Join Father Viktor Perez in the Pilgrimage to the Rome – Holy Land & Egypt (January 15-30, 2024
Join Father Viktor Perez in the Pilgrimage to the Rome – Holy Land & Egypt -16- days, 14 Nights From January 15-30 of 2024
START TIME
01/15/2024
END TIME
01/30/2024
PRICE
$3890 Double Room/ $4450 Single Room
INCLUDED
- Airline Ticket- Round trip Flights
- Accommodation at 4-star hotels
- Two Meals per day (Breakfast and Dinner)
- Transportation in Deluxe Motorcoaches with Air Condition
- Professional Tour Guide all through
- Handling of luggage at the Hotels.
- Daily Mass at all Holy sites
NOT INCLUDED
- Transpiration to and from airport in USA
- Travel Insurance (Optional)
- Tips
- Alcoholic Drinks
ITINERARY
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January 15: USA – ROME
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January 16: ROME
Arrive at FCO Airport. Meet by an English-speaking tour escort, assist and transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
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January 17: PAPAL AUDIENCE – THE VATICAN MUSEUMS – ST. PETER BASILICA (only on Wednesdays)
Buffet breakfast. In the morning transfer to St. Peter’s Square to participate in the traditional Papal Audience. Free time. In the afternoon we start with the Vatican Museums, Pigna Square, the Galleries of Roman Busts, the Candelabra, the Tapestries, and the World Map Gallery. Then to the Immaculate Room, the Sistine Chapel with the Universal Judgment of Michael Angelo, the interiors of the Basilica of St. Peter with the statue of LA PIETA. The tour ends at Piazza St. Peter.
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January 18: THE GREAT BASILICAS OF ROME – ANCIENT CITY
After breakfast, visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and St. John Lateran: The Cathedral of Rome and the Holy Steps (Santa Scale). Continue to visit St. Paul outside the walls and some of the catacombs near Via Apia.
In the afternoon, drive by bus to view some of the monuments of Rome such as Vittorio Emmanuelle and the Coliseum. Then take a walk to visit the famous Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Square. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
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January 19: ROME- TEL AVIV:
Breakfast, and in due time transfer to Rome International Airport to board your flight to Tel Aviv. Arrive to Tel Aviv Airport, Meet, assist, and transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
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January 20: CANA – NAZARETH – HAIFA
After breakfast, leave for Cana of Galilee: the place of the first miracle of Jesus. Continue to Nazareth and start a walking tour from Mary’s Fountain till the Basilica of the Annunciation for a visit to Mary’s House, the Upper Basilica, the Museum, and the Church of the Holy Family.
In the afternoon, leave for Haifa, capital of the industry and the major port. Ascend to Mount Carmel passing by the Persian Gardens of the Bahai sect. Visit the Church of Stella Maris, the
birthplace of the Carmelite Order, which contains a natural grotto of the Prophet Elijah. Back to your hotel in Nazareth for dinner and overnight.
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January 21: TIBERIAS - THE SEA OF GALILEE – MOUNT TABOR
After breakfast, leave to Mount of Beatitudes to recall the Sermon of the Mountain. Continue to Tabgha (Heptapegon) for a visit to the Church of the Multiplication of Fish and Loaves, admiring the well conserved Byzantine mosaic from the fifth century. Then visit the small chapel of the Primacy of St. Peter before heading to Capernaum, the Town of Jesus for a detailed visit of its ruins: the remains of the House of Peter, the “Insula Sacra” and the White Synagogue. Then, you will experience a boat ride crossing along the Sea of Galilee.
In the afternoon, ascend to Mount Tabor and visit the Basilica of the Transfiguration, built of on the ruins of two earlier sanctuaries: Byzantine and Crusader. Back to your hotel in Nazareth for dinner and overnight.
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January 22: JORDAN VALLEY – JERICHO – DEAD SEA – QUMRAN – BETHLEHEM
After breakfast, drive through the Jordan Valley to Jericho, the oldest city in the world for a visit to Tel El-Sultan, the site of the biblical Jericho and view of Mount of Temptations. Visit River Jordan where we will have the opportunity to renew your baptismal vows Enjoy a bath in the salty waters of the Dead Sea.
In the afternoon, continue to Qumran for a visit to the ruins of the Essenes Monastery and view the Caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Then drive through the Judaean Desert, passing by the Good Samaritan Inn to Jerusalem for a first contact with the Holy City from Mount Scopus. Arrive to your selected hotel in Bethlehem for dinner and overnight.
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January 23: BETHLEHEM – NEW CITY OF JERUSALEM – EIN KAREM
After breakfast, starts a detailed visit to the Basilica of the Nativity: The Grotto of Nativity, the Manger, St. Catherine Church, St. Joseph and St. Jerome Chapels. Continue to the village of Beit Sahour to visit the Shepherds’ Field with the natural grottos and the remains of the Byzantine churches and monasteries.
In the afternoon, an orientation tour through the New City of Jerusalem. Visit the Model of Jerusalem from the 1st. century at the Israel Museum. Continue to Ein Karem for a visit to the Church of St. John the Baptist and the Visitation Chapel. Back to our hotel in Bethlehem for Dinner and overnight.
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January 24: MOUNT OF OLIVES AND MOUNT ZION
After breakfast, drive to Mount of Olives for a visit to the Ascension Chapel and then to Pater Noster Church. Walk down to the small Chapel of Dominus Flevit and enjoy a panoramic view of the Holy City with all its major shrines. Continue to the Garden of Gethsemane for a visit to the Church of Agony (called also of All Nations) and Mary’s Tomb in the Josaphat Valley.
In the afternoon, explore Mount of Zion: St. Peter in Gallicantu, David’s Tomb, the Last Supper Room (The Cenacle) and the Dormition Abbey. Then entering Zion’s Gate, walk through the Cardo Maximum and the Jewish Quarter to the Wailing Wall. Continue in a panoramic tour through the new city of Jerusalem for a visit to the Shrines of Ein Karem: The Visitation and St. John the Baptist churches. Back to your hotel in Bethlehem for dinner and overnight.
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January 25: OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the Lions’ Gate and enter the Old City for a visit to St. Anne Church and the Pool of Bethesda. Continue then walking through the Via Dolorosa (the Way of the Cross) to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher for a detailed visit to Mount Calvary, the Holy Tomb and St. Helen Chapel. Free afternoon for leisure and personal activities.
Farewell dinner at a typical restaurant, Folochlor Dancing.
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January 26: BETHLEHEM – TABA BORDER – SINAI
After breakfast, leave towards the south, crossing the Negev Desert to the Israeli-Egyptian border of Taba. Cross and meet with your Egyptian guide and representative. Continue to the city of Dahab at the Red Sea. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
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January 27: MOUNT SINAI – ST. CATHERINE MONASTERY – CAIRO
For those who are able to do it: at 01:00 am, you’ll meet our expert Bedouin guide to start ascending to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The Guide will help you climb the Sacred Mountain. Descend to your hotel for breakfast. Afterwards visit the famous Monastery of St. Catherine, unique in the world as it contains hundreds of ancient manuscripts and valuable treasures. We’ll continue our trip to Cairo (around five hours drive with a couple of stops). Dinner and overnight in your hotel.
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January 28: THE PYRAMIDS-ANCIENT AND CHRISTIAN CAIRO
Breakfast. At 08:00 in the morning Escorted by your Egyptologists you will visit the following sites: Pyramids: Embark on an unforgettable tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza built for the Pharaohs Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus. They were constructed about 2500 BC with blocks of limestone from the plateau and from the Turah hills on the outskirts of Cairo. The Great Pyramid of Cheops alone, the only present-day survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, required over 2,300,000 blocks of stone, each weighting about 2.5 tons. At its base, it covers 13 acres of land. Millions of visitors come each year to ponder the fascinating mystery of their existence and explore the ancient burial chambers within. Also, today your visit will enjoy the Islamic/Coptic visits together will visit first Old Cairo where in AD 98-177, the Roman Emperor Trajan built a military fortress on the site which later evolved into a Christian & Jewish enclave. Dating from the 5th century, Abu Serga is the oldest of its churches containing a crypt where Coptic tradition claims the Holy Family rested after fleeing from Herod, the remains also include Hanging church (El Mullaqa), a church built over the remains of the Roman gate, and end tour by visit St. George Church and Monastery, afterwards will explore the fascinating world of Islamic Cairo, including the 19th century Mosque of Mohammed Ali and the Citadel. This great Mosque of Mohamed Ali is one of the landmarks and tourist attractions of Cairo and is one of the first features to be seen when approaching the city from no matter which side. The Saladin Citadel is a medieval Islamic fortification in Cairo, it’s located on Mokattam hill near the center of Cairo, was once famous for its fresh breeze and grand views of the city. It is now a preserved historic site, with mosques and museums. Back to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
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January 29: CAIRO
Today visit the Egyptian Museum. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo contains the world’s most extensive collection of pharaonic antiquities; no visit to Egypt is complete without a trip through its galleries. The Museum of Antiquities where over 120,000 objects in its 107 halls – including the treasures of Tutankhamun (King Tut), after lunch visit The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is a large museum in the ancient city of Fustat, now part of Cairo, Egypt. The museum partially opened in February 2017 and will display a collection of 50,000 artefacts, presenting Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day. OVERNIGHT
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January 30: Cairo - USA
Breakfast, and in a due time transfer to Cairo International Airport to board your flight back to the USA.
PHOTOS
