8 Days: Catholic Christmas in Bethlehem, Midnight Mass Where Christ Was Born
Direct Operator Pricing
Save up to
$700
per person, compared with the same package sold through reseller agencies
Why are our rates lower?
We organize and operate this pilgrimage ourselves, on the ground in the Holy Land. When you book with our local team instead of a third party reseller or overseas agent, your payment goes into your journey, not into middleman commissions. Same holy sites, same hotels, same care.
Serving pilgrims since 2007
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Christmas at home is beautiful. Christmas in Bethlehem is something you will never forget. This pilgrimage is timed so that you are in the town of the Nativity for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when the streets fill with carols and candlelight and the whole world's attention turns to this small, holy place.
You celebrate Midnight Mass in Bethlehem and kneel at the Grotto of the Nativity on Christmas Day. Around that centerpiece you walk the fuller story: Ein Karem, where Mary visited Elizabeth, the Shepherds' Field where the angels sang, Jerusalem with its Way of the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre, the Jordan, and Galilee. Private Masses can be arranged for your group at the holy sites.
You arrive knowing the Christmas liturgy by heart. You leave having lived it, having stood where the shepherds stood and knelt where the manger lay.
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We are waiting for you as you land, and we bring you to your hotel to rest. There is nothing to do tonight but arrive, and let it settle in that you will spend this Christmas in the Holy Land, where the story you have heard all your life first happened.
Your first morning opens on the Mount of Olives, with the whole Old City spread golden below you. You walk down to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, then into the Old City for the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The whole arc of the story frames the birth you have come to celebrate.
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."
Matthew 28:6
In the morning we visit Ein Karem, where Mary visited Elizabeth and where John the Baptist was born. In the afternoon we go to the Shepherds' Field, where the angels first announced the birth, and come into Bethlehem as Christmas Eve falls. The town fills with pilgrims, carols and candlelight from every corner of the world, and at midnight we celebrate Midnight Mass in Bethlehem.
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."
Luke 2:10
On Christmas Day you come to the Basilica of the Nativity, built over the holy cave honored without a break since the earliest centuries of the Church as the place where Christ was born. You bow low through the Door of Humility and kneel at the silver star in the Grotto. To pray here, on this day of all days, is the still center of the whole pilgrimage.
"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger."
Luke 2:7
This morning you descend to the Jordan River at Qasr al-Yahud, the traditional place of the baptism of Jesus on the western bank, across from Bethany beyond the Jordan, where many renew their baptismal promises in the water itself. Then to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, where you float without effort before traveling north toward Galilee.
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water."
Matthew 3:16
This morning you sail the Sea of Galilee, visit Capernaum, and climb the Mount of Beatitudes. There is something deeply moving about seeing, at Christmas, the very shores where the child of Bethlehem would one day begin his ministry. A St. Peter's fish lunch by the water ends the day.
"Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people."
Matthew 4:19
This morning you visit Nazareth and the Basilica of the Annunciation, where the angel first told Mary of the birth you have just celebrated. The story comes full circle, from the promise to the manger, and you have stood in both. After lunch you return toward Jerusalem.
"You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus."
Luke 1:31
The morning is yours until we take you to the airport. You came having heard of Bethlehem all your life. You leave having knelt there on Christmas Day, and the Christmas liturgy will never sound the same again.
Home
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✦ Celebrate Midnight Mass in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve
✦ Kneel at the Grotto of the Nativity on Christmas Day
✦ Visit Ein Karem and the Shepherds' Field
✦ Walk the Via Dolorosa and pray at the Holy Sepulchre
✦ Private Masses can be arranged for your group at the holy sites
✦ Pray in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth
She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger. (Luke 2:7)
Included- Warm airport welcome and all group transfers in modern, air conditioned vehicles
- Seven nights of hotel accommodation in Jerusalem and Galilee
- Daily breakfast and dinner throughout the pilgrimage
- A licensed English speaking guide
- Arrangements for Midnight Mass and the Christmas Day celebrations in Bethlehem
- All entrance fees to the holy sites in the itinerary
- A private boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
- A traditional Saint Peter's fish meal
Not Included- International flights to and from Israel
- Tips and gratuities for the guide and driver
- Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend
- The Israeli ETA-IL entry authorization, roughly eight US dollars
- Lunches and personal expenses
- Anything not listed as included
Pilgrims Who Walked This Road
Tour FAQ
You are welcome to join as an individual, a couple, a family, or a full church group. Many travelers arrive on their own and leave with a whole new family, which is one of the most common things we hear.
There is a fair amount of walking, some of it on old stone and uneven ground, and a few climbs such as Mount Tabor. Most people of reasonable health manage well. If anyone in your group has mobility needs, tell us in advance and we will plan around them.
Yes. Entry requirements for Ethiopian and Eritrean passport holders need more hands-on support, and AJET has long experience guiding travelers through exactly what their passport requires. We coordinate between our teams in Jerusalem and Addis Ababa at every step, so you are never left to work it out alone. Please start the process early, as some steps take time.
You stay in comfortable first class hotels in Jerusalem and on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias. A tourist class option is also available if your group prefers. All rooms are clean, well located, and include daily breakfast and dinner.
A deposit of $300 or $400 per person (the amount shown on the tour page, or the stated deposit for your custom journey) is required to secure your booking. A reservation does not hold a seat until the deposit clears into AJET’s account. Final balance payments are strictly due 60 days prior to departure.
One exception: if you reserve a journey online without a fixed departure date and we cannot confirm dates that match your preferred dates, your deposit is returned in full.
If you must cancel your pilgrimage, written notice must be submitted to AJET. Cancellations incur the following tiered fees based on the departure date:
- 61 or more days prior: Full refund of all monies paid minus the non-refundable deposit.
- 60 to 46 days prior: 35% of total package cost is retained (65% refund of balance).
- 45 to 31 days prior: 60% of total package cost is retained (40% refund of balance).
- 30 to 15 days prior: 85% of total package cost is retained (15% refund of balance).
- 14 days or fewer prior / No-show: 100% of total package cost is retained (non-refundable).
Because unexpected medical or travel disruptions can occur, AJET strongly recommends that every pilgrim purchase comprehensive travel insurance covering trip cancellation, medical care, and emergency repatriation.
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