JERUSALEM 73ºF - 73ºF

Welcome to Europamundo! Upon arriving at the airport, we will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Check the information boards in the hotel reception area for details of the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travelers.

JERUSALEM 73ºF - 73ºF

Breakfast. Excursion to visit the New City of Jerusalem, seeing the Shrine of the Book in the Museum of Israel, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed, and the model that represents the city of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. We will go through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, then going toward Ein Karen, a picturesque neighborhood on the outskirts of the city to visit the Shrine of Saint John the Baptist. We will also see Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum and Memorial. In the afternoon, we will travel to BETHLEHEM, located behind the wall built in recent years to separate the two communities. We will take a Palestinian guide to visit the Church of the Nativity, the Grotto of the Manger and the Shepherds’ Field. Return to Jerusalem and accommodation.

JERUSALEM 73ºF - 73ºF

We include a visit to the old city of Jerusalem. Excursion by Mount Scopus toward the Mount of Olives. There is an extraordinary view of the walled Holy City from the top. We then continue to Gethsemane, the Basilica of the Agony. Departure toward the Old City. Visit to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall). We will continue along the Via Dolorosa to arrive at Calvary, the place where Christ was crucified, and to see the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We then go onward to Mount Zion to visit the Tomb of King David, the Cenacle (Hall of the Last Supper) and the Abbey of the Dormition. Accommodation in Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM 73ºF - 73ºF - RIVER JORDAN - MOUNT OF BEATITUDES - TABGHA 70ºF - 73ºF - CAPERNAUM - NAZARETH 64ºF - 68ºF

Breakfast. Departure from Jerusalem through the Judean desert. We will travel north through the Jordan River Valley, skirt the oasis of Jericho, in the distance we can see the Mount of Temptation and the Dead Sea. We will visit the Mount of Beatitudes, where "The Sermon on the Mount" took place, TABGHA, the place of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and CAPERNAUM, where the House of St. Peter and the ruins of the ancient Synagogue are located. At the end of the day, boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. We will continue to NAZARETH. Dinner included. Accommodation.

NAZARETH 64ºF - 68ºF

Breakfast. We will start the day with the visit of Nazareth where we will visit the Church of the Annunciation, the Carpentry of Saint Joseph, and the Fountain of the Virgin. We will continue to the MOUNT OF THE PRECIPICE, from where we can admire a beautiful panoramic view of Nazareth and its surroundings. We continue to visit MAGDALA, where we will see remains of the town and its synagogue and visit the modern church. We will end the day with a visit to CANA OF GALILEE, where took place the first miracle of Jesus. Return to Nazareth. Dinner included. Accommodation.

NAZARETH 64ºF - 68ºF - ROSH HANIKRA 68ºF - 72ºF - HAIFA 68ºF - 72ºF - CESAREA 45ºF - 48ºF - TEL AVIV 66ºF - 73ºF

Breakfast. Departure to Rosh Hanikra to see the border with Lebanon and descend by cable car to the grottoes. After that we stop in HAIFA, the third largest city in Israel, and its main port; on the slopes of Mount Carmel, where the Grotto of the Prophet Elijah is located and where we will contemplate the Bahai Temple and its Persian Gardens and have a panoramic view of the city and the port. Later, visit of CESAREA, a city built in honor of the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. We continue our journey to Yaffo, the old port of Israel, today an artists´ quarter. Visit to the Church of Saint Peter. Arrival in TEL AVIV. Accommodation.

TEL AVIV 66ºF - 73ºF

Breakfast. We include a visit to the city of Tel Aviv. We will pass by its modern Port, the elegant Rotschlid Avenue, the Mann Auditory, Nahalat Binyamin Street, the Dizengof House and the Hall of Independence, the Bialik House and the Meir Garden. We will take a walk through the White City, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, where we will enjoy its Bauhaus-style buildings. A stop at the lively Sarona Market before continuing to the Neve Tzedek ward, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city with its oriental architecture and recent restoration works. We will also visit the Florentine ward that has become a center of the bohemian lifestyle. We will walk through the beautiful streets of this neighborhood with its peculiar restaurants, cafes, and markets. We will get to know the impressive street art scene that exists here. Return to the hotel and accommodation.

TEL AVIV 66ºF - 73ºF - QUMRAN - JERICHO 73ºF - 79ºF - JERUSALEM 73ºF - 73ºF

Departure to the east of Israel, towards the Judean Desert and Palestinian Lands. Visit of QUMRAN where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Later, departure to JERICHO, the oldest city in the world with its extensive biblical legacy. Climb by funicular to the Monastery of Temptation. Accompanied by a monk, we will visit the cave where Jesus spent those 40 days and 40 nights avoiding the temptations of the Devil. Later we will visit the archaeological site of Tel es Sultan or Tel Jericho, the ancient city and a World Heritage Site by Unesco, as well as the Palace of Hisham, from the Umayyad period. Back in Jerusalem, we will visit NABI MUSA, for Muslims the place where Moses is buried. Our next stop will be at KHAN AL-HATRURI (INN OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN) where the remains of a monastery commemorate the place of the much-loved biblical parable and where today some beautiful Byzantine mosaics are preserved. Arrival in Jerusalem at the end of the day. Accommodation.

JERUSALEM 73ºF - 73ºF - EILAT 70ºF - 70ºF - SAINT CATHERINE 81ºF - 81ºF

After breakfast we leave for the south of Israel. We will skirt the Dead Sea and traverse the beautiful landscapes of the Negev Desert. Arrival at EILAT, a modern and touristic city with its excellent beaches. A relaxing time for lunch and walking. After lunch departure to the border of EGYPT. Passage to Sinai, on our route we photograph the island of the pharaoh with the powerful fortress of Saladin. Continuation to SAINT CATHERINE -Arrival, dinner included and accommodation. NOTE: In the passage from Israel to Egypt, entry / exit taxes must be paid by the traveler in the different countries. Israel: 32 $ (exit tax), Egypt: Entrance fee to Taba: 25$, Entry visa: 45$ (which is actually 25$ visa + 20$ processing fee)

SAINT CATHERINE 81ºF - 81ºF - MOSES WELL - CAIRO 70ºF - 70ºF

At the foot of Mount Sinai, we visit the impressive walled monastery of SAINT CATHERINE. According to tradition, this is where Moses saw “the Burning Bush that burned without being consumed”. The monastery, which is a sacred place for Jews, Christians and Muslims, belongs to the Orthodox Church and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We then continue on through the Sinai Desert’s picturesque landscapes. Lunch included in route. Stop at the WELL OF MOSES, a biblical site that looks like a small oasis. We will leave Sinai through the tunnel under the SUEZ CANAL. Arrival in CAIRO at the end of the afternoon. Accommodation.

CAIRO 70ºF - 70ºF

Full day visit where we explore the famous Pyramids of Cheops, Kefren and Micerinos (tickets to go inside the pyramids are not included), and also the impressive Sphinx, which is sculpted from rock. Visit to the Egyptian Museum with its ancient art and where the treasure of the Lost Tomb of Tutankhamen is kept. Lunch included. Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. We will take a walk through the Coptic neighborhood where we visit the Hanging Church built above a Roman fortress.

CAIRO 70ºF - 70ºF - WADI EL NATRUN - ALEXANDRIA 73ºF - 73ºF

We leave Cairo, traveling to the WADI NATRUM region, an area known for its Coptic monasteries since thousands of Christians who were fleeing in the fourth century from Roman persecutions, settled in the area. The monasteries, fortified because of the attacks suffered in different historical periods, are places that receive the visit of many pilgrims and will allow us to discover their traditions. Coptic popes are chosen from among the monks of these monasteries. We will visit SAINT MACARIUS, founded in the year 360, where one of its monks will guide us through the enclosure. After that we visit the monastery of ANBA BISHOY, founded in the year 340, we access the fortified tower by a drawbridge. We will visit - also guided by a monk - the church, the refectory and the fortress, where several Coptic Popes are buried. Time to stroll through the lively area and also visit the huge new cathedral. We continue our route to ALEXANDRIA, arrival in this port city with over 5 million inhabitants. Lunch included. We visit this afternoon the great QAITBEY fortress, built in 1480 on a narrow peninsula where the Hellenistic lighthouse was located, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. After that, with the bus we travel the cornice, chaotic, noisy, commercial or elegant, depending on the areas. Free time. Accommodation.

ALEXANDRIA 73ºF - 73ºF - ROSSETA - CAIRO 70ºF - 70ºF

We continue our visit of ALEXANDRIA, entering the impressive CATACOMBS KOM ASH SHUQQAFA, the largest Roman cemetery in Egypt, surprising the fusion of Pharaonic and Greco-Roman style. From here we will walk with our guide between narrow, commercial and bustling alleys to the COLUMN OF POMPEY, an immense column of 30 meters high that rises on the ruins of a temple. After that, we will stop to photograph externally the new LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA, inaugurated in 2002 with a very modern architecture that reminds us that this city, in the third century BC, was one of the greatest centers of knowledge dissemination in ancient times. The Library of Alexandria at that time guarded more than half a million papyrus. Lunch included and continuation of our route to ROSETTA. In this small city, very close to the mouth of one of the tributaries of the Nile, the Rosetta Stone was found, just over a meter high, which was key to deciphering the hieroglyphic writing of the Egyptians since it contains the same text written in hieroglyphics, demotic and ancient Greek. We can see a replica of the Rosetta Stone in the fortress of Rashid, located a short distance away, in a picturesque small village of streets full of local life and with numerous fishing boats of multiple colors on the banks of the Nile.After that we visit Rosetta, a pleasant small town next to the Nile, we will walk through the center seeing (externally) the old Ottoman houses with their brick and wood architecture. We will also include a boat trip on the Nile to admire the views and activity of the fishing boats in the area. We return to CAIRO.- Arrival at the end of the day.NOTE: The fortress of Rashid is not very visited, sometimes it can be closed (in that case we will see it externally and walk through the picturesque village of fishermen and farmers)

CAIRO 70ºF - 70ºF

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and end of our services.