Itinerary

1. Jerusalem and Bethlehem Private Tour

   Meet your tour guide, and below you will find some of the many attractions in Jerusalem and Bethlehem from which you can create your own one day tour.

   • Travelling from Mount Olives to see the ancient Jewish cemetery, we can see the Old City and the Temple Mount, where the First Temple, built by King Solomon, and the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, once stood. Below is the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. In the Kidron Valley, also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, are the monumental ancient Jewish burial tombs, including Yad Avshalom, Beni Hazir and perhaps Zechariah.

   • Travel to Mount Zion, the Dormition Church where, some belief, Mary was assumed to heaven; the Coenaculum, traditional Room of the Last Supper, which is also perhaps where the disciples met after the ascension of Jesus to heaven and the Tomb of David, a large cenotaph covered with a drape on which are embroidered various attributes of King David including the lyre he played, a crown and the words "David, King of Israel lives forever" in Hebrew.

   • Enter the Old City through the Zion gate and pass the Armenian Quarter and, in its center, the Church of St. James. Continue along the excavated Byzantine Cardo, the fifteen hundred-year-old main streets of Jerusalem, which were partially destroyed and unused during the Muslim conquest but had a brief new lease of life during the Crusader period. The excavated Crusader shops are now modern stores.

   • Visit Kotel, the Western Wall, which is part of a two thousand year old supporting wall built by King Herod when he enlarged the Temple Mount area was enlarged. Then, proceed to the Via Dolorosa and follow the Stations of the Cross, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the church built over the place of the crucifixion of Jesus and the burial tomb. Originally built in the Byzantine period, it was partially destroyed during the Persians and Moslem conquests and then rebuilt and slightly altered by the Crusaders.

   • Stroll through the market alleys before continuing to Bethlehem. Alternative sites in the Old City include the Church of St. Anne, the Lithostratos at the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, the Herodian House in the Jewish Quarter, the Church of Peter Gallicantu on Mount Zion, the Citadel Museum and the Tower of David.

   • Cross over into Bethlehem (passports needed) after a short drive, and meet a local guide. A short walk across Manger Square brings us to the well-preserved Byzantine Church of the Nativity. The original Byzantine mosaic floor is revealed through trapdoors in the later floor. Unlike most churches in the Holy Land, the Church of Nativity was not destroyed by the Persian and Muslim conquerors, but the entrance is lowered, forcing us to crouch as we enter.

   • Travel to the Grotto of the Nativity, and see the star indicating the place of birth. Opposite is the Manger and the altar dedicated to the three Wise Men. Both the Church and Grotto are Orthodox.

   • Pass the small Armenian Chapel of the Kings (Magi) and enter the Crusader Church dedicated to St. Catherine. Here, in the grotto which adjoins the Grotto of the Nativity but is separated from it, is where St. Jerome translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate.

   • Stop at the tent-shaped chapel in the Shepherd's Fields and enjoy the panels depicting scenes from the early life of Jesus.

   • See the Field of Ruth is where Ruth the Moabite, daughter-in-law of Naomi, great grandmother of King David, gleaned in the fields of Boaz.