Winery Program

Depart USA

Meeting and assistance on arrival at Ben Gurion airport by Holyland Gateway tours representatives.
Transfer to Jerusalem and in the evening a briefing on the program.
Dinner and overnight Jerusalem

We start the day with a visit of the Latrun Winery, Carmisan.  Meeting with the monks directing this unusual winery and discussion with Monks in charge of the wine groves.

Return to Jerusalem

• We will ascend the Mount of Olives.
• Descend to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent the last night before he was arrested.
• Visit the Church of All Nations..
• Walk along the Palm Sunday Way and visit the chapel of Dominus Flevit (Luke 19:41-44).
• Visit the archaeological excavation site of the City of David.
• We will visit the Southern Steps at Davidson Center and the Western Wailing Wall and the Rabbinical Tunnel (upon availability of the CRO).

Follow the footsteps of Jesus along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of Holy Sepulchre. Through the Christian Quarter to the Jaffa Gate and back to our hotel for dinner and overnight Jerusalem.

Drive today to the  Flam Winery in the Eshtaol valley or to the Carei Yosef Winery (Bravdo), a boutique winery, which has won worldwide recognition.

Return to Jerusalem visiting the New city of Jerusalem

• Drive to visit Ein Karem, believed to be birth place of St. John the Baptist, for a Biblical Lunch.
• On to Israel Museum and visit the Scale Model of Jerusalem and the Shrine of the Book. End the day at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem

Qumran – Dead Sea – Massada – Jerusalem

• After breakfast depart our hotel and drive to Qumran, where the 2000 years old Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
• Drive along the shore of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi is an Oasis on the Dead Sea Near the 200 meter high waterfall is a cave where David had his famous meeting with King Saul. (1 Samuel 24: 1-23). A walk around the reserve confirms that Ein Gedi is one of the most beautiful nature reserves in the world.
• Drive to Massada. Ascend Massada by cable car. Massada is the site of the most dramatic act in Jewish history. Explore the ancient excavation of Herod’s Palaces, bathhouse, the storerooms, the Ramp, and the oldest synagogue in the world.
• Time to float on the Dead Sea.

Overnight Jerusalem

Leave Jerusalem  via the Jordan Valley to Beit Shean.

• Visit the excavations of a winery from the Roman Times and the Recent excavations there have discovered the impressive ruins of the country’s largest city in the Roman and Byzantine periods, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 CE.
• Proceed to the Sea of Galilee and visit Capernaum the place where Jesus recruited the first of disciples. Visit the excavation of the ancient synagogue and the house of St. Peter.  .

On to Tabgah, site of the multiplication (Feeding of 5000; Mark > 6).

• Visit Mount Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12).
• Have boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
• Visit the ancient Boat museum from Jesus’ time.

Dinner and overnight Tiberias hotel or in a Kibbutz Guesthouse

Drive to Katzrin, the capital of the Golan Heights. Visit the modern winery of Yarden and Gamla wines, which have won first prize in various European wine tastings in the last few years.

Meeting with the management of the winery and lectures.

Drive to the Banias, site of the ancient Caesarea Philippe. It is here that Peter made his confession of faith in Jesus

Return to Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Drive to Nazareth for a short visit and the church of Annunciation. Continue to Haifa to Zichron Yaakov and visit the Baron Rothchild’s winery.  Meet local wine growers.

Proceed via Caesarea the ancient Roman port to Netanya.

Possible evening entertainment and folklore inside Zichron Yaakov wine cellars.

Dinner and overnight Tel Aviv or Netanya

In the morning drive to Tel Aviv for a short visit of Tel Aviv and Old Jaffa. Transfer to Ben Gurion airport for departure home