The Holy Land, at your pace

Who this is for

Christian and other non-Jewish travellers with a long-held connection to the Holy Land — individuals, families, and church or fellowship groups — who want a trip designed around what they actually came for.

The places most people come for

Every trip is built individually, so there is no fixed circuit. But there are places almost everyone asks for, and it helps to see them grouped the way a trip actually moves rather than as a list.

Jerusalem

Most of a Holy Land trip lives here. We walk sections of the Via Dolorosa and go into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, usually approaching through the Christian Quarter after the Roman Cardo, so the city arrives in the order it was built. The Mount of Olives is where we go for the view across the Old City and the Temple Mount — it is the photograph everyone has seen, and it is worth standing in. At the foot of it is the Garden of Gethsemane, with olive trees old enough to be worth a long pause, and the Church of All Nations beside it.

The Western Wall and the tunnels running beneath it are a short walk away, and the Tower of David museum lays out three thousand years of the city in one visit if you want the whole arc before you start.

Bethlehem

The Church of the Nativity, and the reason many people came in the first place.

One practical thing to know in advance rather than discover on the day: Bethlehem sits under Palestinian Authority control, so there is a crossing, and the guiding is handed over to a Palestinian colleague on the other side. We arrange all of it. It is a normal part of a Holy Land trip and not a complication — it is simply different from every other day, and people prefer to be told.

The Galilee

Nazareth and the Basilica of the Annunciation, then north to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which can be crossed by boat — the version most people picture before they arrive.

Capernaum sits on that shore: the remains of the synagogue and the house held to be Peter's, in the town where much of the ministry happened. A few minutes above it is the Mount of Beatitudes, looking back down over the lake, which is where the Sermon on the Mount is remembered and where most groups find the pace of the trip finally drops.

The Jordan

We take groups to the baptismal site on the Jordan River, and which one depends on where you are that day — Yardenit, near where the river leaves the Sea of Galilee, or Qasr al-Yahud in the Jordan Valley, the traditional site nearer Jericho. If a baptism or a renewal of vows matters to your group, tell us early and we will build the day around it rather than fitting it in.

Along the way

Caesarea on the coast is usually somewhere in the route — the Roman amphitheatre, the harbour and the aqueduct, and the place Paul was held before he was sent to Rome. And most itineraries build toward the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea at the end: Masada, the springs and waterfalls at Ein Gedi, and floating in the Dead Sea itself.

Travelling as a church or fellowship group

Congregations, fellowships and church groups travel with us the same way any community group does: one person organises, we handle everything from the airport onward, and the itinerary is built around what your group actually wants rather than a fixed route.

We are well used to groups where the practical needs are as important as the itinerary — meals, pace, the physical demands of a given day — and to building a week that works for a congregation with a wide age range in it.

If your group travels with its own pastor, priest or minister, tell us early and we will build the days around that. Guiding at the sites themselves is done by a guide licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism — that is a legal requirement here rather than a preference of ours — but leading your own people in prayer, a reading or a service is a different thing from guiding, and the itinerary can leave proper room and time for it rather than squeezing it between two coach departures.

Combining sites across traditions

Most itineraries here move between sites that matter to more than one faith. Planning them well is mostly a question of timing, dress, and knowing which days and hours to avoid.

Before you travel we send a packing list built around your season, with the dress requirements for the specific holy sites on your itinerary. Outside those sites Israel has no dress code to speak of — wear whatever you are comfortable in.

We are reachable Sunday to Friday, 7am to noon Eastern, and on WhatsApp.

Common questions

Is it safe to travel to Israel right now?

Israel's situation changes, so the honest answer is to check your own government's current travel advice before you book. We are not going to tell you it is safe on our own authority. What we can tell you is what we do about it: every hotel, site and restaurant we work with has a safe room, which is not something every operator checks for. And we are here. If something happens while you are in the country, you are not phoning an office in another time zone — we live here, and we will be with you.

Who runs the trips on the ground in Israel?

We do. MY Travel is based in Israel and contracts the hotels, the transport and the guides ourselves, rather than handing your trip to a local operator and stepping back. Every guide you travel with is licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, which is a legal requirement here rather than a courtesy. And Madison meets groups at the airport and travels with them, so the person who planned your trip is the person you see when something needs changing.

How far in advance should we start planning?

Whenever suits you. We have planned trips two years ahead and we have planned them a month out. One practical thing worth knowing: airline tickets usually only go on sale about ten months before the travel date, so if flights matter to your budget, that is the point at which you can actually book them.

What is not included in the trip?

International flights are not included — you book those yourself. Travel insurance is not included either, and we would push you to arrange it before you fly. Personal spending stays yours: gifts, anything you buy, and anything you decide to add once you are here. Meals vary from trip to trip rather than following a fixed rule, so the itinerary we send you spells out exactly which ones are covered instead of leaving you to work it out at the table.

All frequently asked questions