11 Days The Holy Land with Greece
Day 1: USA - THE HOLY LAND. Group members gather at the ticket counter at the airport two hours prior to our departure to The Holy Land. Dinner and breakfast are served in flight.
Day 2: TEL AVIV. Upon arrival, we are met and transferred to our hotel on the Mediterranean Sea for dinner and overnight. Weather permitting we can take a stroll on the beach after dinner.
Day 3: TEL AVIV – GALILEE. After breakfast, we drive to Jaffa, to visit the house of Simon the Tanner. Then, on through the citrus groves and farms of the rich land of Sharon, northward to Caesarea – the Roman city of Herod, where sights include Crusader fortifications and the Roman aqueduct and amphitheater. Afterwards, we drive through the Jezreel Valley to the fields of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16) and Megiddo. Continuing along the Mediterranean Sea, we reach Haifa and Mt. Carmel – the biblical site of Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). We then turn westward across Galilee and ascend Mt. Tabor (Psalm 89:12) via taxi and visit Deboriya – the hometown of the prophetess Deborah – at the foothill of Mt. Tabor (Judges 4 and 5). Overnight at our hotel on the shores of the beautiful Sea of Galilee.
Day 4: TIBERIAS – CAPERNAUM – CAESAREA PHILIPPI – MT. HERMON – GOLAN HEIGHTS. This day will be an exciting day in Galilee after a delicious breakfast. We depart from the Roman hot springs resort city of Tiberias via boat across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum (John 6:24) to walk among the ancient ruins of the first century synagogue where Jesus preached (Matthew 4:13 17). Then on to the Mt. of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5 7), and to Tabgha – the chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:34 44). We then proceed to upper Galilee to the site of Peter’s confession (Matthew 16:16) at Caesarea Philippi, Mt. Hermon (Psalm 89:12) – the probable site of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1 8) and the present day Golan Heights where Israel, Lebanon and Syria come together. We follow the fresh mountain waters of Mt. Hermon to the Sea of Galilee and to the outlet passage at the southern tip of the Sea, where we stop at the beautiful Pilgrims Park on the Jordan River. Return to our hotel for overnight.
Church of the Anunciation, Nazareth
Day 5: NAZARETH – JERICHO – JERUSALEM. We have an early morning departure to Cana and then on to Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, where we will visit the Church of the Annunciation (Luke 1:5 42) and Mary’s Fountain (Luke 4:16 22). We continue past Bethshean and then south through the Jordan Valley to ancient Jericho, where the walls came tumbling downand a commanding view of the Mt. of Temptation (Matthew 4:1 11) and Elisha’s Fountain. Then east through the Judean wilderness to the holy city of Jerusalem where we spend New Year’s Eve. Overnight at our hotel.
Day 6: JERUSALEM. After a night of rest and a hearty breakfast, this exciting day begins with a drive to Mt. Scopus and the Mt. of Olives (Matthew 24:3) for a panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem, and visit the Chapel of the Ascension, the Church of Pater Noster and the Dominus Flevit. We then walk along Hosanna Road to Gethsemane to visit the Church of All Nations which stands on the Rock of Agony where Jesus was betrayed by Judas (Matthew 26:36 57). See the Pillar of Absalom, the Eastern (Golden) Gate and the Pinnacle of the Temple. We then drive to Mt. Zion where we visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu on the site of Caiaphas’ House, the Room of the Last Supper (Luke 22:14 20) and the Tomb of King David. Continue to tour New Jerusalem: Hebrew University, the Shrine of the Book that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Model City of Jerusalem which depicts in miniature the Holy City as it appeared in the first century. We next visit Ein Karem before returning to our hotel for overnight.
Day 7: JERUSALEM – BETHLEHEM. Today begins with a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. We start at the Western (Wailing) Wall where the faithful Jews cry their petitions to God. Continue to the Temple Area of Mt. Moriah. We visit the El Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock which is built on the ancient site of Solomon’s Temple (Genesis 22:9 14) and over the Rock of Sacrifice where Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22) and the ceremonial sacrifice of animals took place. After this, we walk along the Via Dolorosa to Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the Chapel of the Flagellation and the Ecce Homo Arch (John 19:13) where Jesus was tried before Pilate (Mark 15:6). Then continue through the Old City bazaars to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Afterwards, we stop at Golgotha – Place of the Skull – and the Garden Tomb for a worship service. This afternoon, we continue our tour to Bethlehem. We visit the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, and Shepherds Fields (Luke 2:1 20) then the Field of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 1:16 17 & 4:13). We return to Jerusalem passing Rachel’s Tomb to our hotel for overnight.
Day 8: MASADA – DEAD SEA – QUMRAN – BETHANY. This morning we drive via the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea – the lowest point on earth. We then continue on a beautiful new road that takes us south along the shores of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi. Then, on to Masada, a truly remarkable piece of history. We ascend Masada by cable car to walk among the magnificent ruins of the fortress where, from 70-73 A.D., the Jewish defenders made the last stand of the Judean Revolt against Rome and where the remains of storehouses, cisterns and a sixth century Byzantine church are still on view. Return along the Dead Sea to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Visit the remains of the Community Center of the Essenes and the Caves of the Scrolls. We continue on the Jericho Road viewing the Inn of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 37). On the return to Jerusalem we visit Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 11:1 46). On to our Jerusalem hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: TEL AVIV – ATHENS. This morning we drive to Tel Aviv for our flight to Athens. Upon our arrival at the Athens airport, we are met by our representative and taken on a panoramic tour of the city on the way to our hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 10: ATHENS – CORINTH. This morning after breakfast, our sightseeing includes the Stadium and Temple of Zeus, Theatre of Dionysus and the Hill of Muses for a panoramic view of Athens and the Acropolis. See Mars Hill, where Paul addressed the citizens of Athens, and the monuments of the Acropolis – including the Parthenon, the Agora (marketplace) and Socrates’ Prison. This afternoon we visit the 11th century church, built in the golden age of Byzantine art, which contains a series of mosaics without parallel in the legacy of Byzantium. Crossing the Corinthian Canal which connects the Aegean and Ionian Seas, we see the isthmus where boats were once dragged from one sea to the other. Visit modern Corinth and the ruins of the ancient city where Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla. We see the first century shops, Fountain of Pirene, the Temple of Apollo and the Bema Seat. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: ATHENS – USA. Morning departure from Athens for our flight home – the close of our unforgettable journey to the Bible Lands.