Friday, September 20

We will board our transatlantic flight to Israel!

Saturday, September 21

The team will arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel in the morning. We will then drive north to northern Galilee to Mount Precipice just outside Nazareth to enjoy the panoramic view of Nazareth and Galilee. Afterwards, we will drive into Nazareth and see The Basilica of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38) where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Our next stop will be a visit to the village of Cana to see the location of the wedding, where Jesus performed His first miracle of changing water into wine (John 2:1–11). We will end the day at a wonderful hotel for dinner and rest near the Sea of Galilee.

Overnight: Sea of Galilee

Sunday, September 22

After breakfast, we will drive to the Mount of Beatitudes to see the place from which Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–12). Afterwards, we will continue to the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee to Tabgha to the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish, where Jesus fed the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:13–21). Next, we will go to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter where, according to John 21:1–19, Jesus appeared to his disciples for the third time after His resurrection and said to Peter, “Feed my sheep.” Our next point on the tour is to drive to the north side of the lake to visit Capernaum, “Jesus’ hometown”. In Capernaum, we will see the remains of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house along with remains of the houses of the fishermen and the ruins of an ancient synagogue from that time period. Then we will continue further to the northeast side of the lake to visit Bethsaida to see the remains of the 2,000-year-old hometown of Peter, Andrew and Philip, also the place where Jesus healed the blind man (Mark 8:22–26). We will then head south along the east side of the lake, we will pass Kursi, the site believed to be where Jesus healed the demon-possessed man (Luke 8:26–39). To end our long day of tours around the Sea of Galilee we will all enjoy a relaxing boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We will drive back to the hotel for dinner and time to rest for the evening.

Overnight: Sea of Galilee

Monday, September 23

After breakfast we will say goodbye to the Sea of Galilee and drive south along the Jordan Valley to Quser El Yahud, and visit the baptismal site on the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13–17). We will then continue on to Jericho, the oldest and the lowest city in the world. On the site of this ancient Canaanite city we will see the most prominent place in Jericho, Tel Jericho, and learn about Joshua and the fall of Jericho (Joshua 5:13–15; 6:1–27). Approximately 5km northwest of Jericho, with a spectacular view of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, is the Mount of Temptation where Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days (Luke 4:1–13). Afterwards, we will continue to the center of Jericho and see Zacchaeus’s Sycamore Tree where Jesus spoke to him: “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:1–10). Our final stretch of the day will take us up to Jerusalem, as we drive along the ancient 2,000-year-old Jericho-Jerusalem road and visit the Good Samaritan Inn (Luke 10:25–37). Before we reach Jerusalem, we will visit the sites of Bethany and Bethphage. Once we reach the top of the Mount of Olives, we will be able to enjoy the stunning panoramic view of Jerusalem. On our descent from the mountain, we will walk the Palm Sunday route that goes from top of the Mt. of Olives down to the Dominus Flevit Church (Luke 19:41-44), and then to the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane to see the 2,000-year-old olive trees, the place of the Agony of Jesus (Luke 22:39–53) and the Church of all Nations. That evening we will wrap up the day with a refreshing dinner at our next hotel, this time in Jerusalem.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Tuesday September 24

We will start the day with an energizing breakfast and then hit the road by driving south to Manger Square in Bethlehem and visit the Basilica of the Nativity to see the place where Jesus was born (Luke 2:1–7). We will continue on to the Church of Saint Catherine and see the house of Saint Jerome who lived in Bethlehem 1,600 years ago and the place where he made the first translation of the Bible from Greek into Latin. After leaving Bethlehem, the tour will take us back to Jerusalem to Mount Zion to visit the traditional Upper Room where Jesus had the last supper with His disciples (Luke 22:7–38) before His crucifixion, and then visit the traditional King David’s Tomb. We will continue by foot into the Old City of Jerusalem where we will see the most holy place in the world for the Jews—the Western Wall. During our afternoon within the Old City walls we will see the remains of the 2,000-year-old pools where Jesus healed the man who was a paralytic for thirty-eight years (John 5:1–14) at Bethesda, then continue to Ecce Homo to visit the place where Jesus was condemned to death, mocked, humiliated and forced to carry the cross to His death (Matthew 27:11–32). From there, we will walk outside the Old City gates to the Garden Tomb and see the Hill of Calvary (Golgotha) where He was crucified, suffered and died on the cross (Matthew 27:33–52).

Overnight: Jerusalem

Wednesday, September 25

After breakfast we will say goodbye to Jerusalem and drive west to the coastline to Old Jaffa and walk around the old city and the ancient port from where Jonah tried to escape to Tarshish (Jonah 1–4). There we will learn about the stories of Aeneas and Dorcas (Acts 9:32–40) and Cornelius’ calling to Peter and Peter’s vision from God (Acts 10:1–23). Following, we will head north up the gorgeous coastline to Caesarea Maritima and enjoy the ancient, beautiful Roman port city built by King Herod 2,000 years ago. At the port we will see the remains of the 2,000-year-old theatre, Herod’s palace and stadium, and continue to study about Peter and Cornelius at Caesarea (Acts 10:24–48). We will also discuss the conversion of Saul (also known as Paul, the Apostle) as recounted in Acts 9:1–19, before going on to the port from which he sailed to Greece for his ministry there. At noon we will drive to Ben-Gurion Airport, say goodbye to Israel, and fly to Greece where we will be received and transported to our hotel for dinner and a relaxing end to the day.

Overnight: Thessaloniki

Thursday, September 26

Once we finish our morning breakfast at the hotel in Thessaloniki we will drive to Kavala and then to Philippi. Kavala was the port of Philippi. Paul passed through with Silas on his way from Asia Minor to Philippi. The city was visited by the Apostle Paul. From the Acts of the Apostles and the letter to the Philippians, early Christians concluded that Paul had founded their community. We will explore the ruins of the ancient sites such as the forum, market, basilica and theatre. In Philippi, Paul preached his first evangelical sermon and baptized the first Christians in Europe. You will see both the “baptismal” site where Lydia was baptized as the first European woman and the crypt where Paul was imprisoned. To end the day, we will return to Thessaloniki to enjoy an evening meal before returning to our hotel rooms for the night.

Overnight: Thessaloniki

Friday, September 27

After breakfast at the hotel we start our day with a short tour of the city of Thessaloniki. We will continue our day with a drive to Veria where you will see the church of Apostle Paul and the “Vima of Apostle Paul” mural made of marble. This church is believed to be the location in which Paul preached to the people for many days after leaving Thessaloniki. We will progress onwards to the ancient town of Vergina and to the royal tombs, one of them being the tomb of Alexander the Great’s father. We will end our day by driving to our next hotel in Kalambaka for dinner and a good night’s rest.

Overnight: Kalambaka

Saturday, September 28

After breakfast, we will say goodbye to Kalambaka and drive to Meteora, where we will visit the breathtaking rock tower monasteries of the 11th century! Among other monasteries that we will tour, the Great Meteoron Monastery of Varlaam was founded in the 16th century and is located on top of a 1,224-foot cliff! At the Monastery of Saint Stephen, also built on the cliffs of Meteora, we will admire a small treasure trove of Byzantine and Christian items at a museum located within the wall of the monastery. After lunch we will start our drive to Delphi, the hometown of the famous oracle. In antiquity, Delphi was one of the most important religious centers. The city was built above the gorge of the Pleistos River against the backdrop of Mount Parnassus, attracting hordes of pilgrims who once came to consult the oracle of Delphi. Our tour through Delphi will take us to the agora, or marketplace, the first stop along the Sacred Way, the main road that winds through the lavish complex of ancient ruins at Delphi. Along this path, we will see the remains of the “treasuries” of the Athenians, a bouleterion, the Tripod of Plataea, the Temple of Apollo, a stadium and the museum—all structures still standing from the time of the Romans. We will then check-in at our hotel before going out to dinner at a local tavern.

Overnight: Delphi

Sunday, September 29

After a late breakfast, we will continue our tour to the amazing city of Athens, where we will have a tour of the city. Our final stop will be at the Acropolis museum. We will then check-in to our hotel Athens. In the evening we will have dinner at an amazing tavern and enjoy live bozuki music and Greek cultural life in the Plaka neighborhood.

Overnight: Athens

Monday, September 30

We will start our day with a fresh Greek breakfast and continue our journey by visiting the Acropolis and the “Areopagus” where Paul stood and preached to the Athenians. We will continue on by driving to ancient Corinth, one of Paul’s most beloved cities, the town that inspired two of Paul’s letters. In the evening, we will have dinner at a local tavern before turning in to our hotel for the night.

Overnight: Athens

Tuesday, October 1

In the morning, we will head to the airport for our flight back home.

Tour Cost:

• Full Tour Package price is
• $4,220 (Flights from Newark)
• $4,520 (Flights from LAX)
• Ground-only price is $3,020 (Passengers responsible to arrange and pay for their own air travel)
• Price is for double room occupancy. If you wish to have a single room, an extra $750 is required by the hotels.

The price includes:

• Roundtrip airfare from EWR or LAX — This does not apply to Ground Only travelers
• All airport taxes and fuel surcharges are included at the time of printing. There could be additional fuel surcharges once flights are booked. This does not apply to Ground Only travelers
• Four night’s hotel accommodation in Israel on half board basis (breakfast & dinner)
• Six night’s hotel accommodation in Greece on half board basis (breakfast & dinner)
• One-way Aegean Airlines/Olympic Air flight from Tel Aviv to Thessaloniki (Taxes included) Including Ground-Only travelers
• Entrance fees to all sites and attractions as per itinerary
• English-speaking tour guide
• First-class air-conditioned tourist coach bus
• Tips to tour guide, and bus driver
• Tips to hotel staff

Not included in the price:

• Lunches
• Travel and cancellation insurance (highly recommended)
• Health Insurance (highly recommended)
• Any type of personal expenses
• Required travel documents (Passport, etc.)

Reservation and Payment:

• Your reservation form along with a non-refundable reservation fee of $500, due by May 10, 2019, reserves your spot on the tour and is applied to the tour package of your choice.
• All final payments are due by July 10, 2019
• Send reservation fee, signed reservation form, and all payments to:

Hope for Israel

925 N.Courtenay Pkwy, Suite 19

Merritt Island, FL 32953-4559, USA

• Contact the HFI office (281-258-6707) for information on credit card payment option
• Your reservation is complete once we have received both your reservation form and your reservation fee
• Please make checks payable to Hope for Israel, and put “Greece Tour” in the memo section
• Inquiries and information can be obtained at info@toursofhope.net or by telephone: (281) 258-6707

Space is limited – first come, first served!