Jerusalem & Bethlehem Tour from Haifa Port. Private Tour

We begin our day at the Mount of Olives with a spectacular scenic view of Jerusalem. From here we travel the Byzantine Cardo, a historic road that cuts through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. On the way, we visit the Wailing Wall (Kotel), the only remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, and one of the most sacred places in Jewish culture. The wailing is a description made by the British of the sounds of the Jewish people praying. Moving on we take the sacred route where Jesus carried the cross along the Way of Sorrows on the route to his crucifixion. We’ll then arrive at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the site where Jesus was crucified as well as his Burial tomb. We continue our journey by touring the Bazaars of the Christian and Muslim quarters.

Our first destination begins at the Mount of Olives overlooking an ancient Jewish cemetery where many believe that the resurrection of the Messiah will happen. (Zech 14:4). Looking down from here we have an excellent view across the Old City down to Temple Mount where the Holy Jewish Temple originally existed.

*This point can be replaced with another viewpoint, as it depends on the traffic congestion and possible jams.

We will then travel towards the Zion Gate, passing the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations and the Kidron Valley. Here we can observe the Jewish burial tombs of Absalom, King David’s son, Jehoshaphat and the Hezir family. We arrive at Jerusalem’s Old City on exiting the Zion Gate and continue through the Armenian quarter. We will then arrive at the fifteen-hundred-year-old excavated Byzantine Cardo, an ancient road now restored. We pass the Jewish quarter towards the Western Wall, a section of the exterior wall of the Jewish Temple that once stood erect on Temple Mount almost 2,000 years ago. We will walk the path many pilgrims have throughout history, stopping at points where Jesus paused on the way carrying his cross to Golgotha (Calvary).

Our final destination is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of the crucifixion and Burial tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. Finally, we will have time to wander the traditional Middle Eastern markets before our next destination Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born.

Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth and home to Jesse, King David’s father. From Manger Square, we will enter the fourth-century Church of the Nativity, the oldest site in continuous use as a place of Christian worship opened in the year 333. Below the chapel is the Grotto of the Nativity where you’ll see an altar in remembrance of the three wise men, and a fourteen-point star set into the floor which signifies the exact spot where Jesus was born.