Holy Land in Five Days and Four Nights

(Recommended for pilgrims and visitors from Europe)

• The itinerary could suffer changes which do not depend on our organization

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
Day 1: Arrival to Tel Aviv, transport to Galilee
Day 2: The ministry of Christ in the Galilee
AM:
- Mount of the Beatitudes
- Tabga (Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves, Church of St. Peter's Primacy
- Capernaum: The house of St. Peter and the Synagogue 
- A boat ride across the Sea of Galilee
PM:
- Nazareth (Basilica of the Anunciación, Church of St. Joseph, Mary's Well and the Synagogue)
- Cana
- Trip to Jerusalem
Day 3: Bethlehem – Mount Zion - Ein Karem
AM:
- Bethlehem: Basilica of the Nativity (Grotto of the Nativity, Church of St. Catherine, Caves of St. Joseph and St. Jerome
- Shepherdsfield
PM:
- Mount Zion (Abbey of the Dormition of Our Lady, the Cenacle, Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu)
- Ein Karem (Church of the Visitation and Church of the Birth of St. John the Baptist)
Day 4: Jerusalem, the Last hours of Jesus' Passion
AM: Westernwall – Stations of the Cross
- Western Wall
- Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Church of St. Anna and the Pool of Bethesda
- Antonia Fortress (Chapel of the Scourging, Ecce Homo, Lithostrotos)
- Stations of the Cross, following the Via Dolorosa towards the Holy Sepulchre
-  Visit of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre
PM: Mount of Olives:
- Panoramic View on Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
- Church of the Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit
- Gethsemane (Basilica and grotto of the treason)
Day 5: Jerusalem - Return Home

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ITINERARY

Day 1: Home  - Tel Aviv - Galilee

     Begin your spiritual journey with an evening departure from your hometown, on the overnight flight to Tel- Aviv. 
Arrival at  Ben Gurion Airport. Exit the terminal and meet your guide.  Transfer to your hotel in Nazareth or Tiberias, with a stop on the way at  Caesarea Maritima,    if time permits (this depends on your flight arrival time).  Dinner and lodging at your hotel. 

Day2: The ministry of Christ in the Galilee

     This morning we visit the Mt. of Beatitudes, where our Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount. We  continue to Tabgha to see the splendid mosaic of the loaves and fishes with which he fed the Five Thousand. Visit the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy and then go to visit Capernaum to see the house of St. Peter and the Synagogue where our Lord preached. 

     One of today´s highlights is a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee.      


     This afternoon we drive to Nazareth and visit the Basilica of the Annunciation starting with the Grotto where the Annunciation took place.
     Then we will visit the house of the Holy Family under the Church of St. Joseph, and drive to Cana of Galilee to visit the church of the wedding where Jesus performed the first of his signs, changing water to wine. Here couples can renew their wedding vows.
     The day ends with a drive to Jerusalem for dinner and lodging at your hotel. 

Day 3 : Bethlehem – Mount Zion - Ein Karem

     This morning we drive to Bethlehem to visit the  place of our Lord’s birth in the Basilica of the Nativity.       We will see the Grotto of the Nativity, the Church of St. Catherine, where the Midnight Mass is celebrated, and the Caves of St. Joseph and St. Jerome underneath the church.
     Visit to the Shepherds’ Fields, where the Angels appeared to the shepherds who were watching over their flocks during the night.
     This afternoon we go on to Mount Zion to visit  the Dormition Abbey. Next we go to  the Cenacle, the place of the Last Supper and Pentecost. Today we also visit the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu, the house of Caiphas, the high priest of the Jews, where Jesus was imprisoned for the night and where Peter denied our Lord. We conclude with a drive to the nearby village of Ein Karem to visit the birth-place of St. John the Baptist and the Church of the Visitation, where Mary came to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth and proclaimed the ´Magnificat’. Then back to your hotel for dinner and overnight lodging. 

Day 4: Jerusalem, The Passion of Jesus´ last hours

     Today's visit we will spend it in the Old City of Jerusalem.  
     We’ll start at the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including St. Anne’s Church and the Pools of Bethesda.
     From there we continue to the Judgment Hall known as the Antonia Fortress where Jesus was led to be condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. At that place we start following the Vía Dolorosa, through the markets of the Old City, praying at the Stations of the Cross: we reflect on the greatness of His sacrifice, stopping at each of the fourteen stations of the Cross until we reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There we will visit Calvary and the empty Tomb of our Lord, and the different sections of the church.
     This afternoon we drive to the top of Mt. Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem and a better understanding of its geography and some of the key sites surrounding the area. Visit the Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, and then proceed down the Palm Sunday route to the Church of Dominus Flevit, where our Lord wept over the city.
     We continue our walk on the Palm Sunday route to the Garden of Gethsemane, where we find the Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed before his betrayal. Before going back to the hotel, we will have free time at the dimly-lit church for prayer and reflection. Then back to the hotel for dinner and lodging. 

Day 5:  Jerusalem - Home

     Transfer to the airport, filled with cherished memories, for your return flight home.