New Jerusalem & Bethlehem History & Faith Tour

We begin the day with a visit to Ein Karem, a town in the hill country of Judah. Here, we will visit the Church of the Visitation, where the newly pregnant Virgin Mary met her cousin Elizabeth, who was already in the later stages of her pregnancy with John the Baptist, and prayed the Magnificat.

Next, we head to the Church of St. John in the mountains, believed to be the birthplace of John the Baptist and the place where St. Joseph first recited the Benedictus.

From there, we make our way to the Israel Museum, where we will see a model of Jerusalem as it appeared in 66 AD, just before the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans. We will also visit the Shrine of the Book, which houses parts of the original Dead Sea Scrolls, and take a brief tour through the museum’s archaeological section.

Next, we travel to the West Bank city of Bethlehem. We begin by visiting the Shepherds' Field, where the Annunciation to the shepherds about the birth of Jesus took place. Our final stop is Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, the sacred site where Jesus was born and laid in the manger. We will also visit the exact location of His birth.

The tour concludes with a drive back to Jerusalem.

Key Sites: 

✔️Ein Karem ✔️Church of Visitation ✔️St. John baHarim Church ✔️Israel Museum ✔️Bethlehem ✔️Shepherds Field ✔️Manger Square ✔️Church of Nativity