Haifa Nazareth and Galilee Excursion Reviews

Excellent port with fascinating attractions.

Provider: Independent Operator

Although not truly walking tours, they did involve a good deal of walking at specific points, particularly visiting various churches connected to religious aspects with a lot of time standing, and walking surfaces are not always even. In some places it is required to go up and down stairs which are often narrow and not even to complete the tour. Many of the churches and other sites may be poorly lit or very dark. Several locations have large crowds visiting.

Provider: Norwegian Cruise Line

A small group of just 21 of us so plenty of room on the bus. Visited the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth which is beautiful, unlike the town which is frankly shabby and rather dirty. Then to Galilee and firstly Tabgha followed by the Church of the Beatitudes at the supposed site of the Sermon on the Mount. Then to Capernaum where the church is built over the site of St. Peter's house. This for us was a highlight of the tour with a real sense of walking where Christ walked and no doubt about the location. After lunch we drove around the Sea of Galilee skirting the Golan Heights and then to Yardenit which has been designated at the site where Jesus was baptised, although it is not the actual location. In truth a little artificial, although there were numbers of people undergoing full immersion baptism which was obviously meaningful for them. Then back to the ship.

Provider: Independent Operator

Our guide Yair was awesome. We got a good mix of current events in Israel and ancient history -- particularly focusing on Jesus' ministry -- most of which was in this region. We fully circled the Sea of Galilee, stopped for a little wade in the Jordan, and visited key sites like Capernaum, etc. This is an unusually lush part of Israel and is a must see.

Provider: Celebrity Cruises

From Haifa we went to Nazareth - The Church of the Annunciation, drove through Ceasarea and stopped at the Jordan River. The guide pointed out the Golan Heights and told us about the history of the area. We saw Peter's house and the synagogue at Cana. We saw the mosiacs at the church of the loaves and fishes. We had a FANTASTIC lunch at a kibbutz and saw an actual fishing vessel from Jesus' time. It was a very long day, but I wouldn't have skipped any of the sites. This was by far the best ship excursion we had.

Provider: Costa Cruises