Israel + Egypt Travel Guide: What We Did, Where We Stayed, and More

Last month, my family and I had the opportunity to travel to Israel and it was the trip of a lifetime. We toured the Holy Land and it was so special to see the locations where Jesus lived, preached, taught, preformed miracles, died, and resurrected (along with countless other locations from the Bible). In this trip recap, I’ll tell you everything you need to know from where we stayed, to the places we visited, the best food we ate, and everything in between!

Day One: 

We landed in Tel Aviv and drove about an hour to Caesarea where we spent the night at the Vert Lagoon Hotel Netanya. 

Caesarea by the Sea (Day 1)

Day Two:

Caesarea by the Sea

After Caesarea, we drove to the Sea of Galilee and stopped by the excavation and ruins of the town of Magdala (where Mary Magdalene was from)

Hunt Family at Sea of Galilee 

 

Day Three: 

Day Four: 

Day Five:

 

Day Six: 

The David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem

Day Seven:

Day Eight:

View of Jerusalem from the City View restaurant

Day Nine:

The Passion of the Christ

  • Lions’ Gate
  • Pool of Bethesda/St. Anne’s Church (This church has incredible acoustics and groups come to sing hymns.)
  • Antonia Fortress/Ecce Homo
  • Via Dolorosa (This is the traditional route that Jesus took to the cross, but there are in fact four possible routes depending on where He was brought before Pontius Pilate.)
  • Church of St. Alexander Nevsky (Located along the Via Dolorosa, this Russian church houses the Judgement Gate by which Jesus left the city on the way to the hill of Calvary.)
  • Church of the Holy Sepulchre (It was originally built by Roman Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena. She wanted to preserve and venerate the location of Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, so she commissioned the building of the church).
  • Garden Tomb (This marks another possible location for Christ’s burial and resurrection; however, its discovery and development took place in more recent history.)

Day Ten:

Four Seasons Hotel, Cairo, Egypt

Day Eleven:

Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza

Great Pyramids of Giza

  • We climbed through the Great Pyramid to the ancient burial chamber 
    • They only sell 150 slots in the morning and another 150 in the afternoon, so I’d recommend arriving first thing in the morning (we arrived right after they opened). The current cost is about $13 USD for the Great Pyramid and $8 USD for the smaller ones.
  • We then took an exclusive close-up tour of the Sphinx facilitated by High End Journeys.
  • After that, we jumped on camels, and I got to live out my Aladdin dreams.

We had lunch at the 9 Pyramids Lounge before heading for a quick tour at the Egyptian Museum

That concluded our Israel and Egypt trip! We ran by the hotel to shower and change before heading the airport to fly back to the states. It was a trip I’ll always remember, and I’m so thankful to have experienced it with the people I love most! It brought the Bible to life in a tangible way. I know I’ll forever read God’s Word differently because I can now visualize and understand both the stories and the nuances in a deeper, real way. This is a trip I hope everyone gets to experience at least once in their lifetime. Shalom!

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xo,

Gracie

PS – Follow along on my Instagram, @graciehunt, for more of my daily life.

Hi! I'm Gracie.

I’m the former Miss Kansas USA 2021! I’m an avid sports fan, fitness enthusiast, and work in Public Relations for the Kansas City Chiefs, while also currently pursuing my Master’s in Sport Management at the University of Kansas. I hope this blog inspires your everyday and encourages you to go Live Gracefully!

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