Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight. Your meals are served on board.

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, you will follow the signs to “Baggage Claim” where you will collect your luggage, and then continue on to the Arrival’s Hall where you will be greeted by a Tour Guide and/or 206 Tours Rep. They will escort you out to the Bus, where your checked-bag will be placed underneath the Bus – and you will board the Group Bus and transfer to your Five Star Hotel in Jerusalem. Upon arrival, the Porters will collect your luggage and send them up to your room. You will exit the Bus, into the Lobby of the Hotel, where you will receive your Room Key and Welcome Letter. There will be free time to relax and unpack before we make our way to celebrate Mass in the evening, followed by dinner and a restful night’s sleep.

This morning we go the village of Ein Karem to visit to 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. Continue to the Israel Museum which houses the Temple to which Jesus was presented (Luke 2:22). Visit a model of the Second Temple, as it was in the time of Jesus, as well as viewing the Shrine of the Book (where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display). 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). 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. Overnight in Jerusalem.

After breakfast, we will board the bus and head to the site of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:1-50). At this site Christ’s Divinity was revealed and we celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Transfiguration. Then 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 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. At the end of the day we return to our hotel in Jerusalem.

We start the day on the Mount of Olives with a breath-taking 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).

This morning we drive north to the Galilee where we board a boat ride on the beautiful Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:1). Then we visit Capernaum, the fishing town where Jesus lived and launched His ministry that was to change our lives and the world. In Capernaum we see the Synagogue where Jesus taught (Mark 1:21-29) and gave the sermon on the Bread of Life We continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:20-49). Then to Tabgha, where Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish (Luke 9:10-17). Nearby is St. Peter’s Primacy, where Peter confirmed his Love of Jesus (John 21) and it was in this place that Jesus anointed Peter to lead His Church and was to become the first Pope. (John 21:9). We celebrate Mass before return to Jerusalem.

Drive through the Judean wilderness, the site where Jesus spent His 40 days of fasting. We head to the Jordan River for some time to reflect on the Baptism of Christ (Matthew 3:13-17). In the afternoon we visit Qumran, the Essene site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. (Ezekiel 47:8-10). These writings have helped further the understanding of the Jewish background to Christianity. There is also time to swim or float on the Dead Sea, the lowest and saltiest place on Earth before returning to Jerusalem.

Very early this morning we walk together in prayerful procession along the Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross). We start at the Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate (John 18:28-19:16) and receives His cross. We end at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which marks the place of the Crucifixion & the Resurrection, (Luke 23:26-33). After Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher we return to the hotel for breakfast. Later we revisit the Old City to see the Church of St. Anne’s, the traditional birthplace of the Virgin Mary. Nearby is the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the crippled man (John 5:1-9). End the day with a visit the Western Wall, which is the last remnant of the Jewish Temple destroyed in 70 A.D.

This morning drive 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 to the site of Emmaus, the town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke from the New Testament, where Luke reports that Jesus appeared after his death and resurrection. Return to the Hotel for Dinner and overnight.

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.