Israel Ministry of Tourism Recommends:

10-DAY CHRISTIAN INTEREST ITINERARY

DAY 1

Jerusalem - Old City and Surroundings

• Mount of Olives—Panoramic view ofJerusalem’s Old City; Church of Dominus Flevit; Church of St. Peter
• Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane
• Mount Zion, including King David’s Tomb, Room of the Last Supper (Coenaculum), Church of the Dormition, where Catholics believe Mary fell into eternal sleep
• Western Wall—See a Bar Mitzvah (Monday & Thursday only); Jerusalem Archaeological Park at Southern Wall and “Davidson” Visitors Centre
• Western Wall Tunnels
• The Temple Mount
• Arab Market (Shuk)

DAY 2

Jerusalem - Old City and Surroundings

• City of David Visitors Centre, hilltop conquered by King David with excavations of 1st Temple Period
• Rebuilt Jewish Quarter with ancient Sephardi synagogues and the Cardo
• Christian Quarter—Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Dolorosa
• Pool of Bethesda
• St. Stephen’s Gate
• Garden Tomb—A rock-hewn tomb believed by Protestants to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection

DAY 3

Jerusalem - The New City

• Yad Vashem—National Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust with new Historical Museum, Valley of Communities, Remembrance Hall & Children’s Memorial
• Ein Karem— Birthplace of John the Baptist with the Church of the Visitation
• Israel Museum with exhibits of art, Judaica, archaeology, Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls)
• The Government complex: the Knesset  (Israel’s Parliament) and New Supreme Court Building
• Downtown Jerusalem—Walk in the pedestrian malls of Ben Yehuda St. & Nachlat Shiva, restored quarter of shops, galleries, cafes

DAY 4

Modern Tel Aviv & Old Jaffa

On the way to Tel Aviv, stop by the Latrun Monastery, where French Trappist Monks produce wines/liquors.

• Jaffa—Ancient seaport related to the Bible story of Jonah and the whale, with fishermen’s port, St. Peter’s Church, artists’ quarter, renovated Old City and the house of Simon the Tanner
• Tour “White City” to see the Bauhaus UNESCO World Heritage site including Independence Hall, where Ben Gurion declared independence in 1948

See some of Tel-Aviv’s street scenes:

• Sheinkin Street - Tel Aviv’s yuppie area
• Carmel open-air market, selling fruit, vegetables and clothing
• Nachlat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall
• Nightlife spots, including the Port

DAY 5

Mediterranean Coast

• Caesarea National Park, remains of former Roman Capital and Crusader city. Tour of Roman theater, hippodrome and, promenade to the renovated port area. See “Caesarea Experience,” computerized presentation about the city’s history
• Muhraka (Keren Hacarmel)—Site of Elijah ’s fight against the prophets of Ba’al; Carmelite Monastery of St. Elijah
• Haifa, Israel’s third largest city. City tour, including:

• Baha’i’ Shrine and Gardens
• Panoramic views of the city and the bay from the Louis Promenade
• German Colony renovated neighborhood
  
• Akko, the ancient Phoenician and Crusader seaport for a tour of the Old Walled city including fisherman’s port, bazaar and Turkish hamam

DAY 6

The Galilee Region

• Kafar Cana—The village where Jesus turned water into wine
• Nazareth 
• Megiddo—Excavations of an ancient fortified city, overlooking the Jezreel Valley and site of Biblical Armageddon
• Yardenit—A modern baptismal site for pilgrims on the Jordan River

DAY 7

The Sea of Galilee

• Boat ride in a replica sailing vessel from the time of Jesus
• Mount of Beatitudes—Traditional site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount
• Capernaum—Ancient Jewish fishing town where Jesus began his Ministry
• Tabgha—Site of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes

DAY 8

Dead Sea

• Qumran—Ancient settlement where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered
• Masada
• Nahal David—Biblical oasis where David hid from Saul or Nahal Arugot
• Kibbutz Ein Gedi
• Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park—Remains of an ancient Essenes village with a Byzantine-period synagogue
• Ein Bokek—Health and tourism resort, with mud treatments

DAY 9+10

Eilat

• Timna Park—Site of the ancient copper mines, today a geological park with hiking trails, lake, tourism attractions and rock formations, including Solomon’s Pillars
• Eilat—Israel’s southernmost resort town on the Red Sea
• Eilat tour, including: Underwater Observatory Marine Park, Dolphin Reef, scuba diving, cruise on the Red Sea, birdwatching center, camel riding and Bedouin hospitality and Jeep tour