Biblical Israel (Protestant Itinerary)

Welcome to Israel! Check into your hotel, then this evening, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers. (D)

Leave Tel Aviv and visit the old port of Jaffa. Sightseeing continues at Caesarea, an ancient port turned stunning archaeological site. Admire the restored 3,500-seat Roman theater, the aqueduct, the harbor, the stadium and the crumbled moat and towers from the 12th-century Crusader fortress.

Next, visit Muhraqa on Mount Carmel, site of Elijah's contest of faith with the priests of Baal. From here, travel to the archaeological site of Megiddo, an age-old fortified town and site of the Battle of Armageddon in the End of Times, according to the Bible. Stay overnight in the lakeside city of Tiberias. Today's Distance: 117 mi / 188 km (B/D)

Today, travel to Kibbutz Ginosar to visit the Jeus Boat Museum, followed by an included cruise on the Sea of Galilee. Next, visit Capernaum and see its ancient Synagogue and the house of St. Peter. Spend some time meditating at the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered his famous sermon, and continue to Tabgha to visit the Church of the Multiplication, where Jesus fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves. On to Caesarea-Philippi (Banias), location of one of the springs of the Jordan River, where Jesus taught his disciples. Today's Distance: 31 mi / 50 km (B/D)

This morning, stop in Cana, site of Jesus' first miracle when he turned water into wine at a wedding. Continue to Nazareth and visit the Church of the Annunciation, St. Joseph Church, and the old village. Leave the Galilee area, drive through the Jordan Valley, and visit the Yardenit Baptismal site (departures April 18 to September 5 include Baptism ceremony), then ascend the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem, with a stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Old Town. Today's Distance: 144 mi / 231 km (B/D)

Set off on a touching walking tour of Jerusalem's Old Town. From the Mount of Olives, take in memorable views over the city. Descend via the Palm Sunday Walk and visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed on the night before his arrest. Visit the Church of all Nations, located next to the garden, then enter through St. Stephen's Gate and arrive at the Pool of Bethesda.

Follow in Jesus' footsteps along the Way of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Walk through the Jewish Quarter, reconstructed following unification of the city after the Six-Day War in 1967. Stop at Mount Zion to visit King David's Tomb and the Cenacle—the Upper Room where Jesus and his disciples had the Last Supper. View the unearthed colonnade-style thoroughfare with its ancient marketplace.

Travel to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus and King David. Visit one of Christianity's holiest places, the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Jesus was born. Today's Distance: 10 mi / 16 km (B/D)

Today, head for the Southern Wall excavations and visit the Davidson Center, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the country. Continue with a stop at the Western Wall, the holiest place in Judaism today. Next, visit the Garden Tomb and enjoy the beautiful garden, a perfect place for personal reflection and worship. Then, visit the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Later, tour Yad Vashem, the “World Holocaust Remembrance Center.” (B)

Today is free to relax, or leisurely revisit some of the Jerusalem sites on your own. Consider a very special optional excursion to Qumran, Masada, and the Dead Sea—situated on the Earth's lowest land elevation. Your optional excursion begins by traveling to Qumran to visit the Qumran Caves, site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Continue to Masada and ride the cable car up to the magnificent rock fortress, on a clifftop above the Dead Sea, where 960 Jewish rebels made their last stand against Roman forces in 73 AD. Later, head for the shores of the Dead Sea, where you'll have time to experience the incredible buoyancy in the salt water. Return to Jerusalem. (B/D)

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (The nearest airport is Tel Aviv.) (B)