2-Day Israel Tour from Jerusalem: Caesarea, Acre, Haifa and Nazareth

Day 1: Jerusalem – Caesarea – Acre – Mizra

Leave Jerusalem and travel along Israel’s Mediterranean coast to your first destination of the day: Caesarea. The town is lavished with architectural remains from the Crusader period when Emperor Caesar gave the town to King Herod as a gift. Hear of the town under his rule on a walking tour and stop for photos in front of Caesarea’s old Roman theater; it’s said to be one of the largest amphitheaters built during the Roman era.

After a break for lunch (own expense), continue to Haifa for a walk around Baha’i Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Stacked into the hillside of Mount Carmel, the terraced gardens were built around the Shrine of the Báb–a lavish domed building where the founder of the Bábism faith is buried.

Continue by coach to Rosh Hanikra, a geological formation of limestone grottos that zigzag along the coast. Stretch your legs on a guided stroll through the maze of caves, and pose for photos by the blue pools of water that appear around every turn.

Your final stop of the day is in Acre, a UNESCO-listed town with impressive city walls. Look around on a walking tour, and then travel to your kibbutz guesthouse to relax overnight.

Overnight: Nof tavor kibbutz in Mizra

Day 2: Mizra – Nazareth – Yarendit (B)

After breakfast, leave Mizra and travel to Nazareth. The holy city, nestled into the Galilean Hills, is home to one of the most important shrines in Christianity–the Church of the Annunciation–where the Angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to the Virgin Mary.

Head inside the basilica, and learn of the site’s significance as a Christian pilgrimage destination while admiring the architecture. Another sacred site–St Joseph’s Church–is nearby, so stroll over to it next with your guide. Built on the ground where Joseph of Nazareth’s carpentry workshop is said to have stood, the church is fascinating to explore with a network of crypts beneath its main prayer hall.

After walking around the church with your guide, leave Nazareth and continue through the village of Cafa for a photo stop at the Church of the Multiplication on the Sea of Galilee. It was here that one of the New Testament’s famous parables – the feeding of the 5,000 – took place.

Continue around the foot of Mount Beatitudes to the ancient fishing village of Capernaum, and see the ruins of Jesus’ much-celebrated synagogue on a walk with your guide. Stop for lunch (own expense) and then travel toward the Jordan River.

Stop at the baptismal site of Yarendit, to walk along its sacred river banks and learn about the baptismal rituals that take place at the water’s edge. If you want to want to get baptized, simply speak to your guide to see if it can be arranged during the stop. After, return to your coach and travel back to Jerusalem where your tour finishes.