The Best of Israel 8 Day Christmas Tour Dec. 20-27, 2024

Arrival at Tel Aviv International Airport. A Noah Tours representative will meet you after passport control and accompany you to your transfer to your hotel.

After breakfast drive through Jaffa, an ancient port city, and the oldest part of Tel Aviv. Continue to the ancient city of Caesarea that was built by King Herod the Great while driving along the beautiful Mediterranean coast. We will then proceed to Haifa, passing by Mt. Carmel to see the famous Bahai Gardens. From Haifa, we will drive to Nazareth and the Church of Annunciation. Pass by Cana, where the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine took place.  End the day with an overnight in Tiberias/Galilee Sea.

Start the day with an exciting boat ride on the Galilee Sea. Continue to see the “Jesus Boat”, the ancient boat found sunk in the Sea of Galilee from the time of Jesus. Ascend to Mt. Beatitudes, where Jesus gave the “Sermon on the Mount”.  Continue the day in Capernaum, known as “The Town of Jesus”, and visit the synagogue and Peter’s house. Take a lunch break with a delicious St. Peters fish lunch. Next, we will visit Tabgha, the place where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes took place. You will also have the amazing opportunity to see the famous mosaic under the altar of the ancient church of Tabgha. Proceed to the Golan Heights and have an overview from above. End the day at your hotel in the Galilee Sea for your overnight.

Begin the morning driving along the Jordan River to the Yardenit Baptismal Site. Visit Qumran and see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Travel on to Masada where you will take a cable car up to the fortress. The history of the famous Jewish fortification will unfold before your eyes; the palaces built by King Herod, the synagogue, and bathhouses used by the Jews. Descend Masada by cable car and drive to the Dead Sea for relaxation and a water dip. Overnight at the Dead Sea.

After breakfast, ascend to the holy city of Jerusalem via the biblical and ancient road of the Judean Desert. Go up to the Mt. of Olives, a cemetery that once was covered in olive groves, where you will have a magnificent panoramic view of Jerusalem.  Finish the day back in Jerusalem continue the day with an exciting tour of the Mahane Yehuda Marketplace (Shuk) and experience life as an Israeli. Return to the hotel for a rest. In the evening, we will have a Christmas Dinner in Bethlehem and visit the Christmas mass from Manger Square outside the Church of The Nativity.  returning at 11:00 pm to the hotel in Jerusalem. 

The morning will begin with the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed and his disciples slept the night before his crucifixion. Make your way to Mt. Zion where you will visit David’s Tomb and the site of the Last Supper, also known as the “Upper Room”. We continue to the Christian Quarter where you will enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus was crucified. From there, walk where Jesus walked and make your way down Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross). The day will continue with a trip to The Cardo, what used to be a main street in the Old City during the time when Judea was under Roman rule. Go down to the Western Wall and spend some time in reflection and/or prayer. End the day in your Hotel.

Today will begin with a short city tour in New Jerusalem, we will pass by the Israeli parliament “Knesset”, and if time permits, stop by the famous menorah. We will visit the Israel Museum, Israel’s national museum, where you will see the Dead Sea Scrolls and a model of the Second Temple. Travel to Bethlehem to see the Church of Nativity located at Manger Square. Overview of the Judean Desert and Shepherd's Field. Overnight in Jerusalem. 

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Until next time!