ITINERARY

Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges where applicable.

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DAY 1 ARRIVE IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Welcome to Israel! Check into your hotel, then this evening, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers.

Dinner

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DAY 2 TEL AVIV–JAFFA–CAESAREA–MUHRAQA–MEGIDDO–TIBERIAS

Leave Tel Aviv and drive to the old port of Jaffa. Sightseeing continues at Caesarea, an ancient port turned stunning archaeological zone. Admire the restored 3,500-seat Roman THEATER, the aqueduct, harbor, and the crumbled moat and towers from the 12th-century CRUSADER FORTRESS. Next, visit MUHRAQA on Mount Carmel, site of Elijah’s contest of faith with the priests of Baal. From here, travel to the ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF MEGIDDO, an age-old fortified town and site of the Battle of Armageddon in the End Times, according to the Bible. Stay overnight in the lakeside city of Tiberias.

 Breakfast

Dinner

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DAY 3 TIBERIAS. EXCURSION TO KIBBUTZ GINOSAR, CAPERNAUM, MOUNT OF BEATITUDES, TABGHA & CAESAREA-PHILIPPI

Today, travel to Kibbutz Ginosar to see the ancient boat at the JESUS BOAT MUSEUM, followed by a CRUISE on the Sea of Galilee. Next, visit Capernaum and see its ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE AND THE HOUSE OF ST. PETER. Travel north to the MOUNT OF BEATITUDES, where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount, and continue to Tabgha to visit the CHURCH OF THE MULTIPLICATION, the site where Jesus fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves. On to Caesarea-Philippi (Banias), home to one of the springs of the Jordan River and a place where Jesus taught his disciples.

 Breakfast

Dinner

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DAY 4 TIBERIAS–CANA–NAZARETH–QASR EL YAHUD–JERUSALEM

This morning, stop in CANA, site of Jesus’ first miracle when he turned water into wine at a wedding. Continue to Nazareth and visit the CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH, and of the old village. Leave the Galilee area, drive through the Jordan Valley, and visit the Qasr el Yahud BAPTISMAL SITE, then ascend the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem, with a stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Old Town.

 Breakfast

Dinner

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DAY 5 JERUSALEM. EXCURSION TO BETHLEHEM

Set off on a touching walking tour of Jerusalem’s Old Town. From the MOUNT OF OLIVES, take in memorable views over the city. Descend via the PALM SUNDAY WALK and visit the GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, where Jesus prayed on the night before his arrest. Visit the CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS, located next to the garden, then enter through St. Stephen’s Gate and arrive at the POOL OF BETHESDA. Follow in Jesus’ footsteps along the Way of the Cross to the CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. Walk through the JEWISH QUARTER, reconstructed following unification of the city after the Six-Day War in 1967. Stop at Mount Zion to visit KING DAVID’S TOMB and the CENACLE—the Upper Room where Jesus and his disciples had the Last Supper. View the unearthed colonnade-style thoroughfare with its ancient marketplace. Travel to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus and King David. Visit one of Christianity’s holiest places, the CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, situated on the site where Jesus was born.

 Breakfast

Dinner

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DAY 6 JERUSALEM

Today, head for the Southern Wall excavations and visit the DAVIDSON CENTER, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the country. Continue with a stop at the WESTERN WALL, the holiest place in Judaism today. Next, visit the GARDEN TOMB, to enjoy the scenery of the beautiful garden, a perfect place for personal reflection and worship. Then, visit the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Later, tour YAD VASHEM, the “World Holocaust Remembrance Center.”

 Breakfast

Dinner

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DAY 7 JERUSALEM. OPTIONAL EXCURSION TO QUMRAN, MASADA & THE DEAD SEA

Today is free to relax, revisit some of the Jerusalem sites at your own pace, or join an exciting optional excursion to the Dead Sea, the planet’s lowest point on dry land. Travel to Qumran with an included visit to the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada and ride the cable car up to the magnificent rock fortress, on a clifftop above the Dead Sea, where 960 Jewish rebels made their last stand against Roman forces in 73 AD. Later, head for the shores of the Dead Sea, where you’ll have time to experience the incredible buoyancy in the salt water. Return to Jerusalem.

 Breakfast

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DAY 8 JERUSALEM, ISRAEL–PETRA, JORDAN

Drive to Allenby Bridge, where you will cross into Jordan and arrive at BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. On to MOUNT NEBO, where Moses saw the Promised Land and where he is believed to be buried. Next, travel to ancient Madaba, the “City of Mosaics.” Later, see the spectacular BYZANTINE MOSAICS and the precious 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, and visit ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH.

Dinner

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DAY 9 PETRA–AMMAN

This morning, visit the archaeological site of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World®. Enjoy an unforgettable experience as you walk down the SIQ, the narrow gorge made famous in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and stand in awe in front of the iconic Treasury. This afternoon, travel north to Amman for two overnight stays.

 Breakfast

Dinner

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DAY 10 AMMAN. EXCURSION TO JERASH, AJLOUN & ANJARA

Begin your day with a stop in JERASH, which was inhabited as early as 3200 BC. Although the city was impacted by the earthquake of 749 AD, it is the site of the best preserved Greco-Roman ruins in the Middle East. Travel through beautiful pine forests and olive groves before arriving in AJLOUN, where Hadrian stayed during the winter of 129-130 AD. Next on the agenda is the biblical city of ANJARA, where Jesus, his disciples, and the Virgin Mary stopped and rested in a cave as they traveled between Jerusalem and Galilee. Today, the cave is a holy place for pilgrims.

 Breakfast

Dinner

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DAY 11 AMMAN

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.

 Breakfast

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