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Day 1: USA/TEL AVIV
Overnight flight to Tel Aviv.
Day 2: Tel Aviv
Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel-Aviv. Meet your Coral Travel & Tours representative inside the terminal. Transfer to hotel in Tel Aviv for dinner and an overnight stay. |
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Day 3: Jaffa - Caesarea – Megiddo – Sea of Galilee
Morning visit Jaffa, one of the oldest cities in the world. Visit the House of Simon the Tanner, and walk through Jaffa’s reconstructed Old Quarter. After a short drive through Tel Aviv, Israel’s modern metropolis, travel through the Sharon Plain to Caesarea, the seat of the Roman Procurator of Judea at the time of the Christ, and the site where Peter converted the centurion Cornelius. This fortified harbor city was built 2000 years ago by King Herod the Great. View the ruins of Roman, Byzantine and Crusader times. Explore the Roman Theater and Aqueduct. A drive up Mt. Carmel will bring us to the site where Elijah challenged and defeated the 450 prophets of Baal. Continue to Megiddo, the Fortress City of King Solomon, later built again by King Ahab. The books of Daniel and Revelation will come alive as we study about the final Battle of Armageddon, while viewing the Plains of Jezreel. Continue to the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel at the Sea of Galilee
Day 4: Caesarea Philippi - Sea of Galilee
Morning drive to the Mt. of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. Drive along the Hula Valley to Tel Dan and visit the remains of the city. On to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter made his confession of faith to Jesus. Continue to Mt. Bental for a panoramic view of the Golan Heights. We return to the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the area where Jesus spent his years of ministry. See the ruins of Capernaum, the town where Jesus made his home after leaving Nazareth. View the remains of the ancient synagogue in which he may have preached and the House of Peter. After a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, enjoy the traditional St. Peter’s fish lunch. On to Tabgha, where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes took place. Drive to Kibbutz Ginosar and visit the “Jesus Boat.” Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel at the Sea of Galilee
Day 5: Beit She’an - Jericho - Jerusalem
After breakfast drive to Yardenit, the Baptismal Center Site on the Jordan River. Leave the Galilee, and drive to Beit She’an. Recent excavations have disclosed the impressive ruins of the country’s largest city from the Roman and Byzantine periods, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 CE. Drive to Ein Harod – Gideon Springs. The tour continues though the Jordan Valley, pass Jericho, believed to be the world’s oldest walled city, and the first city taken by Joshua when the Hebrews returned from Egypt – ‘and the walls fell down’ - and was also the site of the Mt. of Temptation. Drive from Jericho to Jerusalem, via Wady Kelt. Stop at the St. George Monastery. Enter Jerusalem as a pilgrim and view the city from Mt. Scopus. Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 6: Jerusalem
In the morning ascend the Mount of Olives for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. Walk along the Palm Sunday Way and descend to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent the last night before he was arrested. Visit the famous Church of All Nations. Walk along the “last way” to Mt. Zion. Walk in the Kidron Valley and see the Tombs of Absalom, Zachary and James. Visit the Church of Peter in Gallicantu, the site where Peter denied His Lord three times. Visit the Last Supper Room on Mt. Zion and King David’s Tomb. On to St. Anne’s Church, a fine example of Crusader architecture and the Pools of Bethesda. Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 7: Qumran – Dead Sea – Massada
After an early breakfast depart Jerusalem and travel east to the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth on the way to Massada. Ascend by cable car. Explore the ancient excavations of Herod’s Palaces, the bathhouse, the storerooms, the ramp, and the oldest
synagogue in the world. Continue to Ein Gedi, an oasis on the Dead Sea Shore. Near the 200 meter waterfall see a cave where David had his famous meeting with King Saul. A walk around the park confirms that Ein Gedi is one of the most beautiful reservations in the world. Visit Qumran, where the 2000 year old Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Continue to the Dead Sea shore for an afternoon “float” on the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 8: Jerusalem
After breakfast drive to Mt. Moriah. Visit the Western Wall, last remnant of the Second Jewish Temple during the time of Jesus. Walk up to the Temple site and view the Dome of the Rock, El Aqsa Mosque. Visit the Davidson Center and the Southern Wall Stairs. Visit the Temple Institute Museum. End the day with a visit to the Rabbinical Tunnel (Western Wall Tunnel). Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 9: Jerusalem – New City
Visit the Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. Continue to the Menorah, across from the Knesset (Israeli parliament). On to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial. End the day at the Garden Tomb. Enjoy your Special Farewell Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 10: Jerusalem – TEL AVIV/ROME
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Rome, Italy. Meeting and assistance at the airport in Rome. Transfer to your hotel. Dinner and overnight at Hotel in Rome.
Day 11: Rome
Breakfast at hotel. Morning sightseeing tour includes the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain (of 3 coins fame) and the Pantheon. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel in Rome.
Day 12: Rome
Breakfast at hotel. Morning transfer to Vatican City. Sightseeing features the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, with its splendid ceiling painted by Michelangelo; inside antiquities room, Raphael Room, collection of modern religious art, and the picture gallery; visit St. Peter's Basilica (knees and shoulders must be covered). Afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay. Hotel in Rome.
Day 13: ROME/USA
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to airport for your flight home. Arrive in the USA the same day. |
