Jerusalem and Belen from Ashdod and Haifa

Group size:

  • Date: select
  • Duration: 10 hours
  • PRIVATE

Pick up by our guide/coordinator at the port and departure to the city of Jerusalem.

Our first visit will take us to the Mount of Olives, according to the Bible, the place where Jesus frequently prayed. It is considered one of the holiest places in the Holy Land, at its feet is the Gethsemane garden, where Jesus prayed with his disciples after the last supper, before being arrested for the betrayal of Judas.

From there we will have a panoramic view, it is an excellent place for photos with the perspective of the old city and from where we can see many churches, including the Basilica of Nations.

Once we descend from the Mount of Olives we will go to the old city and we will be able to contemplate in all its splendor (exterior visit) the Basilica of the Nations or the Agony.
Inside is the portion of rock where, according to tradition, Jesus prayed on the night of his arrest. The basilica rests on the foundations of two previous temples, a Byzantine basilica from the 4th century and a Crusader chapel from the 12th century, although the works on the current building were carried out between 1919 and 1924 using funds from different countries (hence its name of nations) whose symbols appear on the ceiling mosaics in memory of their contribution to the construction.

We will go to the hill of Mount Zion, the highest point of ancient Jerusalem, dominated by the Church of the Dormition, the place is identified in Christian tradition as the place where the Virgin Mary died, or "fell asleep", as suggests the name and the Cenacle (in the context of Christianity) the place where, according to the New Testament, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper of his life with the apostles, before dying on the cross.

We will enter the old city through the Zion Gate, we will walk through the Armenian Quarter to the Jerusalem Cardo, the main street of ancient Roman cities, which stretched from north to south and was lined with a row of columns on each side. The Jerusalem Cardo begins at Damascus Gate in the north and crosses the city south to the Zion Gate area. The main street of the Cardo is 12 m. wide, there are columns on both sides of the street and it was the main thoroughfare in Byzantine times.
We will reach the western wall or Kotel, the Wailing Wall, the holiest place in Judaism, a vestige of the Temple of Jerusalem, the most important sanctuary in the kingdom of Judah until its destruction in 70 AD. C. From the square we will contemplate its three most monumental buildings: the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain.

We will follow the Via Dolorosa on the one hand until we reach the Church of the Holy Sepulcher or Basilica of the Resurrection enjoying the many markets of the old city. The church contains, according to traditions dating back to at least the fourth century, two holy sites in Christianity: the place where Jesus Christ was crucified and the empty tomb of Jesus, where he was buried and rose again.

Free time for lunch and departure to the city of Belen.

We will walk through Manger Square to the Basilica of the Nativity, one of the oldest Christian temples in use. It was built over the cave, better known as the Bethlehem portal, where it is traditionally believed that Jesus of Nazareth was born. From the sides of the altar of the basilica there are some winding stairs that lead to the Grotto of the Nativity, an underground cave to the church itself where Jesus was born, a small and narrow place almost rectangular in shape framed by irregular walls of natural rock , which during the Byzantine era were covered with marble. To the right of the altar in this grotto is the place where the Manger is believed to have been. A 14-pointed silver star marks the exact spot, in front of which there is a small altar dedicated to the Three Wise Men.

We will pass by the small Chapel of the Armenian Kings and we will go to the Church of the Crusaders.

To end our visit to Bethlehem, we will arrive at the entrance to Campo de los Pastores, a fenced enclosure with a wide path that runs through the park on the hill between trees and flowers that clearly evoke the place where the Angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of the Savior. Its fountain and the Church of the Shepherds stand out, decorated with precious frescoes that represent different scenes from the life of Jesus.

Return to the port for the farewell.

Request form

Send request

Top destinations

Helsinki,
Finland

Tallinn,
Estonia

Riga,
Latvia

Klaipeda,
Lithuania

Oslo,
Norway

Stocholm,
Sweden

Berlin,
Germany

Copenhagen,
Denmark

Bergen,
Norway

Barcelona,
Spain

Rome,
Italy

Marseille,
France

Lisbon,
Portugal

View
More