Orthodox Israel & Petra Jordan 7 nights 8 days

Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, you will be welcomed and assisted by our representative.

Proceed to Lod, the ancient city of Lydda, where the Orthodox Church of St. George is located and venerate the Tomb of this 4th century Great Martyr of Christ.

Drive to Caesarea National Park on the coast of the Mediterranean to see the remains of the ancient port city built by Herod the Great and the impressive Roman aqueduct.

Dinner & Overnight in Nazareth.

Breakfast at the hotel

Visit the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, built over the spring (Mary's Well) where the Angel Gabriel told Mary she will give birth to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, the Latin Church of the Annunciation, built on the site where Mary's house and Joseph’s workshop used to be.

Continue to Cana of Galilee to visit the Greek Orthodox Church and Monastery of St.  George, the site of Christ's first miracle.

Proceed to Capernaum, the center of Christ's public ministry in Galilee, to visit the Monastery of the Holy Apostles and the remains of St. Peter's house and then on to Tabgha, the place of the miraculous Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.

Enjoy a boat ride on the sea of Galilee.

Dinner & Overnight in Nazareth.

Breakfast in the hotel

Crossing from Israel to Jordan through the Sheikh Hussein Border. Our representative will be waiting for you at the border to assist you.

Departure for Madaba, a city known for its many Christian churches. Emblematic, however, is the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, famous for its unique mosaic, presenting a detailed color map of the Holy Land of the Byzantine era. Today there is a mosaic art institute in Madaba and dozens of workshops dealing with this craft.

Then proceed to visit Mount Nebo, which offers magnificent views of Israel and part of the Jordan River Valley. On a clear day, the outlines of Jerusalem and Jericho can be seen. According to the Bible, this is where Moses climbed to see the Promised Land for the first time with his eyes. According to Scripture, Moses died and was buried there. The ruins of a church dating from the middle of the 4th century are found at the top. Beautiful floor mosaics have been preserved there.

Dinner & Overnight in Petra.

Breakfast at the hotel

Visit Petra, the capital of the Nabataeans, which was selected in 2007 as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. It is located in the naturally fortified Wadi Musa Valley (Moses Valley). The first known inhabitants were the Edomites who lived here around 1000 BC. According to the Bible, they were descendants of Esau, and the references in Scripture to a place called Selah ("rocky terrain" in Hebrew) almost certainly refer to Petra ("stone" in Greek). The ancient city of Petra flourished as an important point of antique trade routes. It is surrounded by high mountains and is accessible through a narrow gorge, and its remarkable, carved buildings are preserved intact: Kasneh al-Faroun (Treasure), numerous rock tombs, the amphitheater, the triumphal arch, the cardoan with the colonnades, The Church of the Ridge ”(6th-6th c.).

Departure to Amman. The capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. A short evening panoramic tour of Amman.

Dinner & Overnight in Amman.

Breakfast at the hotel in Amman & Departure to Israel.

Crossing through Alenby border. Our representative will be waiting for you at the border to assist you.

Proceed to Qasr al-Jahud, the traditional site of the Baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

Visit the 5th century Monastery of St. Gerasimos of the Jordan and then Jericho, the oldest known inhabited city in the world, to see Zacchaeus sycamore tree. 

View the Greek Orthodox Monastery of  Temptation on the summit of the Mount of Temptation where Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights was tempted by Satan. 

Depart for the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, about 420 meters below sea level. Free time.

On our way to Bethlehem, if time permits, we will visit the Mount of Olives, the site of the Ascension of Christ.

Dinner & Overnight in Bethlehem.

Breakfast at the hotel

Departure for Jerusalem to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the most sacred place for Christianity, to venerate the Tomb of Christ, the site of His Resurrection and climb up the stairs to Golgotha, the site of His Crucifixion.

Walk on the Via Dolorosa, the same path Jesus Christ walked on His way to the Cross, and visit the  Prison of Christ in the Monastery of the Praetorium.

Continue to the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the paralytic.

Visit the Tomb of the Holy Mother of God and the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem (Panaghia Ierosolymitissa) within a 12th century Greek Orthodox Church at the foot of the Mount of Olives.

Walk to the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed before He was betrayed by Judas and He was arrested.

Visit the Russian Church of St. Mary Magdalene with the relics of the Russian Saints Elisabeth Feodorovna and Barbara.

Continue to Mount Zion to see the tomb of King David and the nearby Room of the Last Supper.

Dinner & Overnight in Bethlehem.

Early worship at the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, one of the oldest churches in the world, built over the cave where Jesus Christ was born.  

Breakfast at the hotel

Proceed to Shepherds' Field to see the 4th century underground Church built by St. Helena over the cave where the Angel announced the Birth of Jesus to the shepherds.

Continue to the 5th century Monastery of St. Theodosius the Great, the first cenobitic (communal life) monastery in Palestine, which includes the tomb of the saint and the cave where the Three Wise Men stayed overnight returning from Bethlehem.

Transfer by mini buses to St. Sava the Sanctified Monastery (only men are allowed to enter, women may observe it from the Women's Tower and worship relics that are exported).

Dinner & Overnight in Bethlehem.

Enjoy breakfast and check out from the hotel

Visit Ancient Joppa (Jaffa) to see the house of Simon the tanner (Acts 10:9-16) and the site where St. Peter resurrected Tabitha, a woman known for her virtue (Acts 9:36-43)

View the ancient port of Old Jaffa.

After a short bus ride through Tel Aviv, Israel's modern metropolis, continue to the airport for our flight back home. Returning home with unforgettable memories of the Holy Land

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