Bethlehem HandicraftsHoly Land Pilgrimages

Christian Pilgrimages Since the Year 2000

Walk Where Jesus Walked, With the Family From Bethlehem

We were the first Bethlehem olive wood family to open our doors in America. Now we open the Holy Land to you. Private Catholic and Orthodox pilgrimages, hosted by a local family in the city of the Nativity.

25+ years guiding pilgrims
8 departures open now
Free travel for group leaders
Local family in Bethlehem
Born in Bethlehem
Dinner with our family
Visit our olive wood workshop
Daily Mass at the holy sites

Upcoming Departures

Join a pilgrimage leaving soon

These journeys are scheduled and open now, each led by a priest and held to a small group. Reserve your place and our family will personally confirm every detail.

Divine Mercy Pilgrimage with Fr. Nsubuga and Fr. Mbalal August 17 to 27, 2026

Krakow | Wadowice | Poland

Divine Mercy Pilgrimage

Led by Fr. Nsubuga and Fr. Mbalal

from $5,190per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
Divine Mercy Pilgrimage with Fr. Wojciech Gierasimczyk September 3 to 13, 2026

Poland

Divine Mercy Pilgrimage

Led by Fr. Wojciech Gierasimczyk

from $4,990per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
Divine Mercy Pilgrimage with Monsignor Robert Jaeger September 8 to 18, 2026

Poland

Divine Mercy Pilgrimage

Led by Monsignor Robert Jaeger

from $5,490per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
Tras las Huellas de Jesus (en espanol) with Fray Alex Diaz Septiembre 9 al 19, 2026En Espanol

Tierra Santa

Tras las Huellas de Jesus (en espanol)

Led by Fray Alex Diaz

from $4,490per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
Saints, Shrines and Vines with Fr. Gregory Bierbaum and Dr. R. Jared Staudt September 19 to 29, 2026

Catholic France

Saints, Shrines and Vines

Led by Fr. Gregory Bierbaum and Dr. R. Jared Staudt

from $6,790per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
In the Footsteps of Jesus with Father Gregg Pedersen January 17 to 27, 2027

Holy Land

In the Footsteps of Jesus

Led by Father Gregg Pedersen

from $4,790per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
In the Footsteps of Jesus with Father Matthew McCarthy January 25 to February 5, 2027

Holy Land

In the Footsteps of Jesus

Led by Father Matthew McCarthy

from $4,490per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
Peregrinacion (en espanol) with Padre Felix Zermeno Martin y Diacono Ruben Estrada Marzo 1 al 11, 2027En Espanol

Espana | Francia | Italia

Peregrinacion (en espanol)

Led by Padre Felix Zermeno Martin y Diacono Ruben Estrada

from $5,390per pilgrim Reserve Your Place
Pilgrimage of Central Europe with Fr. James Spahn and Fr. Ernest Bayer April 5 to 15, 2027

Prague | Salzburg | Vienna | Budapest

Pilgrimage of Central Europe

Led by Fr. James Spahn and Fr. Ernest Bayer

from $5,790per pilgrim Reserve Your Place

Do not see your dates? Ask us about a private departure for your parish or group.

The silver star marking the birthplace of Jesus in the Grotto of the Nativity, Bethlehem

The Family From Bethlehem

We do not just sell the Holy Land. We are from it.

For most pilgrims, Bethlehem is a name in the Gospel. For our family, it is home. We have carved the olive wood of the holy sites here since before we opened the first Bethlehem olive wood store in America in the year 2000.

When you travel with us, you are not a tour group. You are guests of a Bethlehem family in the city where Christ was born.

You will pray at the silver star that marks the place of the Nativity. You will share a meal in our home. And if you wish, you will stand in the workshop where the wood of these holy hills becomes the crosses and nativities carried in homes across America. No outside tour operator can hand you the Holy Land this way.

Begin Planning

Why Pilgrims Choose Us

A pilgrimage only a Bethlehem family can give

Anyone can sell you a plane ticket and a hotel. We give you the Holy Land as our home.

Hosted by locals

A Christian family born in Bethlehem walks the holy sites beside you, not a stranger reading from a script.

Dinner in our home

Break bread with our family in Bethlehem and meet the Christians who still keep the faith in the land of its birth.

See the workshop

Stand where Holy Land olive wood is carved by hand into the nativities and crosses carried in American homes.

Leaders travel free

Bring your parish or prayer group and your own travel is covered. Leading a pilgrimage should never cost the shepherd.

The Pilgrimages

Ten journeys to the holy places of the faith

From the Sea of Galilee to the tomb of Saint Peter. Every itinerary is a private departure, shaped around your group. These are our most requested journeys.

10 Day Holy Land Pilgrimage 10 DaysHoly Land

10 Day Holy Land Pilgrimage

Ten unhurried days through Galilee, the Jordan Valley, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The complete walk through the life of Christ, from the place of his birth to the empty tomb.

10 daysView itinerary
11 Day Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 11 DaysHoly Land

11 Day Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Our fullest Holy Land journey. Eleven days to pray at every major shrine without rushing, with time set aside in Bethlehem to meet our family and see where the olive wood is carved.

11 daysView itinerary
9 Day Holy Land Pilgrimage 9 DaysHoly Land | optional Rome

9 Day Holy Land Pilgrimage

The essential Holy Land in nine days, Galilee to Jerusalem, with an optional six day extension to Rome for the tombs of the Apostles and a papal audience.

9 daysView itinerary
13 Day Holy Land and Jordan Pilgrimage 13 DaysHoly Land | Jordan

13 Day Holy Land and Jordan Pilgrimage

The Holy Land joined with the wonders of Jordan. Mount Nebo where Moses saw the Promised Land, the baptism site on the Jordan, and the rose red city of Petra.

13 daysView itinerary
11 Day Holy Land Orthodox Pilgrimage 11 DaysHoly Land | Orthodox

11 Day Holy Land Orthodox Pilgrimage

An eleven day Orthodox pilgrimage built around the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Sepulchre and the great monasteries of the Judean desert.

11 daysView itinerary
11 Day Orthodox Pilgrimage to the Assumption 11 DaysHoly Land | Orthodox

11 Day Orthodox Pilgrimage to the Assumption

An Orthodox journey timed to the feast of the Assumption, honoring the Theotokos at Gethsemane and the holy sites of her life in Jerusalem and Galilee.

11 daysView itinerary
12 Day Fatima and Classic Rome Pilgrimage 12 DaysPortugal | Italy

12 Day Fatima and Classic Rome Pilgrimage

From the apparitions at Fatima to the Eternal City. Twelve days through Lisbon, the Marian shrine, and the four great basilicas of Rome.

12 daysView itinerary
14 Day All Italian Shrines Pilgrimage 14 DaysItaly

14 Day All Italian Shrines Pilgrimage

The grand tour of Italy's holy places. Fourteen days from Rome and Assisi to San Giovanni Rotondo, Lanciano, Loreto and the shrines of the saints.

14 daysView itinerary
13 Day Fatima, Santiago, Lourdes and Barcelona Pilgrimage 13 DaysPortugal | Spain | France

13 Day Fatima, Santiago, Lourdes and Barcelona Pilgrimage

Four of Europe's most beloved Marian and apostolic shrines in one journey. Fatima, the tomb of Saint James at Santiago, the grotto of Lourdes, and Barcelona.

13 daysView itinerary
12 Day Ireland and Switzerland Pilgrimage 12 DaysIreland | Switzerland

12 Day Ireland and Switzerland Pilgrimage

The island of saints and scholars joined with the Alpine shrines. Knock, the monastic ruins of Ireland, and the Swiss sanctuaries, fully escorted throughout.

12 daysView itinerary

Ask About a Custom Itinerary

How It Works

From first call to the Holy Land in three steps

I

Tell us your heart

Share your group, your dates, and the shrines that matter most. A pastor, a parish, a family, or a few friends, every pilgrimage begins with a conversation.

II

We craft the journey

Our family designs your itinerary, arranges first class hotels, flights, a licensed guide, and daily Mass, and sends a clear quote with everything included.

III

Walk where Jesus walked

You arrive to the welcome of a Bethlehem family and follow the footsteps of Christ, carried by people who call this holy ground home.

Trusted by Shepherds

Led by priests, carried by parishes

Pastors and parish groups across America have entrusted their pilgrimages to our family. Recent journeys to the Holy Land have been led by clergy including:

Ask us to connect you with a pastor who has traveled with us. We are glad to let our pilgrims speak for us.

Questions

What pilgrims ask us

Who leads the pilgrimages?

Every group travels with a licensed Christian guide in the Holy Land and is accompanied by a priest or pastor as spiritual director. We arrange daily Mass and liturgy at the holy sites. If you are a pastor bringing your own parish group, your travel is covered at no cost to you.

What makes Bethlehem Handicrafts different from other tour companies?

We are a Christian family from Bethlehem. We were the first Bethlehem olive wood family to open a store in America in the year 2000, and we still have our workshop in Bethlehem. When you travel with us you are hosted by a local family in the city of the Nativity, you can share a meal in our home, and you can visit the workshop where the olive wood of the holy sites is carved by hand. No outside operator can offer that.

Can you arrange a private pilgrimage for my parish or group?

Yes. Most of our pilgrimages are private departures built around a single parish, prayer group, or organization. Tell us your dates, your group size, and the shrines closest to your heart, and we will design the itinerary around them.

What is included in the price?

Our pilgrimages are arranged as complete packages: round trip airfare, first class and select hotels, daily breakfast and dinner, a private motorcoach, a licensed guide, all entrance fees to the holy sites, and daily Mass arrangements. We send a full inclusions list with every quote so there are no surprises.

How far in advance should we book?

Most groups begin planning six to twelve months ahead, which gives time to promote the trip in the parish and secure the best airfare and hotels. That said, we have organized pilgrimages on shorter notice. The first step is simply to tell us what you have in mind.

Is a Holy Land pilgrimage safe?

We have guided Christian groups to the Holy Land for more than two decades. We monitor conditions continuously, work only with trusted local partners, and will always give you an honest assessment for your dates. The safety and peace of mind of your group come first.

Plan Your Pilgrimage

Let us carry your group to the Holy Land

Tell us a little about your group and the journey you have in mind. Our family will reply personally with ideas and a clear quote. No pressure, no obligation.

  • Private departures for parishes and groups
  • Group leaders travel at no cost
  • Hosted by our family in Bethlehem
  • A real person replies, not a call center

Prefer to talk? 720 201 7193

Thank you. Your request is on its way to our family and we will reply personally within one business day.

By sending, you agree to be contacted about your pilgrimage. We never share your details.

×