Day by Day Travel Itinerary

• DAY 01 Sun . Apr . 07

  DEPART USA

  Our journey of a lifetime begins with departure on a United Airlines wide body jet. After take-off, we will be served dinner and breakfast en route.

• DAY 02 Mon . Apr . 08

  Arrive Israel / Caesarea By The Sea / Tiberias

  We arrive at Ben Gurion airport in the morning, clear passport control and retrieve our luggage. We begin our journey with a stop along the beautiful Mediterranean coastline at the majestic seaport of Caesarea by the Sea built by Herod the Great. We see the ancient theater, still used today for concerts, as well as the remains of Herod’s Palace and the Roman Aqueduct. We move on to Megiddo where we climb a tel and learn about the 30 layers of civilization that developed through the centuries, as well as the final battle of this period of world history. We head for Tiberias for dinner and overnight overlooking the Sea of Galilee at the beautiful UBoutique hotel.

• DAY 03 Tue . Apr . 09

  Mt. Arbel / Nazareth / Sepphoris / Baptism

  We begin the day with a visit to Mt. Arbel for a glorious view of the Sea of Galilee. Then we turn toward Nazareth, where we recall the announcement of the angel, Gabriel, to Mary about the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38). After lunch, we stop at Sepphoris, an important 1st Century community where Joseph was probably employed, then we enjoy baptism at Gan Hashlosha, a part of the Jordan River system before heading to Tiberias for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

• DAY 04 Wed . Apr . 10

  Sea Of Galilee / Caesarea Philippi//Mt Of Beatitudes/ Capernaum / Magdala

  Nothing is more beautiful than sunrise over the Sea of Galilee! We begin the day with a peaceful boat ride on the lake where Jesus performed many of His miracles. We drive up the Golan Heights to Caesarea Philippi, the picturesque location for the  conversation between Peter and Jesus recorded in Matthew 16. Following lunch, we turn our attention to the ministry of our Lord described in the Gospels with visits to the hometown of Jesus during his ministry - Caper naum - and Magdala, a thriving community at the time of our Lord where a recent archeological discovery revealed a First Century synagogue, likely visited by Jesus. We remember the “Greatest Sermon ever Preached” with a visit to the Mount of Beatitudes before we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

• DAY 05 Thu . Apr . 11

  Beit Shean / Jericho / Qumran / Israel Museum / Holocaust Museum

  We depart Tiberias and turn our attention to Beit Shean, one of the cities of the Decapolis. We visit Jericho, home of the Tel for the oldest excavated city in the world, where we also enjoy shopping and lunch. Our tour continues at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered before we head to Jerusalem for visits to the Holocaust Museum and the Israel Museum. We enjoy dinner and overnight at the beautiful David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem.

• DAY 06 Fri . Apr . 12

  Masada / Ein Gedi / Dead Sea / Bethany / Western Wall

  We begin the day in the desert and enjoy a stop at Masada, where Jewish zealots met their fate at the hands of the Roman army. We move on to Ein Gedi, the desert oasis, where we recall the worship of David in Psalm 46. After lunch we visit the Dead Sea, where the adventurous can enjoy floating in the waters at the lowest place on earth. A brief stop at Bethany on our return reminds us of the resurrection of Lazarus, then we welcome Shabbat at the Western Wall before we head to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

• DAY 07 Sat . Apr . 13

  Bethlehem / Church Of The Nativity / Herodian / Mt. Of Olives / Gethsemane / Mt. Zion

  We begin our day at the Church of the Nativity to focus on the birth of our Lord. We enjoy some shopping for olive wood and other local products in Bethlehem before we visit the Shepherd’s Fields and reflect on the appearance of the angels to announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-18. The Herodian is our next stop, the majestic man-made mountain outside of Bethlehem, where King Herod’s grave was recently discovered. This afternoon, we head to the Mt. of Olives for a panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem, then we walk down the hillside to visit the Garden of Gethsemane before we turn to Mt. Zion for a visit to the House of Caiaphas and the Upper Room. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

• DAY 08 Sun . Apr . 14

  Temple Mount / Pools Of Bethesda / Temple Treasures Institute / Southern Steps / City Of David / Pilgrim’s Path

  oday, our focus is on the Jewish history of Jerusalem, so we catch an early bus to the Temple Mount, home to the temples of Solomon and Herod and the current location for the Dome of the Rock, the Mosque of Omar, originally built in the 7th Century and the Al Aqsa Mosque, used by Muslims for prayer. After the Temple Mount, we visit the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the lame man (John 5). We enter the Jewish Quarter to visit the Temple Treasures Institute that reminds us of preparations that are being made for the construction of the 3rd Temple. Following lunch, we visit the City of David and the Pilgrim’s Path before we conclude by walking among Herodian stones and the Southern Steps from the 2nd Temple period. We rest our feet at the hotel where we enjoy dinner and overnight.

• DAY 09 Mon . Apr . 15

  Gordon’s Calvary / Garden Tomb / Church Of Holy Sepulcher / Departure For Athens

  We begin our last day in Jerusalem with a moving visit to Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb, where we celebrate communion and remember the death and resurrection of our Lord. We retrace the steps of Jesus on the way to the cross as we make our way along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We enjoy a farewell lunch at the Ambassador Hotel before our journey continues with a late afternoon flight to Athens where we check-in to the King George hotel which provides comfortable accommodation this evening.

• DAY 10 Tue . Apr . 16

  Athens / Acropolis / Corinth

  We spend the morning exploring the Acropolis and the magnificent Parthenon, the ancient temple and grandest landmark in the city of Athens. We stand on top of Mars’ Hill and remember Paul‘s challenge to the Athenians in Acts 17:22- 31. In the afternoon, we see the Corinthian Canal and head for Corinth to learn about “the Bema seat” (2 Cor. 5:10). We return to Athens for our Farewell Dinner at the Electra Metropolis Hotel with time after dinner to visit the old city, the Plaka, and reflect on the fascinating architecture of Greek society.

• DAY 11 Wed . Apr . 17

  Departure For Rome / Coliseum / Roman Forum / Mamertime Prison / St. Peter’s In Chains

  A morning departure for the ancient capital of the Roman Empire introduces us to the “glory that was Rome” as we begin at the Church of St. Peter’s in Chains and the famous statue of Moses by Michaelangelo. We tour famous landmarks like the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Arch of Titus. We consider the suffering of the early church leaders when we visit the Mamertine Prison and remember how Paul wrote Philippians, Colossians, and perhaps other epistles from this place. The sobering words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 come to mind. We conclude our day with dinner and overnight at the beautiful Westin Excelsior hotel in Rome.

• DAY 12 Thu . Apr . 18

  Vatican / St. Peter’s Cathedral / Trevi Fountain / Pantheon / Piazza Navona

  We begin our full day of touring this great city by a stop at the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, where we see works by Rembrandt, Michelangelo & others. We marvel at the majesty of St. Peter’s Basilica. We enjoy lunch at Piazza Navona before we head to the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and say “arrivederci” to Rome at the Trevi Fountain. Dinner at Tempo di Baccio and overnight at the hotel.

• DAY 13 Fri . Apr . 19

  Departure

  Late morning departure for USA/Arrival USA.