10 Days
Specific Tour
30 people
English
Day 1: Departure from USA
Depart for your overnight flight to the Holy Land. Meals will be served on board.
Day 2: Arrival Hotel Transfer
Arrive at Tel Aviv Airport meet your guide at the Airport, and drive to your Hotel in Galilee for dinner and overnight Tiberius. (D)
Day 3: Nazareth/ Cana/Haifa
After breakfast, leave for Cana of Galilee: the place of the first miracle of Jesus. Continue to Nazareth and start a walking tour from Mary’s Fountain to the Basilica of the Annunciation for a visit to Mary’s House, the Upper Basilica, the Museum, and the Church of the Holy Family. Meet The Episcopal Pastor of Nazareth. In the afternoon, leave for Haifa, the capital of the industry and the major port. Ascend to Mount Carmel passing by the Persian Gardens of the Bahai sect. Visit the Church of Stella Maris, the birthplace of the Carmelite Order which contains a natural grotto of the Prophet Elijah. Back to your hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (If Time permits, visit the Episcopal school in Haifa. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Sea of Galilee – Mount Tabor – River Jordan
After breakfast, leave to Mount of Beatitudes to recall the Sermon of the Mountain. Continue to Tabgha (Heptapegon) for a visit to the Church of the Multiplication of Fish and Loaves, admiring the well-conserved Byzantine mosaic from the fifth century. Then visit the small chapel of the Primacy of St. Peter before heading to Capernaum, the Town of Jesus for a detailed visit of its ruins: the remains of the House of Peter, the “Insula Sacra” and the White Synagogue. Then, you will experience a boat ride crossing along the Sea of Galilee. In the afternoon, ascend to Mount Tabor and visit the Basilica of the Transfiguration, built of on the ruins of two earlier sanctuaries: Byzantine and Crusader. Descend and continue to River Jordan where we will have the opportunity to renew your baptismal vows. Back to your hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 5: Tiberias – Qumran – Dead Sea – Jericho – Bethlehem
After breakfast, leave Tiberias through the Jordan Valley and travel Southwards to Qumran to visit the ruins of the Essenes Monastery and view the Caves of the Scrolls. Transfer then to the Dead Sea for a possible bath in its salty waters. Continue to Jericho, considered the world’s oldest city for a visit to Tel El-Sultan, the site of the biblical Jericho, and a view of Mount of Temptation. In the afternoon, drive through the Judaean Desert, passing by the Good Samaritan Inn to Bethlehem, the city of King David. Arrive at your selected hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Bethlehem, ELCJHL School
Today we will visit the local ELCJHL school. In the afternoon we will visit the Tent of Nations, have lunch, and have a chance to plant trees. Visit the Walled off hotel, and walk by the Bethlehem Refugee Camp. Optional dinner with local Christian families or dinner and overnight in Bethlehem. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Old City of Jerusalem
After breakfast, Worship with the local ELCJHL & Episcopal congregation. Meet with Bishops. Visit the Wailing Wall, Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock & Al Aqsa Mosque, then visit the church of St. Anne and Pool of Bethesda, Via Dolorosa, and Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We will enjoy some free time in Jerusalem. Dinner at a Tent restaurant and enjoy a traditional Palestinian folklore music and dance, overnight in Bethlehem. (B, L, D)
Day 8: Mount of Olives/ Mount Zion
Start our day visiting Augusta Victoria and Lutheran World Federation on top of Mount of Olives, Walk the Palm Sunday Path, the church of Gethsemane, and the Kedron Valley. Visit the last Supper room, Mount Zion, Saint Peter in Gallicantu, and the Shrine of the Book & Model of Jerusalem time of Jesus. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem (B, L, D)
Day 9: Shepherd’s Field/ Bethlehem
Start the day with worship with the local ELCJHL congregation. Visit the shepherd’s field, the church of Nativity, the old city of Bethlehem, and Mount Herodian. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem. (B, L, D)
Day 10: Departure
After breakfast, we will transfer to the airport for our flight home. Or take the optional extension to Greece (B)
Optional Extension to Greek Islands
June 25 – 29, 2025
Package $890.00 Per Person
Day 10 – ATHENS
Today you explore the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens as your guide introduces you to the world-renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. Stand on Mars Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). As you view the agora from the top of Acropolis, the ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life, recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also, see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Lunch-Athens Street food tour! This food tour is excellent if you are a foodie! You will taste renowned and lesser-known Greek foods and visit a lively local market to fill up on spices used by the locals. A once-in-a-lifetime experience! Free afternoon before your exciting 3-night cruise. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Athens (Athens Avenue Hotel or similar). (L, D)
Day 11 – ATHENS / PIRAEUS (Embarkation for 3-night cruise) / MYKONOS
Embark on a wonderful 3-night cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily while on board. Mykonos, the whitewashed jewel of the Cyclades Islands, is your first stop. This charming, mountainous island is known for the hundreds of tiny chapels, white-washed buildings, and beautiful windmills that dot its landscape. Don’t miss taking a stroll down Mykonos Town, where mazes of narrow streets link the whitewashed buildings and traditional life continues amidst the bustling activity. Enjoy free time to explore this little paradise in the Aegean Sea. (B, L, D)
Day 12 – KUSADASI / EPHESUS / PATMOS
Breakfast and stop at the Turkish port of Kusadasi for an included excursion to the ruins of Ephesus where Paul the Saint spent three years during his ministry and where its inhabitants were the recipients of Paul’s famous epistle. Ancient Ephesus was the Roman capital of Asia Minor and an important center for Christianity from AD 50s. During AD52-54 Saint Paul lived here working with the congregation and organizing his missionary activity and taught the Word of God (Acts 20:31) and this is where he wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians. Additionally, this was one of the seven cities found in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:1-7), indicating a strong church. We will visit the house of the Virgin Mary where she lived with John, on the hill behind the city. After this amazing experience, we will visit the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Odeon, the Arch of Hercules, the Temple of Hadrian, the Agora, and the Greco-Roman theater. We return to the ship for our lunch. Continue your cruise to the island of Patmos, a beautiful and spiritual island where In 95 AD, St. John the Theologian – one of the twelve disciples of Jesus – was sent into exile (Revelation 1:9-11). St. John remained on the island for eighteen months during which time he lived in a cave below the hilltop temple of Diana. In this cave exists a small hole in the rock wall, from which derived a series of oracular messages that Prochoros one of the seven deacons chosen to care for the poor in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5), and later a disciple of St. John is thought to have transcribed the Biblical book of Revelations. During his time in the sacred cave, now known as the Holy Grotto of the Revelation, St. John may have also composed the Fourth Gospel. During our time there we will visit the Monastery of St. John the Theologian UNESCO World Heritage Site where we will see the Holy Grotto as well as priceless icons and manuscripts. Afterward, drive back to the port of Scala and enjoy some free time in this quaint and picturesque harbor. (B, L, D)
Day 13 – HERAKLION (Crete) / SANTORINI
In the morning the ship will dock at the port of Heraklion on the island of Crete. In Heraklion Paul met the owner and captain of the ship, who warned him about continuing his journey to Rome. You can take a tour (optional) to the Palace of Knossos, the center of the Minoan civilization. Lunch on board. the ship will travel to the most beautiful island in the Aegean Sea known as the “Black Pearl of the Aegean”, the volcanic Santorini where we will enjoy the breathtaking Panoramic View. Latest excavations have suggested that Santorini might be the lost sight of Atlantis. We will celebrate Holy Communion on board the ship as we reflect on our amazing journey and prepare for our last day in Greece. (B, L, D)
Day 14 – PIRAEUS (Disembarkation) / DEPARTURE ATHENS AIRPORT
After early morning disembarkation and according to the schedule of your return flight, you will be taken to the airport of Athens. (B,)
