Itinerary -- May 2027 Pilgrimage
The map at left will be changed soon to reflect the 2027 pilgrimage.
The Pilgrimage for May 2027 is overviewed below:
1. Living Stones Pilgrimage: We fly as a group, departing from Toronto in the afternoon of Wednesday, May 5, 2027. The non-stop flight arrives late-morning the next day, May 6. On arrival, we are met by our local guide and transfer to The Golan Hotel in Tiberias -- overlooking the Sea of Galilee. (On the way we stop for lunch.)
The Red Line on the map outlines some of our route through Israel and Palestine during the primary tour. On May 7 we begin touring. Each day we will visit Holy Sites in the Galilee region with time spent in Capernaum, Mount of the Beatitudes, Magdala, Nazareth, Cana, Mt. Tabor, Mt. Carmel, Tell Dan, Caesarea Philippi, and other sites in the north of Israel. We will sail on the Sea of Galilee.
Our breakfast and dinner each day at the hotel are buffet-style. (Israel breakfast buffets are legendary for their abundance and variety.) Daily lunches on tour are included. We have arrived at a great list of restaurants over the years such as at excellent restaurants such as the Holy Land Restaurant, Nazareth; Tanureen Migdal in Tiberias, and El Rawche in Upper Galilee and Bulghourji's in the Armenian Quarter, Jerusalem. We have preselected a Table d'hôte meal with choices so we don't waste time with menus and individual bills.
On May 11 we make our way south through toward Jerusalem. On the way we visit the amazing Roman ruins of Beth Shean, visit Caesarea Philippi and Emaus Nicopolis.
In Jerusalem we check into the Golden Walls Hotel which is 250 m from the Damascus Gate, across the street from the Old City. The Golden Walls will be our base for the rest of our pilgrimage. In Jerusalem we will ascend the Temple Mount and view the Dome of the Rock, walk the Via Dolorosa. We will worship on Sunday at St. George's Anglican Cathedral. We will experience the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Pool of Bethesda. We visit Mt. Zion and the High Priest Caiphus's house and the site of the Last Supper. Our Old City tour includes the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, encompassing the locations of Jesus crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
From Jerusalem we make day trips to visit Bethlehem, Ein Karen, the Judean Desert and Jordan River, Jericho, Hebron, and other sites in the surrounding region. On Tuesday May 18, 2027 the Living Stones Pilgrimage ends and some of our group will fly home to Toronto. Most of the group usually stays for the two extra days of the Jerusalem extension.
2. Jerusalem Extension: The idea behind our Jerusalem Extension is that once you are already in Jerusalem, the cost of staying on a few extra days is really quite nominal. There is so much to see in the ancient city of Jerusalem that you will be very glad you have extended your tour by a few days. We stay on at the Golden Walls Hotel where rooms, breakfast and dinner are provided. During the Jerusalem extension, you can shop, wander around the Old City at your own pace, or follow Archbishop David and Vicars as they continue to explore, albeit at a deliberately slower pace. We often visit the City of David, the Western Wall Tunnels, the Pool of Siloam, the Garden Tomb, and other significant sites in the Old City. We depart for Canada on May 20, 2027.
The lower per-day cost during the Jerusalem Extension is possible because during the extension days we have not booked a Motor-Coach, Driver, or local Tour guide. Everything is so close to the Golden Walls that we have no need of a bus. Vicars knows the Old City well and functions as our guide. For these three days lunch is not included either. Of course transportation to Ben Gurion Airport is provided.