The Jesus Trail – Israeli Tours

From Jesus’ birthplace in Nazareth to Mount Precipice, the Jesus Trail is a 40-mile-long hike that follows the journey of the Savior through Galilee. Since its creation in 2009, the Jesus Trail has become a popular tourist attraction not only for Christians, but for travelers from all corners of the world. If you are consider tour to Israel, you definitely should visit the trail.

The Jesus Trail starts in the town of Nazareth, where Virgin Mary learned she would bear the Son of God, and where Jesus had his childhood home. There are several noteworthy churches in the town, including the Church of the Annunciation, whose shrine is said to date back to the 4^th century AD. Another place worth seeing in the area is the village of Nazareth, where visitors can see how life in Nazareth was like in the first century AD.

The trail continues with the city of Zippori (also known as Sepphoris), which was still being built when Jesus had passed through it. In the vicinity you can admire the beautiful Sepphoris National Park, before reaching Canna, where, on the site where Jesus is said to have turned water into wine, the modern town of Kfar Kana awaits you.

The trail meets the ancient Roman road that connected Acre and Tiberias, and soon after you will reach the world’s largest maker of synagogue furniture, Kibbutz Lavi. The next stop is  on the outskirts of Tiberians, in the Horns of Hattin, the battleground of a major battle in the 12^th century, in which the Crusaders were defeated by Saladin. Also in the area, at the base of the Horns of Hattin to be more precise, you will find Nebi Shu’eib, where the Tomb of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, is located.

The next stop will be the town of Migdal, which lies where the hometown of Mary Magdalene had once been. Although the ruins are not open to the public, you may admire through a wrought iron gate the remnants of a synagogue and a Byzantine mosque. The Sea of Galilee is not far. After admiring the largest freshwater lake in Israel, most travelers venture off the trail to the Yigal Allon Center at Kibbutz Ginosar, where the Jesus Boat is on display, that is, the remnants of a 1^st century AD fishing vessel.

Another important site on the trail is St. Peter’s Primacy, a Franciscan church that marks the spot where Jesus made Peter the leader of his church. The next-to-last stop is the village of Capernaum, known to have been Jesus’ home during his ministry in Galilee.

Finally, the Jesus Trail ends on Mount Precipice, believed by many to be the site of the Rejection of Jesus, when the people of Nazareth, not accepting Jesus as Messiah, attempted to throw him off a cliff. However, he ‘passed through the midst of them and went away’.

The Jesus Trail provides a wonderful hiking experience that lasts several days, being an excellent adventure not only for Christians, but for any hiking enthusiast. If you would like to follow the Jesus trail, we can help you create the right itinerary for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would be delighted to help you.