Pray in the churches of the Nativity of Our Lady and the Holy Sepulcher, walk along Via Doloros (Road of Sorrow) to Calvary, pray at the Wailing Wall, visit the Garden of Gethsemane, see the most expensive cemetery, where the burial place costs millions of dollars - all this can be done if you go on a trip to Jerusalem.
And for this it is not necessary to be a true believer. Jerusalem is a shrine for those who profess Christianity, Judaism and Islam. But this city gives an unforgettable experience to an inveterate atheist. It is impossible to resist his magic.
In this article we will consider what tours to Jerusalem are. We will supplement our description with tourist tips and reviews and photos of the sights of the great ancient city.
What are the tours to Israel
The first thing that comes to mind is a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But from Moscow and other cities of Russia agencies organize quite secular excursion tours to Israel. Moreover, Jerusalem may not be the only point of the program.
Tourists are also offered a beach holiday in the Israeli resort of Eilat or recreation on the shores of the Dead Sea. And if you really want to visit all the iconic places of the Holy Land, you can buy a combined ticket, the program of which also includes a visit to Jordan, where John the Baptist baptized with water.
Not only from Russia (and other European countries) you can come to Jerusalem. If you bought a beach tour in Eilat, there you will probably be offered to visit the Holy City on a one- or two-day excursion.
And even in the Egyptian resorts of South Sinai (Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab and others), local travel agencies will seduce you with a trip to Jerusalem. Before you go on such a tour, think about its focus.
The route through Jerusalem will depend on this. Religion? History? Be that as it may, no one places you to combine excursions with a trip to the sea (at least the nearest, Mediterranean).
When is it best to go to Jerusalem
Summer in Israel is hot and long. Warm days can be found both in March and in November. Winter in Jerusalem is also extremely mild. The average temperature of the coldest month, January, is +12 degrees during the day and +6 at night.
If you go on a trip to Jerusalem in holy places (on your own or as part of a pilgrimage group), then you should remember that on any religious holidays, and especially in the common Christian Easter and Jewish Sukkot, the city is seething, like a disturbed anthill. Prices during this period rise to heaven.
Traveling on Saturday and during Jewish holidays can disappoint a tourist. After all, according to reviews, many services are then limited. Religion forbids the Jews to work on holidays, therefore, transport is less frequent, and most museums are closed.
The "high tourist season" in Jerusalem falls on July - August. Also a lot of people during the school holidays. But in winter (with the exception of the Christmas period) it is more comfortable to explore the city. Hotel prices are dropping, and crowds do not block sightseeing.
Pilgrimage to New Jerusalem
Many church communities in Russian cities offer trips to the Holy Land. But tourists warn: always get acquainted with the detailed program of such a pilgrimage.
Some travel agencies offer a trip to New Jerusalem from Moscow for just one and a half thousand rubles. Do not flatter yourself. New Jerusalem is not a city of paradise at all, as those who read the Revelation of John might think. This former name was taken by the former Moscow Regional Museum of Local Lore located in the city of Istra. A trip there also promises to be interesting and informative. During a bus tour, tourists visit the ancient city of Zvenigorod, where the Kremlin is preserved, and the ancient Savvino-Storozhevsky monastery. But it is still not Israel.
Also called "New Jerusalem" appears the spiritual and educational complex of traditional religions of Russia. It is located in Moscow, in the Otradnoye district.
In one of the camps of the Gulag, for some reason, bearing the nickname "New Jerusalem", Alexander Solzhenitsyn was serving his term. So always check with the tour operator where the tour is planned.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem from Moscow
From Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar - from which cities only Orthodox believers do not go to the Promised Land. Such tours are also organized by synagogues and Muslim centers. After all, Jerusalem is a city of three world religions.
Let's look at the program of the Orthodox tour, made from Moscow. It is designed for 8 days. After landing at Ben Gurion Airport, the pilgrims are brought to Emmaus, where Christ, after His resurrection, met the disciples Cleopas and Luke. Believers await the night liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. At 4 in the morning, pilgrims go to the hotel.
On the second day, a walking tour is planned, during which tourists will see the gates of the Old City - the Lions, the Golden and the Mercy, Bethesda (Sheep Font), where Christ healed the paralyzed, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, located on the site of the house of Joachim and Anna.
Pilgrims will pass the Dear Tribulation from Pretoria Pontius Pilate to Calvary, and also climb Mount Zion with its temples.
Holy places near Jerusalem
On the third day of their stay in Israel, the group will travel to Jaffa (ancient Jopia), Cana of Galilee and Nazareth. Pilgrims spend the night in Tiberias. The next day, a trip to Jerusalem in holy places will continue. Pilgrims will visit the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, Tabgha, Capernaum.
Bus excursions will end with an overnight stay at the Jerusalem Hotel. In the following days, pilgrims will travel to the Jordan River, to Jericho, see the desert, where Satan tempted Christ during His 40-day fast, Bethany, where the tomb of the resurrected Lazarus is located. They will also climb the Mount of Olives and see the site of the Ascension of Jesus.
A lot of time in the program is devoted to visiting Russian Orthodox monasteries in the Holy Land. The cost of such a pilgrimage trip starts from 44 thousand rubles.
It includes a flight to Israel, bus and walking tours, accommodation in tourist-class hotels or hostels at monasteries, breakfasts and dinners. You can buy a tour in the pilgrimage centers of the dioceses.
Secular trips to Israel
You don’t need to be a devout believer to see the holy places of Jerusalem. The program of a secular trip is no less intense. You will not need to participate in the all-night service and eat in the refectory monasteries. Yes, and you will live in hotels of a higher class.
But the cost of such a trip to Jerusalem from Moscow will be more expensive. The minimum duration of the tour is 5 days. If you take only breakfast in a three-star hotel, then such a trip will cost 31 thousand rubles. If we want to take the whole package of services, which includes accommodation in a 4 * hotel, meals on the All Inclusive system, then this will already cost from 100 thousand rubles a week.
At the same time, tourists are invited to explore the city themselves. Maybe this is for the best? Indeed, some people are interested in Jewish shrines, such as the Wailing Wall, and the tomb of King David, and the Golden Gate through which the Messiah is waiting, as well as Muslim mosques, especially Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Ascension Rock.
Atheists who went to Jerusalem for historical monuments will be interested to see the excavations at the site of Herod’s palace, to walk along the walls of the city that the Romans stormed, to explore the catacombs and sights dating back to the time of the Crusades to the Holy Land.
What you need to know for an independent traveler
If you're looking for affordable accommodation, head to the western part of Jerusalem. It appeared relatively recently, after the formation of the state of Israel. Accordingly, this is how new sights are found - the Knesset (Central Authority of the State), the Hadassah Hospital, Yad Vashem.
You can rent a five-star hotel room for three stars with breakfast in such an area for 23 thousand rubles. For the money in the eastern part of Jerusalem, you can only find a hostel. But you will not need to spend money on transport, and you can plunge into the magic of the ancient city.
Tour program
If you are afraid of an independent trip to Jerusalem, you can explore the sights of the city as part of a Russian-speaking group. The program of secular excursions is designed so that it is interesting to all participants, and not just Christian believers.
Here is a rough plan for such a tour. On the first day, the group makes a sightseeing bus and pedestrian excursion (the Olives, Temple, Zion Mountains, Gethsemane, the Wailing Wall, mosques Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa, the walls and gates of the city).
On the second day, participants of the tour are given free time. You can go to the Mediterranean Sea or order an optional excursion along the Road of Sorrow, to the Palace of the Viceroy with a trip to Bethlehem.
The next day, the tour participants travel through the Judean desert to the Dead Sea.
The fourth day of stay is devoted to the sights of Galilee (Nazareth, Cana, Tabgh, Capernaum).
The next day, sightseers visit Jaffa.
And finally, another day is allotted for independent exploration of the city. The cost of such a tour starts at 1,140 dollars (70,915 rubles).
To the Holy Land from Egypt
Vacationers in Sharm El Sheikh and other resorts of South Sinai have a very cheap opportunity to see all the sights of Israel in one day. Such a trip to Jerusalem is only 110 dollars (6,843 rubles) per person.
The bus picks up sightseers in the evening from their hotels. At night, the border is crossed, and in the morning tourists find themselves on the shores of the Dead Sea. Two hours are allotted for bathing and the purchase of healing cosmetics.
Then tourists will also have a bath in the Jordan River. In Jerusalem, the group is met by a Russian guide who conducts a city tour.