Jerusalem and Bethlehem

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 the 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 in the cracks between the huge stones of 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 the 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.