Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown is to this day Israel’s largest Arab Christian city. Explore this fascinating town as it gears up for another celebration of the birth of Jesus.

The Pope came to Israel in early 2009, and Nazareth was one of the areas given big government grants to improve its tourism infrastructure for this. As a result, Nazareth has been given a push back onto Israel’s tourism map – and with its importance as the childhood home of Jesus, as the largest Arab city in Israel, and its stunning location right in the middle of the Lower Galilee (about 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee), that push shouldn’t really have been neccessary.

The Lower Galilee is the least hilly region of the Galilee stretches from the Jezreel Valley (Valley of the Armageddon in Christianity) on the eastern slopes of Mount Carmel across to the Sea of Galilee. It includes Mount Tavor and Megiddo, and is less than a one hour drive from Tel Aviv.