The day has arrived and we depart the United States on an overnight journey to Israel. This trip includes flights from the New York City area, but Christian Expedition can arrange flights for you from a different airport, for an additional cost.

Today we arrive in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. We will meet our guide and make our way toward the Mediterranean Coast. Time permitting, we will visit Jaffa, where Peter had his vision on the rooftop of Simon the Tanner. Overnight Tel Aviv area. D.

This morning we will head north and visit Caesarea Maritima (included), a magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we will elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile convert to Christianity (Acts 10), and on the travels of Paul — those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become a springboard of the Gospel’s spread to the West. We visit Mount Carmel, Muhraqa – The Place of Fire (included), and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (I Kings 18), discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest and the lessons we learn from the story. We visit Tel Megiddo, where we will see the Solomon city gate, stables and palaces from the times of Ahab, the high place and the impressive water system dating to the 9th century BC. We will also enjoy views of the Valley of Armageddon. We move on to Nazareth, where we visit the Church of the Annunciation, which, according to tradition, was built over the house of Mary, where the Angel appeared to her announcing that she would give birth to Jesus. We visit the Upper Basilica and the nearby archaeological museum (included), where we see the remains of Nazareth from the time of Jesus. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. B, D.

We begin our day with a sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of a boat from Jesus’ time (included). We will dock in Ginosar where we will visit the Ancient Boat Museum (included), containing a 2,000-year-old fishing boat that provides a good example of what boats on the Sea of Galilee looked like in Jesus’ time. We visit Magdala (included), the hometown of Mary Magdalene, including its 1st century synagogue, the oldest synagogue discovered on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. We visit the Mount of Beatitudes, where we enjoy its enchanting gardens and reflect on Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. In Tabgha we visit the Church of Peter’s Primacy, where Jesus appeared to his disciples for the third time after his Resurrection. We will enjoy a lunch of St. Peter’s fish, commonly eaten by people in Jesus’ day (included). We visit Capernaum (included), which served as Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. There we will see the house of Peter’s mother-in-law and the ancient synagogue where Jesus taught. We will visit the Yardenit Baptismal Site on the Jordan River, where there will be an opportunity to be baptized in the same river as was Jesus. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. B, D.

This morning after breakfast we will leave the Galilee area and travel south through the Jordan River Valley. We visit Beit She’an (included), the capital of the Decapolis. There we will see the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine cities. We will also discuss the demise of King Saul and his sons, whose bodies were hanged on the walls of Beit She’an. We make our way to the Israel Museum, where we will see a model of the city of Jerusalem as it was during the time of Jesus, and visit the Shrine of the Book, which houses some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We then drive to Bethlehem, where we will visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity — the site that, according to ancient tradition, marks the place where Jesus was born. We will also visit the Shepherds’ Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Jesus. These fields are also the setting of some of the events of the Book of Ruth. Overnight Jerusalem. B, D.

This morning we visit the City of David (included), where we will experience, among other things, Hezekiah’s Tunnel. We visit the Mount of Olives, from where we will enjoy a panoramic view of Jerusalem. We walk along Palm Sunday Road, stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city. We proceed to Mount Zion to visit the Cenacle, the traditional location of the Upper Room in which Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples. We visit the Church of St. Anne (included), a perfectly intact Crusader church famous for its acoustics — a wonderful place to gather and sing a song of worship. We also visit the Pools of Bethesda, where the healing at the pool took place (John 5). Overnight Jerusalem. B, D.

This morning we proceed to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus agonized on the night before his crucifixion, and visit the Gethsemane cave, where it is believed that Jesus often spent the night and that he was arrested by the High Priest’s guards. We visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (included) — the House of Caiaphas — where we can see portions of the streets along which Jesus was led by his captors, and visit the dungeon where he was held overnight. In the Old City we visit Ecce Homo (included) — the site named for Pontius Pilate’s words “Behold the man” — where Jesus was beaten, crowned with thorns and clothed in a purple robe. We will see the Stone Pavement called Lithostratos. We walk the Via Dolorosa, following the traditional route that Jesus took on his way to the crucifixion, and enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site of Christ’s crucifixion and burial. In the afternoon we visit the Garden Tomb (donation included), a peaceful spot where we can further reflect on Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection, and see Calvary and the empty tomb. Overnight Jerusalem. B, D.

This morning we visit the Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall, a section of the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount and Judaism’s holiest site. We will ascend the Temple Mount to the place where the Jewish temple stood until its destruction in 70 AD. Here we reflect on Jesus’ ministry at the Temple of Jerusalem and see the Dome of the Rock (exterior views only), a possible location of the Holy of Holies. We then drive to Bet Arabah, also known as Qasr el Yahud, or Gilgal. This place on the Jordan River is the approximate site where the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, where Elijah was taken to heaven, and where Jesus was baptized. We visit Tel Jericho (included), where we will see the location of the city from the time of Joshua and enjoy a view of the Mount of Temptation. We will also see an ancient Sycamore Tree reminding us of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. We visit the Dead Sea and have an opportunity to float (conditions permitting). Overnight Jerusalem. B, D.

Your flight home may depart the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included. Either way, today we will arrive back home. This trip includes flights back to the New York City area, but Christian Expedition can fly you back to a different airport of your choosing at your request and subject to an additional cost.

* If within 18 months of returning home from this familiarization trip you lead a group of 20+ paying travelers on a trip to Israel with Christian Expedition, not only will you travel for free on that trip, but we will also refund you what you have paid for this familiarization trip.