HL1044 tour page

Depart London direct to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport. Our professional English local guide and your coach will be waiting for you at the arrival to transfer you to your hotel in Bethlehem. We will stay here for five nights. Evening dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast from the hotel we walk to the Manger Square then onto the Basilica of the Nativity. To bit the crowed, we first visit The Grotto inside the Nativity Church where Jesus was born. We walked down a narrow staircase that leads us to a small Grotto below the altar where a silver star on the floor marks the spot where Our Lady gave birth to Jesus. Many people cry quietly here filled with overwhelming emotion, peace and joy of fulfilment to get closer in contact with sacred history. Afterwards, we tour the basilica visiting the Franciscan Church of the Nativity; the beautiful church of St Catherine; St Jerome’s’ Cave and tomb and St Joseph’s Grotto where we celebrate Mass. We give you a moment to pray at the church and afterwards we walk to the Milk Grotto - also known as the Museum of the Miracles, due to a drop of Mary’s milk fell onto the cave’s floor while she was nursing the infant Jesus, turning the limestone inside the grotto a soft white colour because of this the site became associated with Motherhood, fertility and nursing and healthy childbirth. Lunch break then proceed to Shepherd’s Field, visit the Grottos there and visit the Chapel above - where the angels first sang the ‘Gloria in Excelcis Deo’ on the night of the first Christmas. We may sing Christmas Carols here. Before we return to the hotel, we have a chance to do some shopping for religious articles produced and made in Bethlehem. Dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast we journey by coach to Jerusalem to Stephen’s Gate and walk to St Anne’s Basilica - where Our Lady was born - and the Pool of Bethesda. Proceed to the church of Ecce Homo, built on the site of the Palace of Pilate, here we visit the chapels of the Crowning with Thorns and the Condemnation followed by the Stations of the Cross along Via Dolorosa following the route Our Lord walked on the first Good Friday. From here we will carry the Cross, passing it on at every station and conclude our journey at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre - the holiest place on earth for all Catholics. We celebrate Mass here. Afterwards visit Mt Calvary, the Holy Tomb of Jesus, and the Grotto of the True Cross. We will have time to pray and reflect in front of the Holy Tomb. If time allows, we stay here for little, longer to pray, reflect and light candles. Our coach will take us back to the hotel. Evening dinner at the hotel.

Depart for Jerusalem and visit the Western Wall. This is the holiest site in Judaism, being the last surviving structure of the temple destroyed in 70 AD. Afterwards proceed to Mt Zion and visit the Upper Room (last supper), King David’s Tomb and the magnificent Dormition Abbey, where Our Lady was assumed to heaven. Then on to St Peter’s in Gallicantu - a truly incredible Shrine - and visit the dungeon where Jesus was imprisoned after His mock trial on Maundy Thursday night. We then travel to Ein Karem for the Visitation Shrine of Our Lady to St Elizabeth, followed by a viewing of the Basilica of St John the Baptist and the chapel where he was born. Return to our hotel and dinner.

Coach to the Summit of Mt of Olives, Jerusalem; visit Ascension Dome, Pater Noster Grotto, walk to Dominus Flevit (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem), Mass here and afterwards proceed to Gethsemane Garden and Basilica (the beautiful Church of all Nations). Drive to Jericho, view Mt of Temptation and Zacchaeus’s Sycamore Tree followed by lunch in Qumran. Then on to the Dead Sea for the floating experience. Return to our hotel and evening dinner.

Leave the hotel and drive along the Jordan Valley and Proceed to Mt Tabor and take taxis up to the summit where we visit the church of Transfiguration. Drive to Cana visiting Church of the Wedding. Renewal of Marriage Vows here (married couples). A certificate can be purchased (for $5) as proof of your Renewal of Vows, where Our Lord performed his first miracle. We then travel to the imposing Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, viewing the Grotto where the Annunciation took place. We celebrate Mass in the Upper Basilica and afterwards we tour this Basilica - one of the finest churches in the Middle East. Continue on to visit St Joseph’s Workshop and the Synagogue of Jesus. Check into our hotel and evening dinner.

After breakfast, we depart the hotel and travel to Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus lived, taught, and performed many of His miracles. We enjoy a peaceful 45-minute boat ride on an ancient-style replica boat during the time of Jesus. We continue to Capernaum, the “town of Jesus,” where we visit the Church of St. Peter, built over the house of the Apostle, and view the remains of the ancient synagogue where Our Lord used to preach. We then move on to visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the site of the Sermon on the Mount. Next, we visit the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, where Christ appeared to the Apostles after His Resurrection. We will celebrate Mass here. Drive to the Church of the Feeding of the 5,000 and on to the River Jordan ‘Yardenit’ for renewal of Baptismal Vows. Drive back to our hotel and evening dinner.

Today we come to the conclusion of our pilgrimage. After breakfast and checking out, we journey north to Mount Carmel in Haifa. We visit the Basilica of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, home of the Carmelite Order, and the Cave of the Prophet Elijah, recalling his faithfulness and courage in listening to God’s voice. We celebrate Mass at this sacred place. If time permits, we stop to admire the magnificent Bahá’í Gardens, cascading down the slopes of Mount Carmel and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We then continue to Jaffa, the ancient port from which so many journeys of faith began, to visit St. Peter’s Church and take a brief walk along the seashore. Finally, we proceed to the airport for our return journey home, carrying with us the blessings of the Holy Land, confident that the Lord who walked these paths will continue to walk with us always.