A ten-minute walk from the city’s center, Nazareth Village invites visitors to step back into the time of Nazareth’s most famous citizen, Jesus.
Whether one is interested in history, religion, or culture, the village is a space for education and interaction with the past.
Sheep and goats trot along the path through groves of ancient olive trees, following their shepherd who is dressed in first-century garb. Crafters build with wood and wool to produce products similar to those used in Nazareth two millennia ago. Villagers carry baskets of harvested olives to the cavernous olive press where a donkey pulls the heavy millstone over the groves, crushing them to an oily pulp. Children pick pomegranates from the farm’s surplus. A first-century farmer plows his wheat field while, nearby, a watchman stands in the farm’s watchtower. Groups file into the cool recesses of the synagogue. Visitors kick their shoes off to stand in the original first-century wine press found on the land ten years ago.
Nazareth Village tours provide delightful visual aids, historical background, and stunning examples of first-century life, while incorporating parables Jesus told as he lived and walked in the Galilee. The Village creates a place of contemplation, education, and imagination for young, old, religious or otherwise.
Before You Start the Trail
In preparation for hiking the Jesus Trail, Nazareth Village is the perfect place to begin; it paints living pictures that greatly enhance the hiking experience. History, geography, archeology, culture, and religion merge in both Nazareth Village and the Jesus trail, providing the hiker with a richer understanding of the Galilean people both past and present.
Guided tours of the Village are available to book in a range of languages. On the premises there is also a restaurant able to accommodate group reservations, comfortable restrooms, and a gift shop, partially featuring local produce, made in the Village using 1st century methods.
