Lower Galilee: Places to Explore

The modern town of Beit She'an has little to offer visitors, but the past beckons. Unlike some archaeological sites that appear to be just piles of rocks, ancient Beit She'an is a gloriously rich ruin... Read more

Near the large, modern Arab village of Kfar Kanna is the site of the ancient Jewish village of Cana, mentioned in the New Testament. Here Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine at a... Read more

Degania and Kinneret, two historic kibbutzim founded in the early 20th century, contain museums and historic graveyards worth a visit. Also nearby is Yardenit, a baptism site for Christians.... Read more

Many Israelis know Ginosar, a kibbutz founded in 1937, as the home of the late Yigal Allon (1918-80), commander of the crack Palmach battalions in the War of Independence and deputy prime minister of Israel... Read more

Kursi, where Jesus healed two men possessed by demons (Matthew 8:28-32), is today a park incorporating the ruins of a Byzantine monastery. The eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee is far less developed than... Read more

Tradition identifies this tranquil hillside as the site of Jesus' most comprehensive teaching, recorded in the New Testament as the Sermon on the Mount: "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain... Read more

Visit Mt. Gilboa in February or March and you'll find yourself surrounded by people enraptured with the delicate purple iris native to these slopes. The views of the valley below and the hills of Galilee... Read more

The Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, was an insignificant village nestled in a hollow in the Galilean hills, but today's city of 65,000 pulses with energy. Apart from the occasional donkey plying traffic-clogged... Read more

With a name that is an Arabic corruption of the Greek Heptaegon (Seven Springs), Tabgha is a cluster of serene holy places associated with Jesus' ministry in the Galilee. A promenade and hiking trails... Read more

As the only city on the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias, with a population of 40,000, has become the region's hub. The city spreads up a steep hillside, from 700 feet below sea level at the lake, to about 80... Read more