Friends of the Holy Land is supporting accredited pilgrimage operators in the UK to encourage everyone who has been prevented from travelling on pilgrimage due to the war to take up opportunities and join others from different parts of the country. The Foreign Office advice is that travel to Israel and Palestine, with the exception of Gaza and certain areas such as Jenin are allowed. The areas of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee are all cleared for travel.

Some pilgrimages are beginning again and we would love to hear about them. Should you be leading a pilgrimage in the next 6 months or be aware of a pilgrimage being organised and would like our help to promote it, please email the office: [email protected].

We encourage all UK Christians to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land to meet the people and see first-hand the Holy Sites that we read in the Scriptures every week. Pilgrims visiting the Holy Land may choose to pray with the local community at a Sunday Service, visit a school or children’s home and simply be among local Christians living their daily lives, sharing with them support and friendship – so they know they are not forgotten. Now more than ever, the Christians in the Holy Land need to know we are there for them.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) have put together guidelines about pilgrimage, a useful document covering the nature of pilgrimage, why go, Christians in the Holy Land and some practical information including contacts, safety etc. Click here to read the guidelines

You can read about some pilgrimages (from before the war) here:

Our Lady Help of Christians May 2023

St Barnabas Cluster March 2023 

Southwark Diocese Pilgrimage March 2023

To read about "Doing a Pilgrimage on your own and on a budget" please click here

"To go in a spirit of prayer from one place to another, from one city to another, in the area marked especially by God's intervention, helps us not only to live our life as a journey, but also gives us a vivid sense of a God who has gone before us and leads us on, who himself set out on man's path, a God who does not look down on us from on high, but who became our travelling companion.”                                                                                                             Pope John Paul II

Visit Jordan, The Land of the Prophets.

A 9 Day pilgrimage to the Biblical Land of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Led by Father Brett Ward & Father Michael Bailey

6th – 14th April 2026

Click here for more details

Download the brochure here

Engaging with the Living Stones

Engaging with the Living Stones is so rewarding and truly helps you to connect with Christians in the Holy Land. They are delighted to welcome pilgrims, sharing their stories and their smiles with all who visit.

"Thank you for arranging our visit to St Martha's House and the School of Joy. We had our eyes opened to the plight of ordinary Palestinians in the Holy Land. Our week in the Holy Land was wonderful"                                                                                                                   Holy Land pilgrim

The Road to Emmaus

One of our supporters, James Knox-Whittet, has written a book about his pilgrimage experience in 2020.

To see more about James' book and how to purchase, please click here.