Catholic Tour 10 Days / 9 Nights
Catholic Pilgrimage of the Holy Land
Day 1
Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. One of the representatives of Levona Travel will escort the group and introduce our driver. We head to the hotel to enjoy refreshments (depending on the arrival time) and rest.
Day 2
We have breakfast at the hotel and we start our way along the Mediterranean coast. We arrive in Caesarea, a port city built by Herod in honor of Caesar Augustus and ancient capital for the Roman Empire in the region, and the city of residency of Pontius Pilate. We visit the aqueduct, the Roman amphitheater and hippodrome. We proceed to Haifa and view the Bahai Gardens; we continue towards Mount Carmel, where we visit the Monastery of Muhraka. From there we head to the Galilee. We return to the hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 3
We have breakfast at the hotel and we head to Capernaum and visit the study house, place of Jesus’ Galilean Ministry. We follow then to the residence of Saint Peter and visit a third century church adjacent to the house, and then we walk where Jesus began his ministry in Tabgha. We continue to the Church of Multiplication with its ancient mosaics of the fourth century. We head then to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the “Sermon on the Mount.” Later we walk the shores of Kineret and take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We drive to Nazareth visiting the town of Cana, the place where Jesus miraculously turned water into wine. We arrive to Nazareth where we visit the Church of the Annunciation, place where the angel Gabriel visited Mary. We return to the hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 4
We have breakfast at the hotel and travel to Mount Tabor where we will be in the place of the Transfiguration of Jesus. There we can enjoy the beautiful view that covers from Mount Hermon in the north to the mountains of Samaria in the south. Via to the Dead Sea, through the Jordan Valley, we see Qasr Al-Yahud where the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist took place. We arrive at the caves of Qumran, where parchments known as the “Dead Sea Scrolls” were found. We continue to our hotel at the Dead Sea for dinner and rest.
Day 5
We have breakfast at the hotel and we head to the fortress of Masada. We climb the mountain by cable car and walk the fortress of Herod. In the afternoon we return to the hotel to enjoy the Dead Sea, we will float in its mineral-rich waters and take full advantage of its therapeutic benefits. At night we have dinner and rest.
Day 6
We have breakfast at the hotel. We drive to Jerusalem through the desert of Judea. Once there start by visiting the Mount of Olives, and the observation deck in the Jewish cemetery. We continue the walk towards the Church of the Ascension, the Chapel of Dominus Flevit and Paternoster Church. We continue to Gethsemane and the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. Then we turn to the Zion Gate, visiting the tomb of King David, and entering into the room where the Last Supper took place, and then we go to Saint Peter of Galicantu and the Basilica of the Dormition. We return to the hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 7
We have breakfast at the hotel. We head to the Old City of Jerusalem; we view the Temple Mount where the first temple was built in the time of King Solomon and later where Herod built the Temple. We remain in the old city and walk along the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus carried the cross, visit the Holy Sepulcher and Calvary. We go to the Church of St. Anne and Bethesda, place in which Jesus healed the leper and then visit the Western Wall. We return to the hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 8
We have breakfast at the hotel. We drive to Bethlehem where we visit the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, perhaps the oldest church on earth. We continue to the Church of the Visitation, built in the House of Zechariah where according to tradition the Virgin Mary came to visit her cousin Elizabeth. It is also the place where John the Baptist was born. In the afternoon we return to the hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 9
We have breakfast at the hotel. We head to the Israel Museum and in its grounds, to the Shrine of the Book – place where the “Dead Sea Scrolls” are displayed. We can also see a giant scale model of the Temple of Jerusalem. We drive to a special location for a panoramic view of Jerusalem and view the Israeli Parliament (The Knesset) and the campus of the Hebrew University. We continue to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. If time allows, we will be able to go shopping in the commercial district of Jerusalem. We return to the hotel for dinner and rest.
Day 10
Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
We also offer the following Extension Tours: