Hills Of Jerusalem - Bethlehem - Einkarem - New Jerusalem
Today we begin our tour at the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Then we visit the Chapel of Ascension and the Paternoster Church. Walk through the Gardens of Gethsemane to the Basilica of Agony, where Jesus prayed and sweated drops of blood as he waited to be betrayed by the Romans. We then continue to Mary's Tomb and drive through the Kidron valley to the House of Caiphas on Mt. Zion. This was the scene of Jesus' first trial and here Peter denied the Lord three times. Visit the Room of the Last Supper, King David's Tomb and the Dormition Abbey.
We will then proceed to Bethlehem to visit the church of Nativity, which is built over the Grotto where Jesus was born. On our way we will pass by the shepherd's fields, where according to Gospel of Luke, the angel brought the shepherds 'tidings of the birth of the Christ child’. Then we will visit Ein Karem, birthplace of John the Baptist and see the church of St. John and the Church of Visitation. We now start our drive back through New Jerusalem, passing along the Knesset, the Hebrew University, The Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book; this is where the Dead Sea scrolls are exhibited. We will also pass the Monastery of the Cross - it is believed that the wood of the cross was taken from here. Dinner and Overnight in Jerusalem.