Christian Tour Of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masada & Dead Sea -

This Jerusalem and Bethlehem tour starts on Mount Scopus with a breathtaking view of Jerusalem. You can see the Old City walls and beyond the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Then, we descend from Mt. Scopus to the Kidron Valley on the way to the old city we pass Christian landmarks like the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations. The Jerusalem tour enters the Old City via the Zion Gate and continues through the Armenian Quarter arriving at the Jewish Quarter. Here we see the Byzantine Cardo, an excavated ancient street that was once a bustling thoroughfare. We stop at the Western Wall, the one part of the Second Holy Temple that survived destruction in 70 AD. After placing a prayer note at the wall we continue on to the Via Dolorosa. Following the path, Jesus took from his judgment to his crucifixion the Via Dolorosa leads us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This ornate 12th-century church encompasses the last Stations of the Cross including Calvary where Jesus was crucified and the burial tomb where he was laid to rest. We leave the Old City via a typical Middle Eastern market. The Jerusalem and Bethlehem tour moves on to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ. Arriving in Manger Square we enter the Basilica of the Nativity. This church was built above the Grotto of the Nativity where Christ was born. While in the church we see 12th-century mosaics as well as the original floor and mosaic from the first church that was built by St’ Helen in the 4th century. If possible, we also visit the adjacent Church of Saint Catherine where we descend to subterranean caves and see sacred tombs and chapels. We make our way back to Jerusalem passing the Church of the Angels in Shepherds Field and the Field of Ruth where King David’s great grandmother met Boaz

We'll first head to Masada on this tour, where we'll take a journey past the Inn of he Good Samaritan, leading us to our first stop just at sea level to make the most of the great photo opportunity. As we continue to head below sea level to the Dead Sea, we'll stop at our first point of the tour at Masada, where from here jump on a cable car to Herod's palace-fortress, now over 2,000 years old. Some of the structures here are truly incredible where we'll find various palaces and even an old bathhouse! Once we've explored this area we'll head onto the Dead Sea, where we'll head past the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered, Qumran.  Once we're at the Dead Sea we'll spend the rest of the day making the most of some well earned relaxation, utilizing the Dead Sea beaches to our advantages. The sea itself has water nearly 9 times as salty as a normal ocean, which makes for the waters to be extremely buoyant. Don't forget to make the most of the free face masks, found within the mud of the Dead Sea! 

On this tour our first stop is the Church of the Ascension We'll start off on the Mount of Olives, a place famous for the church from which Jesus ascended into heaven. A neighboring church can be found named the Church of the Pater Noster. This church is significant as it's the place that Jesus taught his disciples of the Lord's Prayer. As is told within the bible, Jesus stood and wept over the destruction of Jerusalem as he stood on the Dominus Flevit, another vital part of our tour. As we move onto the next part of the tour we'll visit the Church of All Nations where stationed adjacent to this is the Garden of Gethsemane, famous for being where Jesus was arrested the evening of his crucifixion. Moving onto the Old City, we'll be able to see the Pools of Bethesda on our way before stopping at the Church of Saint Anne and the Convent of the Sisters of Zion. To finish our tour, we'll walk the same footsteps that Jesus took as he carried his cross through Jerusalem, the walk now named the Via Dolorosa before we head back