we are on a boat on the beautiful Sea of Galilee, where Jesus spent much of His Ministry (Luke 5:1). At the Mount of Beatitudes we remember the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:20-49). At Tabgha is the Church of Multiplication where, with just five loaves of bread and two fish (Luke 9:10-17), He fed the crowd of 5,000. Nearby is St. Peter’s Primacy, where Peter confirmed his Love of Jesus (John 21). In this very place, Jesus anointed Peter to lead the Church and was to become the first Pope. End the day at Capernaum, the town of Jesus. Here Jesus lived, in Peter’s House, and launched the ministry that was to change our lives and the world. We celebrate Mass here. End the day with a stop at the Valley of the Doves. This is located at the foot of the steep cliffs of Mt Arbel and was part of the ancient Via Maris trade route linking Mesopotamia and Egypt. This route also linked Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee and would have been the path that Jesus walked when travelling between the two places. Today the valley is still undeveloped and we can imagine Jesus walking along this ancient way and resting by the stream.Drive up to the Golan Heights to visit ancient places that Jesus visited as part of His Ministry. Visit to Caesarea Philippi the place of Peter’s testimony and where Jesus answered him: “You are a rock and on this rock, I will build my church. Dinner and overnight in Galilee.
• Holy Mass: Tabgha primacy or Capernaum (Both are possible (Roman Catholic or Divine Liturgy))
Day 5 | Thursday, May 28: Mt. Tabor - Caesarea - Jerusalem
Theme: The Transfiguration
This morning we ascend Mt Tabor (Matthew 17:1-50). At this site, Christ’s Divinity was revealed. Celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Transfiguration. From the top of Mt Tabor, enjoy a dramatic view the Valley of Armageddon, before driving to Caesarea Maritima located on the shores of the Mediterranean. Built by Herod the Great, Caesarea was where St. Peter baptized the first gentile convert, Cornelius (Acts 10). We will see the Roman theatre Herod’s Palace, view the Hippodrome, and the harbor from which St. Paul sailed on his journeys to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the ancient world. Continue the drive up to the Judean Hills where you enjoy your first view of holy, complicated, Jerusalem from Mt Scopus. Dinner and pvernight in Jerusalem.
• Holy Mass: Mt Tabor Transfiguration main chapel (Roman Catholic or Divine Liturgy)
Day 6 | Friday, May 29: Jerusalem: Ein Karem – Bethlehem (with visit to Reem Bawardi)
Theme: The Visitation and Nativity
This morning we go the village of Ein Karem to visit the Church of St John the Baptist, which marks his birthplace (Luke 1.5). Nearby is Church of Visitation that commemorates the visit of our Blessed Mother to her cousin, Elizabeth, staying with her for 3 months (Luke 1.39). Many people pray the Mystery of the Rosary as they walk up the hill to the Church. Later drive to Bethlehem to visit the fields where the Angel appeared to the shepherds to proclaim the birth of Jesus Christ, (Luke 2:8). We enter the caves where shepherds took shelter in ancient times and see the soot marks of the fires they lit to keep warm. Continue to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. We enter the church through the door of humility and proceed down to the Grotto of the Nativity, which marks the place of Our Saviour’s birth (Matthew 2:1-18). Beneath the altar, there is a silver star and a Latin inscription that states: HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS (Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary). Following Mass in Bethlehem return to the hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and an overnight.
Holy Mass:
• Bethlehem – Nativity Altars (St. Catherine, St Joseph, St. Jerome & St. Helen)
• Shephered Field
• Visitation – Upper Basilica Ein Karem
• (Roman Catholic or Divine Liturgy possible for all)
Day 7 | Saturday, May 30: Jerusalem: Mt. Of Olives - Gethsemane - Mt. Zion (Upper Room)
Theme: Palm Sunday and the Agony in the Garden
We start the day on the Mount of Olives with a breathtaking panoramic view of Jerusalem. Visit the Pater Noster Shrine where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer (Pater Noster) (Luke 11:1-4). Then we walk down the Palm Sunday Road, which reminds us of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Along this route there stands Dominus Flevit which marks the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). Continue down to Gethsemane; it was here that Jesus brought His disciples to pray the night before He was crucified (Luke 22:29-53). The Garden still contains trees with roots that date back to the time of Jesus. Next to the garden is the Church of All Nations, built over the “Rock of Agony”, where Jesus prayed alone before His arrest. From Gethsemane Jesus was taken to the house of the High Priest Caiaphas on Mt Zion, where we see the dungeons in which He was imprisoned. Also at this place, marked by the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, is where Peter denied Christ three times and wept bitterly (John 18:15-18), repented and was forgiven. On the upper part of Mt Zion, we visit the Upper Room, where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, (Matthew 26:17-30). Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Holy Mass:
• Dominus Flevit, Gethsemane, St,Peter in Gallicantu & The Cenacle
• (Roman Catholic or Divine Liturgy possible for all)
Day 8 | Sunday, May 31: Jordan River, Jericho & Dead Sea
Theme: Early Years in Jerusalem & the Wilderness
Following breakfast, we will travel down the Jordan Valley through the Judean wilderness, where Jesus spent 40 days of fasting. We arrive at the Jordan River where He was baptized (Matthew 3:13-17). After renewing our Baptismal Promises, we continue to the oldest inhabited city in the world, Jericho (Joshua 6:12-25). Here, we will celebrate Mass and view the Mount of Temptation, where the Devil tempted Jesus during his forty-day fast (Luke 4:1). South of Jericho is the ancient site of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written and discovered (Ezekiel 47:8-10). These writings have helped further the understanding of the Jewish background to Christianity. Time and weather permitting, you will have the opportunity to take a float in the Dead Sea, the lowest and saltiest place on Earth. Return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight. Overnight Jerusalem.
• Holy Mass: Good Shepherd (Roman Catholic or Divine Liturgy)
Day 9 | Monday, June 1: Jerusalem: Via Dolorosa - Holy Sepulchre - The empty Tomb of Christ
Theme: The Way of the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection
This morning you will have a very early wake-up to begin the Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross) at the Antonia Fortress, the spot where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate (John 18:28-19:16). Following His condemnation, He was taken (on the Road to Calvary) to His place of Crucifixion. Reflect upon the Stations of the Cross, as you travel through the markets of the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Luke 23:26-33). This sacred destination is the site of Calvary (Jesus’ crucifixion place) and His tomb (Luke 23: 50-55). Celebrate Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Following Mass, we will return to the hotel to enjoy breakfast. Continue your day with a visit to the Church of St. Anne’s, the home of Jesus’ maternal grandparents (Anne and Joachim); and the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the cripple man (John 5:1-9). This afternoon, enjoy a revisit to the Old City. Following this visit, group will enjoy farewell dinner at Notre Dame Rooftop and overnight at your hotel.
• Holy Sepulchre – Roman Catholic all altars
• Holy Sepulchre (Crusader Chapel & Blessed Sacrament) are possible for Divine Liturgy
Day 10 | Tuesday, June 2: Return Flights Home
After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, transfer to the Tel Aviv airport for return flights home.
*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of places to be visited. Occasionally local religious holidays, national days, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of visits or the missing of certain visits.
Would you like to arrive earlier or stay later?
Let us know at the time of registration if you would like to arrive earlier, or stay later, than the scheduled tour dates, and pending availability, we will change your airline reservations accordingly, additional fees may apply. Pre- and/or post-stays at the hotel will cost an additional fee. These options should be available to you when registering online, or simply contact us: sales@206tours.com