Things to do
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Capernaum
Basalt foundations of a fishing village on the northern shore carry a white limestone synagogue raised over the one the gospels describe, along with an octagonal church shell built above a house identified as Peter's. A modern chapel now stands on stilts over the ruins. The Franciscans hold the site, and modest dress is enforced at the gate.
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Golan Heights
Volcanic tableland east of the lake, captured by Israel from Syria in 1967 and administered by it since, with sovereignty still disputed internationally. Vineyards, cherry orchards and Druze villages spread below Mount Hermon, and old fortifications stand along the ceasefire line. Roads are good and distances short, though a full loop needs a car and a whole day.
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Hamat Tiberias
Hot mineral springs at the southern edge of town fed a Roman bath complex, and the excavation beside it uncovered a late antique synagogue with a zodiac mosaic and a Greek dedication at its centre. That floor is the reason to stop. A visit takes under an hour, and the adjoining spa still draws bathers to the same water.
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Mount of Beatitudes
An octagonal church of the nineteen thirties crowns the slope where Christian tradition places the Sermon on the Mount, with a colonnaded walkway looking down over the lake and gardens of bougainvillea around it. Pilgrim coaches arrive through the middle of the day. A footpath drops from here to Tabgha in under an hour.
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Lake
Sea of Galilee
Fed by the Jordan and held in a rift valley below sea level, the freshwater lake supplies much of the country and carries the gospel geography along its northern shore. A road circles it in roughly two hours, passing beaches, kibbutz guesthouses and hot springs. Wooden boats cross from Tiberias to Ginosar, where an ancient hull is displayed.
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Tabgha
Two churches on the shoreline mark separate traditions: the multiplication of loaves and fishes, kept over an early mosaic floor of birds and plants, and the Primacy of Peter, built around a rock at the water's edge. Benedictines run the first, Franciscans the second. Both sit within a short walk, and the lakeside lawn behind stays quiet.