Sample 8 Day Holy Land Tour Itinerary

							               Sample 8 Day Holy Land Tour Itinerary




Day 01 – We're Off.
Arrive Ben Gurion Airport. Meet the local guide/driver who will escort you
to your hotel in Jerusalem for Dinner/overnight stay in Jerusalem.

Day 02 – Jerusalem, the Holy City and Bethlehem the Nativity.
Church of Visitation, Shepherd’s Fields, Church of the Nativity.
After breakfast we will head onto the hill country, to a city of (Ein Karem),
the birthplace of St. John the Baptist and visit the Church of Visitation
where the Blessed Virgin Mary visited the home of Zechariah and
Elizabeth, and proclaimed the 'Magnificat' (Luke 1:39-80). We stop to visit
the Shrine of the Book, the home of Dead Sea scrolls and Jerusalem
Model during Jesus' Time. In the afternoon we drive to the Shepherd's
Fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus. Then we visit the
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. We kneel in the Grotto the birthplace
of our redeemer as we celebrate Holy Mass. We drive to Jerusalem
passing Rachel's Tomb en-route. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.




Day 03 – Mt Olives, Palm Sunday, Dominus Flevit, Gethsemane, Cave of
Betrayal, Cave of Assumption, Pater Noster.
After breakfast we shall begin our pilgrimage in Jerusalem from Mount of
Olives, from where Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection, we
shall have a bird's eye view of history through a majestic view of
Jerusalem, visit the Convent of Pater Noster with the Lords Prayer in
displayed in 110 languages, and the Ascension from where He ascended
to Heaven (Acts 1:9-11), we will walk down the "Palm Sunday route"
stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41).
Visit Gethsemane where we will celebrate Holy Mass, the Rock of Agony
where Jesus prayed His last prayer before his Passion, "My Father, if it is
possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
(Matthew 26:36-39). Visit the cave


of betrayal (Luke. 22:40-46). Then to the cave of Assumption of Mary to
Heaven. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight at Jerusalem.

Day 04 – Moving On.
Leave Jerusalem : Mount Tabor, Nazareth, Cana.
After breakfast we will head to Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration
(Matth. 17:1-8), we shall ascend by a smaller motor vehicle due to the
narrow route, Continue to the Basilica of Annunciation in Nazareth where
we will celebrate Mass and visit Mary's Well and the Church of the Angel
Gabriel. Drive to Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle
(The Wedding Feast At Cana) at the request of his mother (John 2:1-11). In
Cana we will visit the Franciscan chapel for a renewal of wedding vows
for married couples. We arrive in Tiberias for dinner and the evening
Dinner and Overnight in Tibereas.




Day 05 – Tiberias, The Ministry of Christ in the Galilee.
Boat ride, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Mt. Beatitudes.
This morning we head to Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration
(Matth. 17:1-8), we shall ascend by a smaller motor vehicle due to its
narrow route, In Tiberias we will celebrate Holy Mass on the boat ride
across the Sea of Galilee. Our stop will be on the shore of Capernaum
where Peter lived and where Jesus began his public ministry (Matth. 4:13),
there he began teaching in its Synagogue, healed a man who had the
spirit of an unclean devil and healed a fever in Simon Peter's mother-in-
law (Luke 4:31-41) followed by a visit to the Mount of the Beatitudes to
gain a panoramic vista of the Sea of Galilee and where one of Jesus'
famous Sermon on the Mount was given (Matthew 5-7). Then to Tabgha
the fruitful garden where Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves
of bread and two fish (Mark 6:30-46), we shall see the magnificent mosaic
commemorating the miracle of the multiplication, we head to the nearby
Chapel of St. Peter Primacy. Stay in Tibereas.

Day 06 – Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethany Baptismal Site , Beit Shean, Tibereas.
Leave After breakfast drive south to Bet She'an. Visit the site then Stop at
the Baptismal site by the Jordan River. Bethany of Jordan Continue along
the Jordan Valley to Jericho,


the most ancient walled town in the world, Have a mass at the Catholic
Church then Continue drive up to Jerusalem with a first view from Mount
Scopes to the Holy City.
Back to Jerusalem in time for Dinner.




Day 07 – Passion Of Christ.
Stations of the Cross, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, St Anne’s Church.
Ecce Homo, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Wailing Wall, Upper Room,
Dormition.
It is an inspiring, full day of meditation. In the early morning we retrace the
last steps of Jesus. As we walk along the Fourteen Stations of the Via
Dolorosa, praying the Stations of the Cross, we reflect on the greatness of
His sacrifice as he bore the burden of our sins on the Cross at Golgotha.
Finally we arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Mass. Return back
towards St. Stephen Gate to visit St. Anne’s Church, the home of the Virgin
Mary and her parents Saints Joachim and Anne. We pass the Ecce Homo
where Pilate proclaimed, “Behold the man”; then the Wailing Wall, the
most holy shrine for the Jews. Nearby is the Dome of the Rock or Temple
Mount. We exit at Mt. Zion. At the Cenacle we visit the Upper Room of the
Last Supper and King David's Tomb. Next we go to Dormition Abbey
where we believe the Blessed Mary died. We end the day at St. Peter in
Gallicantu where Peter denied Him thrice. Dinner and overnight in
Jerusalem.

Day 08 – The Wilderness:
Bethany, Wadi Qelt, Dead Sea, Qumran.
We begin our day with a visit to Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus from
the dead, hometown of Martha and Mary. Here we shall visit Lazarus'
tomb. We celebrate Holy Mass in the Church of St. Lazarus, then the Inn of
the Good Samaritan. The desert east
of Jerusalem is rich in Christian tradition. Further east, just off the Roman
road that Jesus 'walked', is Wadi Qelt, site of the Monastery of St George.
Drive to the Dead Sea to visit Qumran, site of the Dead Sea Scroll
discovery. Enjoy a swim (or rather a float!) in the mineral-rich waters of the
Dead Sea, renowned for its minerals and healing properties. We have
some time at leisure in Jerusalem for shopping and getting mementos to
gift back home. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 09 – Departure.



We may have time for last minute shopping depending on the return flight
schedule.
Transfer to the airport, filled with cherished memories, for your return flight
home.