11 Day In-depth Catholic Holy Land Pilgrimage

Arrival in Ben Gurion International Airport, assistance and meeting with Noah Tours representative. Transfer to the hotel in Jerusalem.

Go to the top of the Mount of Olives, for a view over all of ancient and modern Jerusalem, the center of the biblical world. We visit the Chapel of the Ascension, the Paternoster Church and the Chapel of Dominus Flevit before walking down the “Palm Sunday Road” to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations where Christ prayed on the night of His betrayal. Next this day we visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (Palace of Caiaphas), the Upper Room, the Dormition Abbey. Finally this day we visit Bethlehem, to visit the birthplace of Jesus which is marked by the Basilica of the Nativity and to kneel at the place of his birth in the Grotto of the Nativity. We visit also the Field of the Shepherds.  Overnight in Jerusalem.

Take a walking tour within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, visiting the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the man who had been crippled for 38 years, and the Church of St. Anne where there is an opportunity to sing a hymn before walking along the Via Dolorosa from Pilate’s Judgment Hall to the empty tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Then we walk over the Temple Mount and visit the Western Wall. We end the day with a visit to the Tower of David Museum. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Drive through the Judean Desert and along the shores of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi where David hid from Saul. Ride the cable car to the Mountain Fortress of Massada, the site of the last Jewish resistance against the Romans. Then, there will be an opportunity to float in the healing waters of the Dead Sea.  Finally, visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written over 2000 years ago.  Overnight in Jerusalem.

Drive past the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum. Visit the Church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem, which by tradition is built over the House of Zacharias, where the Virgin Mary came to visit Elisabeth. Here John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ was born.  Overnight in Jerusalem

Drive down through the Judean Desert and visit Jericho to see the remains of the walls that fell down. Then we continue our drive northwards through the Jordan Valley to the excavations of the ancient Israelite city of Beit Shean. In New Testament times it became one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis. Then visit the Jordan River and at the baptismal site Yardenit. Overnight in Tiberias.

Begin this day with a boat ride from Tiberias to Capernaum. In Capernaum we will visit the ancient synagogue and the nearby House of Peter. Drive on around the shores of the Sea of Galilee to visit the Chapel of the Primacy, the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes and the nearby Mount of Beatitudes from the top of which there is a wonderful panoramic view over the Sea of Galilee. Pass by the abandoned town of Kuneitra en route, and stop at the archaeological ruins of Tel Dan, dating back to 4500 BC and called the city of Laish in the book of Judges. Return to Tiberias we stop in Safed, the capital of the Upper Galilee which was occupied by the Crusaders. Overnight in Tiberias.

Visit Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding feast. Continue to Nazareth, where Jesus grew to manhood. Here we shall visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Synagogue Church. Before returning to our hotel, we take time to see the “Jesus Boat” a fishing boat of the kind used by the disciples of Jesus before returning to our hotel in the early afternoon. Overnight in Tiberias.

Visit Mt. Tabor, the Mount of the Transfiguration and enjoy a panoramic view which extends from Mt. Hermon in the north to the Hills of Samaria in the south. Drive through the Lower Galilee to visit Sepphoris which was the most important city in Galilee during the first 4 centuries AD. Tour the city of Akko, one of the oldest seaports of the ancient world dating back to Caananite period more than 4,000 ago. Overnight in Akko.

Drive to Mt. Carmel and the Druze villages to visit the “Place of Sacrifice” where the Prophet Elijah challenged the Priests of Baal. Our next stop is at Megiddo, the Armageddon of the Book of Revelations. Megiddo was one of the chariot cities of King Solomon and guarded one of the most important caravan routes of the ancient world, the “Via Maris”. Christian tradition has it that the final great battle of the world will be fought here.  Visit the ruins of the ancient city of Caesarea Maritima which was built by King Herod and later became the seat of government of the Roman governors including Pontius Pilate who sat in judgment on Jesus Christ and sentenced him to be crucified. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

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