Family Fun Tour Through Israel: Exploring Your Christian Roots

If you’re thinking about planning a trip to Israel with the family, you may have two purposes in mind:
1. You want to exposure your children to the Holy Land and teach them about their religious heritage.
2. You want to have FUN!!
When children are along for a tour, it’s important to make the trip meaningful to them. That means planning a combination of physical activities, adventures, and learning experiences.
Israel is the perfect destination for an enriching family vacation. Not only it is home to some of the world’s most ancient cultures and religions, but it contains an amazing variety of natural wonders, cities, and geographies. It’s a small country, so in a relatively short amount of time, you can experience mountains, seashores, deserts, and all their associated attractions.
For a Christian family, a family tour through Israel is a way to experience the Holy Land and help the Bible come alive for your children. But rather than sitting through sometimes stuffy lessons, they can see living Bible story for themselves. Mixed in with incredible learning experiences, however, are endless opportunities for kid-friendly activities.
Depending upon the length of your stay and the time of year you visit, you can create a custom tour that reflects the best of what Israel has to offer.
Learning about the Holy Land
No trip to Israel should be complete without a visit to some of the Biblical sites that your family has previously only read about. The list of such sites is almost endless, but here are a few activities we particularly recommend for families with children:
In Jerusalem, take a scavenger tour through Mt. Zion. One tour, “In the Footsteps of Kings and Prophets,” is especially designed for Christian pilgrims, and combines information about ancient Christian culture with all the fun of a treasure hunt.
Sign up for an archaeological dig or seminar. History really comes alive for kids when they are able to observe or even participate. One example, the Temple Mount Sifting Project, allows participants to sift through excavated rubble from the Temple Mount in the City of David, while guides tell you about its history.
For a Christmastime vacation, plan a visit to Bethlehem and participate in all the seasonal festivities offered at the site of Jesus’ birth. At the 4th-century Church of the Nativity, children will be amazed to see the spot marking His birthplace or to stand in the fields above Bethlehem where shepherds still watch their flocks at night.
Visit Nazareth Village, a few hundred feet from the place where Christ lived throughout his childhood. This reconstructed village will give your family a hands-on look at what the culture was like in Jesus’ time.
Depending upon the age of your children, most of the traditional Christian holy sites are worth a visit. Almost anywhere you go in Israel, there is something associated with Christian history. For example, if you visit the Sea of Galilee, enjoy boating or cycling there in the beautiful countryside. But you’ll also find the opportunity to talk about how Galilee was the site where Jesus was said to have walked upon the waters.
Outdoor Fun and Adventure
No family vacation is complete without enjoyment of the great outdoors. Israel is a country that is both beautiful and rugged. Travel to different parts of the country and you’ll find a completely different landscape, with new choices in outdoor activities. Here are just a few examples for you to consider:
Take a camel ride in the Negev desert, and have tea in a Bedouin tent. You can follow the spice routes of ancient traders and enjoy the austere beauty of a desert sunset.
In the resort area of Eilat, visit its Underwater Marine Park, then go sailing, snorkeling, or swimming with the dolphins in the Red Sea. (Many Eilat-area resorts also have “kids’ clubs,” which provide arts, crafts, and other activities for the children while parents get some recreation time on their own.
Head to the Upper Galilee region for a cable car ride up the Manara Cliffs, then go kayaking on the Jordan River and visit the place where Jesus was baptized.
For a memorable winter vacation, hit the ski slopes of Mount Hermon, the highest point in the country. The powdery snow in the area, also perfect for snowboarding, has invited comparisons to New England slopes. The nearby Canada Center for sports and recreation provides an Olympic-size skating rink, as well as squash courts, Jacuzzis, and even a soccer field.
Enjoy a Mediterranean beach vacation. Many of the beaches near Tel Aviv offer great family accommodations, where you’ll find water parks, semi-private beaches, and lots of relaxation for Mom and Dad.
Whatever time of year you visit or whichever areas of the country you most want to explore, a custom tour package can be developed that will allow you to fit in plenty of family fun time.
We believe the ideal family vacation provides an ideal balance of learning, relaxation, and adventure. Please contact us if you would like to discuss how to personalize your own family tour of the Holy Land.