Holy Land Christmas Tour Israel and Jordan

Day 1- Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport. Meet and Transfer to your hotel in Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 2 –  Welcome the day with one of the most magnificent views in the world: ancient Jerusalem as seen from the top of the Mount of Olives.  The bus will drive you to the Garden of Gethsemane at the base of the mountain, you can spend time pondering and praying about the time Jesus spent here with his disciples before his arrest. Enter the Old City via Lion’s Gate, also known as St. Stephen’s Gate to the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a paralytic. Continue along the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, which tradition says Jesus went with the cross to Calvary. Lunch in the Old City along the Via Dolorosa, which passes through the colorful Old City markets to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the traditional site of the crucifixion of Jesus. Enjoy time in the Arab Market. In the afternoon continue to the Jewish Quarter and see the Southwestern steps of the Temple Mount stopping for private prayer at the Western Wall, the most significant site for the Jewish people.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3- We will begin our day with a visit to Yad Vashem, the Remembrance Museum of the Holocaust. From here we will visit the Israel Museum and see the Dead Sea scrolls and the Holy Land model fo the Second Temple.  We will stop at the market of Machene Yehuda before heading to Mt. Zion, just outside the City Walls. There we will  view the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where the Apostle denied Jesus three times, and where Jesus was imprisoned on the night He was betrayed.  See the Room of the Last Supper and King David’s Tomb.

End our day with a visit to the Garden Tomb.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4  – Bethlehem and Ein Karem

After breakfast we will begin our day traveling to Bethlehem visit the birthplace of our Lord and tour the Basilica of the Nativity. We will visit the Grotto of Nativity and the Church of St. Catherine, where the Midnight Mass is celebrated and the Caves of St. Joseph and St. Jerome underneath the church. After we will drive to Shepherd’s Fields where the angels appeared to the shepherds who were watching over their flocks during the night.

We will then drive through the Ella Valley on the way Ein Karem the birthplace of John the Baptist, and where Mary and Elizabeth met.  Here we will visit the Church of the Visitation considered the third most important holy shrine.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5  – Masada, Dead Sea and Amman

En route to Masada you will pass the  Qumran caves   where the Dead Sea Scrolls were foundDrive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada where you will learn about the heroic story of the Jewish fighters. Ascend by cable car and tour the mountain fortress built by king Herod, where the zealots of the first century made their last stand against the Romans. Visit the remains of the walls, palace, synagogue, water cisterns, mosaic floors, roman baths and other findings.  Descend by cable car. Continue to the Dead Sea; Enjoy the unique opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and cover yourself with the mineral rich mud, that many believe has its therapeutic effects. Cross the border to Jordan, and transfer to Amman.

Overnight in Amman

Day 6    – Petra Day Tour and Eilat

After breakfast, depart to Petra where you will ride on a horseback into the “Siq” (canyon) and on foot to Petra. The city is known as the Red Rock City, and was the ancient capital of the Nabateans from the 3rd century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D. Visit the carved monuments, such as the Great Treasury, (El Khazne), and then the field of the tombs, obelisks, and altar (Al Madhbah) from where you can view the entire red sandstone rock city. Lunch in Petra.  Return to the Israeli southern city of  Eilat and check into your hotel near the Red Sea.

Day 7 – Day at leisure in Eilat

Day 8 –  Departure

Transfer to the airport for your return flight.

Contact us for details! We look forward to hearing from you.