Plan your biblical trip to Israel

How the planner works

You enter the number of days in the country, what interests you, the pace that suits you and whether you accept stops in the West Bank. The planner first keeps the must-see places of your themes, then adds stops as long as the trip fits in the number of days chosen. It then sorts the stops in a logical driving order, from north to south, and splits them into days.

Each day shows its stops, the indicative visit time, the travel time from the previous stop and a suggested town for the night. Day one starts at Ben Gurion Airport. You can then save the programme to My tour to edit, print or share it, or to receive it by e-mail.

About forty places across the country

• Jerusalem: the Western Wall, Mount Moriah, the City of David, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives, Mount Zion and the Israel Museum.
• Judea and the Negev: Bethlehem, Herodium, Hebron, the Valley of Elah, Beit Guvrin–Maresha, Lachish, Beersheba and Arad.
• Dead Sea and Jordan Valley: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Mount Sodom, the baptism site (Qasr al-Yahud) and Jericho.
• Samaria: Shechem, Bethel, Shiloh and Dothan.
• Galilee and the North: Nazareth, Mount Tabor, Capernaum, Tabgha, Magdala, Megiddo, Hazor, Tel Dan, Banias and Beit She'an, and on the coast Jaffa, Caesarea Maritima and Mount Carmel.

Four themes refine the selection: the Patriarchs; judges, kings and prophets; the Second Temple period; and Jesus and the Gospels. When a place has a detailed page, its name links to it. All place pages are gathered in Biblical places.

Pace, driving times and overnight stays

The pace sets the time spent each day on visits and driving: about 5.5 hours at a relaxed pace, 7.5 hours at a balanced pace and 9.5 hours at an intensive pace. Driving times are estimated from the distance between sites. They are only a guide: check them with Waze or Google Maps, especially at rush hour and around Jerusalem. The suggested overnight stay is the town with accommodation closest to the last stop of the day.

Sites in the West Bank

Several major biblical places are in the West Bank. The planner lets you choose: every site, only the easy-access sites on the main roads, such as Qumran, Herodium, Shiloh and the baptism site, or none. Bethlehem, Jericho, Hebron, Shechem, Bethel and Dothan require you to check access conditions before you go. Some areas are closed to Israeli citizens.

Getting your programme by e-mail

Below the programme, a form sends it to you by e-mail, with links to the place pages and to Google Maps for each stop. We ask for your name, e-mail, phone number and country. This information is used to send you the programme and we receive a copy. The same form unlocks PDF export and sharing. You only receive our travel tips if you tick the box provided.

Check before you go

• Opening hours, prices and access conditions change often. Check them on the place page and with the official site.
• Many sites close early on Fridays and stay closed on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Others, such as churches, have their own hours.
• Start early: the heat is strong for much of the year and many sites offer little shade.
• Wear clothes covering shoulders and knees for places of worship.