City of David

Discover Jerusalem's most important historical sites on this packed full-day tour. Start with a breathtaking view of Jerusalem from the Temple Mount area, after which you drive along the Kidron Valley towards the Zion Gate. Get magnificent views from the Mount of Olives and the Jewish cemetery. At its base are the ancient burial tombs Yad Avshalom, Beni Hazir and that perhaps of Zechariah. Alongside are the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. On Mount Zion, stop at the amazing Tomb of David. Enter the Old City through the Zion Gate on your way to the Cardo, and stop at the four beautifully restored seventeenth and early eighteenth century Sephardi synagogues. Continue to the excavated fifteen hundred-year-old Byzantine Cardo.  As you wander through the Jewish Quarter, marvel at the excavated and exposed foundation of the 2700-year-old wall of biblical Jerusalem built by King Hezekiah. Descend a few meters and find yourself in a two-thousand-year-old complex of homes with their original mosaic floors and mikveh. A brief stop at the Western Wall (Kotel) allows you to place a note between its stones. Leave the Old City through the Dung gate and visit the remarkable excavations of the three thousand year old City of David.

After being collected from your accommodation, you will leave Jerusalem and travel south to nearby Bethlehem, the City of David. This was the home town of King David's father, and the place where Christ was born to Mary and Joseph. You will cross Manger Square surrounded by the Mosque of Omar, the Palestinian Peace Center, and perhaps the oldest functioning church in the world, the Church of the Nativity. The Byzantine church was originally constructed in the 4th century and later expanded during the 6th century. You can still see part of the original mosaic floor through an opening in the present basilica floor. You will enter the Basilica of the Nativity through a low doorway, the "Door of Humility". On the walls there are faint golden mosaics, and 30 of the 44 pink limestone columns in the nave of the church are adorned with decorations from the Crusader Period. Beneath the church is the Grotto of the Nativity, where it is believed that Jesus was born. A silver star in the grotto is engraved with the Latin phrase "Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary". Also in the church are the Chapel of the Manger and the Alter of the Adoration of the Magi (the three wise men). You will exit the basilica passing the Armenian Chapel of the Kings and continue on to the adjacent Church of Saint Catherine. From the Church of St. Catherine you will descend to the grottoes which are connected to those beneath the Church of the Nativity. These ancient caves hold several tombs and chapels, including the Chapel of the Innocent (dedicated to the babies killed under Herod (Matt. 2:16)); the Chapel of Joseph, and the Tomb of Jerome. There is also the grotto where Jerome worked for many years translating the Hebrew Bible to Latin. Your final stop is to see Shepherds Field. Here the Bible states that an angel appeared to shepherds tending their sheep by night, and the angel told them that a savior had been born in nearby Bethlehem. Today, a tent-shaped chapel stands here, which was designed by renowned architect Antonio Berluzzi and is decorated with scenes from the life of Christ.

Visit Jerusalem's most important historical sites on this packed full-day tour. Start with a breathtaking view of Jerusalem from the Temple Mount area, after which you drive along the Kidron Valley towards the Zion gate, where you will have excellent views of Mount Olives and the Jewish cemetery. At its base are the ancient burial tombs Yad Avshalom, Beni Hazir and that perhaps of Zechariah. Alongside are the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. On Mount Zion, stop at the amazing Tomb of David. Enter the Old City through the Zion gate on your way to the Cardo, and stop at the four beautifully restored seventeenth and early eighteenth century Sephardi synagogues which were used to house animals during the nineteen years the Old City was under Jordanian rule. Continue to the excavated fifteen hundred year old main street Byzantine Cardo.  Continuing through the Jewish Quarter,  marvel at the excavated and exposed foundation of the 2700-year-old wall of biblical Jerusalem built by King Hezekiah. Descend a few meters and find yourself in a two thousand year old complex of homes with their original mosaic floors and mikveh. A brief stop at the Western Wall (Kotel) allows you to place a note between its stones. Leave the Old City through the Dung gate and visit the remarkable excavations of the three thousand year old City of David.

Archaeological Park "Davidson Center": excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount— traces of the destruction of the Second Temple. City of David: archaeological park in Jerusalem on the site of the ancient city of Jebus, which later became Jerusalem. Panorama of the Kidron Valley: The Kidron Valley, stretches between the Temple and Mount of Olives, east of the Old City. During the Old Testament, the Kidron Valley was also called “Jehoshaphat.” The valley is equally revered in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. According to legend, it is here that the trumpet of the archangel should sound, which will raise the dead for the Judgment of God. Western Wall: Located in the old city, the holiest site in Judaism. For the Jewish people, these are memories and prayers of the First and Second Temples, as well as the dream of the Third Temple.