JERUSALEM -MOUNT OF OLIVES & OLD CITY
In the Footsteps of Jesus
Jerusalem is the traditional place of Jesus' passion, burial and resurrection.
We start our tour on the Mount of Olives, from where we enjoy a wonderful view of the Temple Mount and the Old City of Jerusalem. Then we descend along the Palm Sunday Path to the Dominus Flevit Church . At the foot of the Mount of Olives, we visit the Garden of Gethsemane with its ancient olive trees, where Jesus was captured and today the Basilica of Agony, also known as the Church of All Nations, can be seen.
Then we cross the Kidron Valley and climb up to the Lion Gate, through which we enter the busy Old City of Jerusalem. We visit St. Anne's Church, the best preserved church from the time of the Crusaders with the birth grotto of Mary, as well as the Bethesda Pools, where Jesus did a miracle.
We continue along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus' Way of the Cross. On our walk we pass the Austrian hospice, the oldest Christian guesthouse in the Old City. Then we continue our tour along the Via Dolorosa until we reach the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with Golgotha and the Tomb of Jesus.
After that we stroll through the colorful market in the old city, along the Cardo of the once Roman city and wander through the Jewish quarter with the famous Hurva Synagogue.
Finally we reach the world-famous Western Wall or Wailing Wall. Here at the Kotel, the holiest place in Judaism, Jews from all over the world gather for prayer. You too can write your own personal wish or prayer to God on a small piece of paper and stick it in the 2000 year old cracks in this ancient wall, remains of the retaining walls of the ancient Jewish Temple.
In the afternoon we visit Mount Zion, where the Last Supper Room, King David's Tomb and the Dormition Abbey are located. According to tradition, Jesus mother Mary is said to have fallen into an eternal sleep at the site of the Dormition Abbey. Then we walk through the Armenian quarter to the Jaffa Gate, where our tour ends.
Duration: Full day tour, approx. 7-8 hours