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Small Group Excursion to Nazareth & Galilee

Head out on a small group excursion to Nazareth and Galilee on this tour from the Haifa Port. Enjoy panoramic views of the Baha’i Gardens and visit the Church of the Annunciation. Gaze out at the majestic Sea of Galilee and stop by a local kibbutz.

Begin from the port of Haifa and meet your guide before heading out on your excusion. Join a small group of 6 to 16 people for the drive to Nazareth and the Galilee. We specialize in shore excursions for cruise passengers and know the importance of being on time for the start and end of the tour.

Take in a panoramic view of the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa and visit the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Discover the Jordan River and watch as it winds its way down through Israel. Stop by a kibbutz and watch the guests working and relaxing. Gaze in awe at the Mount of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee, and many other sites before heading back to your cruise ship.

Discover Secrets of Nazareth with a Local

We will start by a short briefing on our beloved city and enter the St. Gabriel Church to discover this unique ancient shrine and will drink from the authentic Mary’s well.
Then proceed to towards the old city and make various stops in local bakeries, spices shops, carpentries, goldsmith shops, cultural corners, oriental sweets & café’s, art shops, souvenirs, antiques shops, ancient luxury houses, religious shrines, and most important …

Visit the House of Virgin Mary, where the story of Christianity began. We will stand before the archeological site where Nazareth of Jesus was located and also visit the house and workshop of St. Joseph.

You will have the opportunity to meet people and exchange life stories and get to know how they struggle with their living. And do not forget to get your camera ready to take shots in each and every corner. These pictures will become a “teaser” for your friends and complement your memory as you go back home.

Church of the Annunciation

The Church of the Annunciation, sometimes referred to as the Basilica of the Annunciation, is a Catholic church in Nazareth, in northern Israel. It was established over what Catholic tradition holds to be the site of the house of the Virgin Mary, and where the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus – an event known as the Annunciation.

Another tradition, based on the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, holds that this event commenced while Mary was drawing water from a local spring in Nazareth, and the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation was erected at that alternate site.

Under Canon Law, the church enjoys the status of a minor basilica. A historically significant site, considered sacred within some circles of Christianity, particularly Catholicism, the basilica attracts many Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox Christian visitors every year.

Mary’s Well

Mary’s Well is the place where, according to Catholic tradition, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary announcing that she would bear the Son of God. The spring and its water are considered holy by both Muslims and Christians, and earlier generations attributed unusual healing properties to it.

The spring begins in a cave thirty meters north of the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. Originally, the public well was located next to the small pool that is now inside the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. After the church was established, local people were barred from using the well and a replacement was built in the shape of a public water trough, to which the water was channeled from the church. The water was also used by farmers to irrigate their fields.

For many centuries the public water trough was a meeting place for the city’s residents and passers-by. Older residents recall it as being one of the most vibrant places in Nazareth. Mary’s Well is a site of religious, historical and cultural importance; the water trough and the large tree next to it have become the city’s symbol and are used as the City Council’s logo.

Synagogue Church

The Synagogue Church is a small Christian church in the heart of Nazareth known by this name due to a tradition claiming that this is the location where the village synagogue stood in Jesus’ time. Above its doorway is an embedded sign in Arabic and English: “Synagogue.” The structure is administered by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

In 570, an Italian visitor described Nazareth’s synagogue, and reported that the original Bible was still there, including the bench where Jesus used to sit. The floor of the Synagogue Church is sunken about 1.5 meters underground, possibly built atop a Crusader church dating from the 12th century. The church was under the control of the Franciscans until the 18th century, when the ruler Zahir al-Umar passed it to the Greek Catholics. In 1887, the Melkite Greek Catholic parish church of the Annunciation was built adjacent to the Synagogue Church.

According to Christian tradition, the church is built on the ruins of the ancient Nazareth synagogue where Jesus studied and prayed. In addition, it is where one Sabbath day Jesus went to preach. In two Gospels (Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-6), his fellow townspeople became angry with him. Because he was one of them, they did not trust him to have the authority to preach in that way and to perform miracles. He was amazed at their lack of faith and concluded that a prophet is not honoured in his own home town.

In Luke 4:14-30, the account differs: there, Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1,2 and the worshippers are pleased. But he tells them that prophets are called to do their work in foreign places rather than at home, because they are not accepted in their own home town. In doing this, he also implicitly declares himself as the Messiah. This sermon infuriates the listeners, who drag him to a cliff to throw him over, but he simply walks through the crowd and leaves.

Little is known of the years Jesus spent in Nazareth, leading scholars to describe this time as “the hidden life” or “the silent years”. It is thus all the more significant for Christian visitors to find a lone place where such silence is broken – the Synagogue Church.

Image attribution:
Ori~, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

Nazareth Village

Set on the outskirts of old Nazareth, the Nazareth Village is built on ancient agricultural land that boasts the area’s last remaining first-century wine press. The original farm has been restored with its ancient wine press, terraces, irrigation system and stone quarry, and exact replicas of first-century houses, a synagogue, a watchtower, mikveh and olive presses have been carefully constructed using the original building methods and materials.

Together, these elements form the Nazareth Village, an authentic first-century farm and archaeologically accurate re-creation of the hometown of Jesus with real ties to the life and time of His friends, family and fellow Nazarenes. Nazareth Village is an open-air museum in Nazareth, Israel, that reconstructs and reenacts village life in the Galilee in the time of Jesus.

The village features houses, terraced fields, wine and olive presses all built to resemble those that would have been in a Galilee village in the 1st century. Muslim and Christian living history enactors dress in period costume and show visitors how farm, domestic, and craft work was performed two thousand years ago.

Pilgrims to the Holy Land typically only see the dead stones of ancient ruins, but the geographical and cultural nuances of Jesus’ teaching are often crucial to understanding their full meaning. At Nazareth Village, bible scenes are brought to life by “villagers” who populate the farm and houses, living and working with the same type of clothing, pottery, tools and methods that Mary and Jesus would have used. Gifted and knowledgeable guides lead visitors through a living representation of the parables of Jesus within their original context before offering the opportunity to seal the experience with an authentic biblical meal.

As part of the Nazareth Trust, which runs the nearby Nazareth Hospital, Nazareth Village is a not-for-profit organisation that covers most operations through entrance fees and gift shop sales. However, it welcomes contributions to cover programmes for children, biblical and archaeology courses, and especially the ongoing preservation and development of the Nazareth Village site.

Arthur Koll

Arthur Koll is a resident of Ein Kerem and leads tours in the Ein Kerem and Jerusalem regions. He is the former Deputy Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he concluded his service as the head of the Media and Public Affairs Division. He is also a former Ambassador of Israel to the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro and served as instructor of the National Defense College. Mr. Koll also served as Consul of the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, USA and as Director of Projects for the Central Europe & Eurasia Division. He earned a BA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an MA in Political Science from the University of Haifa with distinction and is a former Instructor at the Israel National Defense College.

Yosef Hummus

Yosef Hummus was born in Pardes Hanna as a tiny hummus shop at the entrance to Yosef’s family’s spice store; it had just three tables but lots of love! About a decade ago, the hummus restaurant moved to the new location where it is to this day. Our chickpeas are served hot and ground fresh in front of customers, served with a variety of toppings, special salads, and original home-made dishes born from crowd requests. Yosef’s menu also has vegans and gluten-free options.

Cooking has always been Yosef’s greatest pleasure, but his greatest love was making hummus. Cooking and entertaining accompanied him all his life and even as a young child, at his parents’ house, the door was always open to anyone who just wanted to come. In the kitchen, which was everyone’s meeting place, the smells were amazing, as special dishes were always prepared, and around the small table, friends and guests gathered daily, enjoying every bite and the special atmosphere.

After the army Yosef studied engineering, industry and management at the Ruppin Academic Center. He financed his studies from his job as a cook, but upon graduation he quit his job in the kitchen and began working as an employee in the sales field for several years. One day, when he returned from a routine visit to one of his clients, Yosef had a not-so-simple car accident, which sidelined him for six months. Yoseph fought and went through a long rehabilitation process, and at the end he felt it was time to do what he really loved. So he decided to leave the sales field and return to work as a full-time cook. Soon, thanks to the perseverance, determination and managerial authority he demonstrated, Yosef progressed to the managerial role as chef of several restaurants in Caesarea, while enriching his knowledge and culinary experience. After a few years a number of investors, who were very attached to Yosef’s tastes and creativity, approached him with an offer to open restaurants overseas.

After a short time abroad, Yosef returned to Israel, as the option to move with his family overseas was not possible. Therefore, upon his return, Yosef decided to take the opportunity and embark on an independent journey. He opened a small hummus shop in front of his family’s spice shop in Pardes Hanna. The concept of the little hummus spot was that all the food is made in front of the customer’s eyes, meaning what you see is what you eat, and the food is served hot and fresh. The rumor about the delicious chickpeas and homemade dishes spread by word of mouth, and many people, even from far areas, flocked to the place. With the success, came a demand to open more branches and additional shops were opened in cities such as Caesarea, Ramat Aviv, Givatayim, and Holon.

Port Cafe

Something special, pleasant and relaxing is created from the combination of the beach, impressive history and an up-to-date culinary institution. In Port Cafe you can find a rare combination of these figures in a good and young atmosphere, a rich and varied chef’s menu, an amazing view and of course a kind and warm attitude. The sea waves that are seen from the windows of the cafe as they shatter to the remains of the ancient port of Caesarea, simulate the delicate combination and balance that the place maintains – a bustling encounter between ancient culture and new culture, an encounter between Mediterranean cuisine and up-to-date dishes and fine coffee.

Port Cafe is a kosher cafe, located on the beach at the restoration site of the ancient port of Caesarea, an intriguing meeting place for tourists, casual guests and lovers of fine and delicious food. This is a cafe where the highest quality coffee is served, from a mixture of five different varieties of the Arabic type, which have been carefully selected.

Palogi

Palogi is a family restaurant that highlights Italian cuisine and is strongly influenced by the Mediterranean. The Paloge family, originally from Jerusalem, launched the restaurant in 2009. In charge of the old building’s restoration was Itamar, the son, who’s a graduate of Bezalel Art College, and Aryeh, the father of the family. Heading the kitchen is Shaul, Itamar’s brother, who has chalked up experience in several restaurants in Israel and Italy; he acquired his culinary education, among others, in Florence and Tuscany. Shaul’s tremendous love for Italian cuisine is obvious.

He has assembled a menu starring Italian classics alongside creative dishes using local and Mediterranean ingredients. The restaurant’s desserts are also Italian-inspired, and diners can enjoy a meticulously prepared tiramisu, or a Middle Eastern knafeh filled with mascarpone cream. The cosy and cheerful restaurant is open for business lunches and elegant dinners, and the atmosphere changes throughout the day – with colourful ceramic tables at lunchtime, and snowy white tablecloths when night falls. A deli menu is served in the intimate bar on the top floor, offering smoked and pickled fish, carefully chosen cheeses, and a cocktail and spirits menu. It’s the perfect setting for a romantic evening for two, or a get-together with friends. Both the restaurant and bar are suitable for private events and celebrations. A special menu is available for children, featuring everything kids love to eat – just prepared by a chef. In the eucalyptus grove by the restaurant there’s a small playground, purpose-built for young customers, and it’s a great place to run and play while Mum and Dad enjoy their meal.

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