The Holy Land and the Seven Churches of Revelation
Turkey and the Holyland
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Highlights
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| Itinerary- 13 days | |
Day 1 Today we leave from U.S. enroute to Istanbul, where we get our connecting flight to Izmir airport. Overnight, Enroute.
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Day 2 Kusadasi Upon our arrival at Izmir airport at 2:00 PM. We’ll meet at the airport and drive to Kusadasi. We’ll enjoy dinner at the hotel as a group. Overnight, Kusadasi. |
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Day 3 Ephesus/Kusadasi After breakfast, we’ll enjoy a full day tour of Ephesus which was once a thriving port town of 250,000 people. Today you can still see the spectacular excavations of the major streets in this ancient city where we view the Library, the Agora, the Temple of Artemis, the Theatre, many colorful mosaics, and a panoramic view of the surrounding ancient port area. We’ll also visit the House of the Virgin Mary and the Basilica of Saint John. We’ll return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Overnight, Kusadasi. |
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Day 4 Izmir/Cannakale In the morning we’ll take a tour of Izmir including the Church of St. Policarp which is the oldest church in ancient Smyrna. It symbolized the community of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse. Next we’ll visit Alexander the Great's Velvet Castle overlooking the bay of Izmir. Afterwards we continue to Thyatira to view the ancient church, roadway, and period columns. Later we’ll visit Pergamum which was praised for its forbearance (Rev. 2:12-17). It was here that the first Christians were executed by Rome. We'll visit the fabled Acropolis, pass through the Royal Gates, view the foundations of the Temple of Zeus and visit the ruins of the Library, which once held 200,000 volumes. Afterwards, we proceed to Canakkale. There we enjoy dinner and overnight at our hotel. Overnight, Canakkale. |
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Day 5 Canakkale/Istanbul After breakfast we’re going to explore the area around Canakkale, a town perched on the Dardenelle Straits. This has been a very strategic location for centuries, given that the straits provide the only sea passage from Europe to Asia via the Mediterranean Sea. We’ll also visit the ancient site of Troy, immortalized in Homer’s epic poem The Illiad about the Trojan War. We’ll also travel across the straits to see the site of Gallipoli where the infamous First World War battle took place. In the evening we’ll move onto Istanbul we’re we’ll enjoy a group dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight, Istanbul. |
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Day 6 Istanbul/Tel Aviv
In the afternoon we’ll enjoy shopping for goods and spices at the Grand Bazaar. In the evening, we’ll disperse for dinner before meeting and transferring to the airport for our flight to Tel Aviv. Overnight, Tel Aviv.
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Day 7 Coastal Route After enjoying a huge Israeli breakfast at our hotel, we’ll begin our tour northwards to the Galilee. We travel first to see King Herod’s great port city of Caesarea and its amazing ruins, built when Jesus was a carpenter in Nazareth. Thereafter we drive past Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah defeated the false priests of Baal, and onto Haifa where we can capture a beautiful panoramic view of the city with the Mediterranean below. We’ll also visit the stunning Bahai Hanging Gardens. In the afternoon we’ll drive inland to Megiddo, mentioned in the Book of Revelations as the site of the Battle of Armageddon. We proceed to Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus, before heading to the archeological gem of Zippori. Next we’ll proceed to Cana, the site of Jesus’s first miracle, turning water into wine. We continue onto Tiberias to get a stunning view of the Sea of Galilee before heading to our Kibbutz Nof Ginosar for dinner and overnight. Overnight, Nof Ginosar. |
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Day 8 Golan Today we’ll be exploring the beautiful North of Israel. We start by visiting the Ancient Boat, dating from the 1st century and recovered from the Sea of Galilee, said by Christian faithfuls to be the boat from which Jesus preached in the book of Matthew. Next we move on to Tabgha, the site of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, and the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Afterwards we drive to Capernaum, home of St. Peter, and visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue.Afterwards we’ll visit the archeological site of Hazor, mentioned in the Old Testament as one of Solomon’s three main cities where he kept his famous horse stables. Later we’ll take a drive through the Golan Heights, stopping to see a bunker that the Israelis used in the ’67 and ’73 Wars. Afterwards we head northwards to the nature reserve of Banias, which not only houses the largest waterfall in Israel, but is where Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16: 13-20). In the evening we return to our kibbutz guest house for dinner and overnight. Overnight, Nof Ginosar. |
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Day 9 Galilee/Ein Gedi After breakfast we start our long trip southwards to Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea. On the way we stop in Yardenit, the traditional baptismal site of Jesus in the Jordan. We’ll also stop to see the ancient site of Beit She’an, which is full of archeological treasures. We’ll proceed then to Qumran to see where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Next we’ll continue onto our hotel at Ein Gedi for dinner and overnight. Overnight, Ein Gedi. |
Massada
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Day 10 Massada/Jerusalem Upon leaving our hotel, we’ll go first to Massada, site of Herodian palaces that were used as the Zealots’ last stand against the Romans in the years following 70 A.D. Next we’ll visit the archeological remains at Sussia, Lachish, and Beit Shemesh. In the evening we’ll head to Jerusalem, stopping at the Mt. Of Olives for a beautiful view of the Old City at sunset. Overnight, Jerusalem. |
Church of the Nativity
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Day 11 Jerusalem We start the day with a visit to the model of the Old City of Jerusalem, where we can see Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. We then continue to Yad Vashem Memorial and Museum, dedicated to the 6 million Jews that perished in the Holocaust. Afterwards we’ll drive past the Knesset, Israel’s parliament building, to the Israel Museum. While there we’ll visit the Shrine of the Book to see the priceless Dead Sea Scrolls. Afterwards we’ll drive past the Monastery of the Cross where it is believed the wood for Jesus’s cross was found. In the afternoon we’ll travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, for a visit to the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd’s Fields. Then we’ll return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Overnight, Jerusalem. |
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Day 12 Jerusalem Today we will enjoy a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. We’ll start our tour at the Damascus Gate and walk to the Lion’s Gate. We’ll continue along the Via Dolorosa, stopping at each of the 14 stations of the cross, all the way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We’ll then proceed to the Temple Mount tothe Western Wall. Next we’ll see the Burnt House and part of the excavation dating from the time of Jesus. We’ll proceed to the Cardo, an excavation of Roman Ruins, and the Jewish Quarter. Afterwards we’ll be able to enjoy shopping in the Arab Shuk, or marketplace. In the afternoon we’ll partake in a prayer service at Gethsemane or the Garden Tomb, where Jesus suffered the Agony and was taken prisoner. We’ll return to our hotel for dinner and overnight Overnight, Jerusalem. |
Day 13 Today we transfer to the airport to catch our return flight home. Overnight, Enroute. |
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| Note: * visit subject to availability | |
