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Sample 8 Day Itinerary

This is a sample, skeleton itinerary. Travelers need to adjust their personal itinerary around ideal times for Mass, and around the Jewish Sabbath, when some sites are closed.

Day 1

Jerusalem

Arrive Israel. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 2– Jerusalem

See the panorama of Jerusalem's Old City from the top of the Mount of Olives. Walk down, pausing at the Church of Dominus Flevit, and the Garden of Gethsemane, with its Church of All Nations and millennia-old olive trees. Enter the walled Old City's Dung Gate and visit the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. Walk through the Western Wall tunnels to the Via Dolorosa. Visit the Church of St. Anne, the Chapel of the Flagellation and follow the Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Stroll through the Old City bazaars to Mount Zion, with its Room of the Last Supper. Sunset visit to the Church of St. Peter in Galicantu.

Day 3

Jerusalem

See the "Holy Land" model of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, and explore the village of Ein Karem, home of Elizabeth and birthplace of John the Baptist, with its Church of the Visitation. Then continue to Yad Vashem, Israel's Museum and memorial to the Holocaust, where the Avenue of the Righteous honours Christians who helped save Jewish lives during World War II. Soak up the atmosphere in the Hall of Remembrance and see the letter placed by Pope John-Paul II in the crevices of the Western Wall. Visit the Israel Museum, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed in the Shrine of the Book.

Day 4 Dead Sea – Jerusalem

Follow the route of the Good Samaritan from Jerusalem to Jericho across the stark Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. Ascend Masada by cable-car and tour the remains of Herod's palace-fortress, where in 73AD, the zealots chose suicide over surrender to Rome. Spend the afternoon at a Dead Sea Spa before returning to Jerusalem.

Day 6 - Galilee

Drive across the Plain of Sharon to Megiddo (Armageddon). Visit Nazareth, Jesus' home until the age of 30, with its Basilica of the Annunciation - consecrated in 1964 by Pope Paul VI - and Mary's Well. Rest at Cana, site of the miracle of the Wedding Feast and Mount Tabor, with its hilltop Basilica of the Transfiguration. Overnight on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Day 7

Galilee-Haifa

Visit Capernaum, home of Peter, and Tabgha with its Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. Pause in the Church of the Mount of Beatitudes and admire the natural amphitheatre where the Sermon on the Mount was given.. Then travel to Sepphoris, a major city 1,500 years ago, where some of the world's finest mosaics have been unearthed, including the "Mona Lisa of Israel," and on to Akko (Acre), the ancient port immortalised by the Crusaders, the Turks and the British. Discover the underground Crusader City, the Mediterranean battlements and the exotic markets. Drive on to the port city of Haifa, draping the slopes of biblical Mount Carmel, where you’ll find the the Stella Maris Monastery and the magnificent new Bahai Gardens, Israel's "eighth wonder of the world." Overnight in Haifa.

Day 8 - Jaffa-Tel Aviv

Follow the Mediterranean to Caesarea, with its Roman Theatre, Crusader fortress and ancient port from which Paul sailed to Tarsus. Continue to Tel Aviv, Israel's largest metropolis and the beautifully restored 4,000-year-old city of Jaffa with its cobbled streets lined with artists' galleries and boutiques. Visit St.Peter's Church and the House of Simon the Tanner. Tonight, and in the evening stroll around the bustling Tayelet promenade, alive with cafes, entertainment and crowds. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

Day 9

Depart for home, or continue your holiday in Israel with a journey south to the Negev Desert and Eilat on the Red Sea.