HOLY CITIES & JORDAN

After your arrival in the capital of the Holy Land, you will meet the driver who will welcome you at Ben Gurion airport and guide you to our private air-conditioned vehicle where you will be transfered to the hotel in Tel Aviv.

Also called the White City, Tel Aviv, which in Hebrew literally means "the hill (Tel) of spring (Aviv)", was founded in 1906 by the Jewish inhabitants of Jaffa, which it surpassed due to its rapid growth, to the point of merging into a single municipality in 1950. Today Tel Aviv is the center of the country's global economy and is also considered the cultural capital of Israel due to its cosmopolitan and modern character. With its excellent beaches, cafes, luxury shops and secular lifestyle, it annually receives many people who not only visit the country for religious tourism.

At the hotel, you will check in and the rest of the day will be to relax and start enjoying the hotel's amenities.

Greca Tip: Tel Aviv has a wide gastronomy but if you want to try street food we recommend you visit the Carmelo market.

After a delicious breakfast you will start the tour to the coastal cities of Israel.

You will drive through the city of Tel Aviv and to continue towards the north of Israel, you will take Via Maris, one of the three main commercial routes of Israel to reach the ancient Caesarea Maritima (ancient Roman colony) on the shores of the Mediterranean, here you will visit the Roman Theater, the Wall of the Fortress of the Crusaders and the Roman Aqueduct.

Continuing your route to Haifa you will climb Mount Carmel, which means garden in Arabic, recognized by the apparition of the Virgin of Carmen and where the prophet Elias' grotto is located to contemplate the Bahai Temple and its Persian Gardens, then you will have a panoramic view from the city of Haifa and its port.

You will continue with the itinerary approaching the border with Lebanon in Rosh Hanikra and descending in the cable car to the caves.

You will end the journey back to Tel Aviv making the last stop in Acre where you can see the medieval fortifications, the port and the Jezzar Pasha Mosque.

You will return to your hotel where you will stay.

Greca Tip: The Rosh Hanikra cable car is the shortest and steepest in the world.

After a tasty buffet breakfast at your hotel, you will go out with your guide to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.

You will start the tour along the coastal road and you will deviate a bit to pass through the Armageddon valley, here you will see the ruins of Meggido, considered a World Heritage Site by Unesco, then you will continue towards Mount Precipice and finally arrive at Nazareth where you will visit the Basilica of the Annunciation here, according to tradition, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Christ. You will visit the remains of what is supposed to be the house where Maria lived. Afterwards, you will go to the Church of San José, the place where the scriptures locate the carpentry workshop that the Jesús family ran.

After visiting Nazareth, you will head towards the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee. In the old fishing village of Capernaum you will visit the house of Peter, the first Pope in history. Skirting the coast you will arrive at Tabgha, the place where the Bible places the miracle of the loaves and fish.

Your next destination will be Tiberias, where you will have free time to relax on its promenade, have a drink and shop. The last stop will be at Yardenit, the place on the banks of the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. Later when you begin the return to Jerusalem you will pass through Mount Tabor where the Transfiguration took place.

After this wonderful tour you will be taken back at sunset to your hotel in Tel Aviv where you will stay.

Greca Tip: Don't forget to bring your well-charged camera or a portable charger.

After a tasty breakfast at the hotel, at the indicated time you will be picked up to begin the excursion to the Judean desert. The first place you will visit is the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found, then you will visit the ancient fort of Masada, the last fortification of the Jews in the fight against the Romans, which you will ascend by cable car. In 40 B.C. Once Judea was controlled and after having sheltered his family there, Herod fortified Masada to defend himself against the Egyptians. You will be able to enjoy the excavations of Herod's Palace, the Synagogue and the Aqueduct, as well as the views of the Roman Field.

Next you will go to the Dead Sea, where the saltiest waters on the planet are found, also known for being the region of Sodom in the Bible. You will have free time to bathe in its waters.

Finally you will return to your hotel in Jerusalem.

Greca Tip: In the Dead Sea, avoid getting salt in your eyes, wear flip-flops so as not to damage your feet, high-factor sun protection, and a hat.

After a delicious breakfast, you will go out with your guide to begin the tour to the Holy City of Jerusalem.

You will begin the tour by going up to the Mount of Olives, an exceptional viewpoint from which you can admire the Old City in all its splendor, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Basilica of Agony and the Kidron Valley.

You will enter the old city through the Armenian quarter passing through the Dormition Abbey to admire its incredible zodiac mosaic, one of the best preserved in Jerusalem.

You will continue the tour of the Jewish quarter where you will visit the Byzantine cardo with its spectacular mosaic of the map of Jerusalem, later you will visit the Wailing Wall, the only preserved remains of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Romans. One of the traditions is to leave a paper with your wishes in the cracks in the wall. You will also see on the back of the wall, the Dome of the Rock, a holy place for Islam.

You will tour the Christian quarter and you will approach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the point where Jesus was crucified, according to the scriptures. In addition, you will follow his footprints on the path he walked towards the cross along the Via Dolorosa.

After learning about the ancient history of the city, you will get ready at your next stop to see the modern area, where you will contemplate the architecture of the Parliament of Israel, the Knesset and visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum to review the episodes of the most recent history. .

After a journey of approximately 9 hours, you will be back to the collection point after enjoying this wonderful excursion.

Important: On holidays, Yad Vashem is replaced with a visit to Ein Karem in the southwestern part of Jerusalem, traditionally
Known as the birthplace of John the Baptist. You will stop at the Spring of Mary and continue to the Church of San Juan el Bautista.

Greca Tip: Remember to wear modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head covering are required for visiting holy sites.

After a wonderful breakfast at your hotel, you will have the rest of the day free add an optional tour or to explore the city and fill yourselves with spirituality within its streets with more than three thousand years of history.

Some of the places that we recommend you to visit in this beautiful city are the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, located on the other side of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, this being the first archaeological museum in the Middle East built in 1938.

The Wohl Museum, is an archaeological site of more than 2000 years of an old aristocratic neighborhood of Jerusalem.

The Israel Museum, where we can see the oldest biblical documents found to date, the Dead Sea Scrolls.

At the end of the day you can return to the hotel where you will stay.

Greca Tip: Avoid leaving your belongings far from you, a package would only alter the security of the place.

After a delicious breakfast buffet. Exit from Jerusalem to the Sheikh Hussein border to enter Jordan. Once the corresponding border procedures have been completed, you will continue to Jerash, a city of the Decapolis, located 45 km away. north of Amman in the fertile heights of Gilead.

Visit the ancient Roman city and its streets adorned with columns, the ancient theater, the baths located on the top of the hill, the triumphal arch, etc.

You will continue your tour to Amman, the capital of Jordan, where you will make a brief panoramic tour of the city of Amman, its most important avenues, the Citadel, the urban center and the Roman Theater.

Arrival in Amman and overnight at your hotel.

Greca Tip: In Sheikh Hussein, luggage and/or personal belongings can be checked, so we must bear in mind that it is forbidden to enter Jordanian territory with "Jewish objects" such as tallit and tefillin, among other items with religious symbols.

After a tasty breakfast at the hotel you will setting off to Wadi Musa, the nearest town to the Pink City, you will approach Petra via a narrow gorge or "Siq" flanked by high rock cliffs, you can enter on foot or on horseback as merchants did thousands of years ago when it was a strategic stopover on an ancient and important trade route in the region. 

Petra a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the seven wonders of the modern world and the setting for the famous movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Created on pink rock more than 2000 years ago and rediscovered to the world in 1812. Mounted on the backs of beautiful horses you will go from the main entrance to the narrow gorge, and from there on foot to the Treasury (the most famous building in Petra). You will visit the Theater, the Royal Tombs, the Altar of the Sacrifice and the Street of the Columns. Petra is one of the Places that you must visit at least once in your life.

After the excursion you will go to your hotel for accommodation.

Greca Tip: Don't forget to bring extra batteries for your camera to last you the whole day.

After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, you will visit the Orthodox Church of Saint George, where you can see the first mosaic map of Palestine. You will continue to Mount Nebo, where you will be impressed by the immense views offered over Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. This is the last place visited by Moses and an important place at that, as he could simply gaze at the promised land but not reach it. 

you will continue your rout to Jerusalem crossing the famous Allenby Bridge, also known as King Hussein Bridge. This bridge is over the Jordan River and connects Israel and Jordan, it is the point designated for the entry and exit of Palestinians residing in the West Bank to access either of these two countries.

Once in Israel you will arrive at the hotel stay and have the rest of the day free in Jerusalem.

Greca Tip: Don't forget your sunglasses and a good cap or hat.

After a generous breakfast in the hotel and, at the time indicated, you will be transferred to Tel Aviv airport to board your international flight.

From all of us here at Greca Travel, we wish you a safe journey! We hope to see you again soon to help create yet more wonderful moments that will be lovingly etched in your memory forever.

Good trip! Or, as you will say: "neesiá tova".

Greca Tip: The better souvenirs from Israel will always be the religious ones.