6 Best Sights in Lower Galilee, Israel

The Roman Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation, the largest church in the Middle East, was consecrated in 1969; it enshrines a small ancient cave dwelling or grotto, identified by many Catholics as the home of Mary. Here, they believe, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced she would conceive and "bear a son" and "call his name Jesus" (Luke 1). Pilgrim devotions suffuse the site throughout the day. Crusader-era walls and some restored Byzantine mosaics near the grotto bear witness to the antiquity of the tradition. The grotto is in the so-called lower church. Look up through the "well," or opening over the grotto, that connects with the upper church to the grand cupola, soaring 195 feet above you.

A spiral staircase leads to the vast upper church, the parish church of Nazareth's Roman Catholic community. Italian ceramic reliefs on the huge concrete pillars represent the Stations of the Cross, captioned in the Arabic vernacular. You now have a closer view of the cupola, its ribs representing the petals of an upside-down lily—a symbol of Mary's purity—rooted in heaven.

The large panels on the walls of the upper church, touching on the theme of mother and child, include a vivid offering from the United States, a fine Canadian terra-cotta, and mosaics from England and Australia. Particularly interesting are the gifts from Japan (with gold leaf and pearls), Venezuela (a carved-wood statue), and Cameroon (a stylized painting in black, white, and red).

In the exit courtyard, a glass-enclosed baptistery is built over what is thought to have been an ancient mikvah, a Jewish ritual bath. The adjacent small Church of St. Joseph, just past Terra Sancta College, is built over a complex of rock-hewn chambers traditionally identified as the workshop of Joseph the Carpenter. Note that parking is hard to find; try Paulus VI Street or the side streets below it.

In 1993, Elias and Martina Shama-Sostar were renovating their crafts shop when they discovered ancient steam pipes under the store. Further excavation revealed a huge, wonderfully preserved Roman-style bathhouse. Israel's Antiquities Authority has not made any official announcements about the site, but several historians speculate that it might date from the 1st century AD. A one-hour tour takes you to the hot room, heating tunnels, and furnace. Coffee is served in the arched hall where wood and ashes were once kept.

This Greek Orthodox church is built over Nazareth's only natural water source, a spring dubbed Mary's Well. The Greek Orthodox, citing the noncanonical Gospel of St. James, believe it to be the place where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce the coming birth of Jesus.

The ornate church was built in 1750 and contains a stunning carved-wood pulpit and iconostasis (chancel screen) with painted New Testament scenes and silver-haloed saints. The walls have frescoes of figures from the Bible and the Greek Orthodox hagiography. A tiny "well" stands over the running water, and an aluminum cup gives a satisfying plop as it drops in. (The water is clean; the cup is more suspect.) The church is open to visitors in the morning.

This historically important but underwhelming structure marks the place where Mary is reputed to have been told by the angel Gabriel that she would bear a son, an event known as the Annunciation. The current "well" represents a structure that was once in use, but the open-air structure does not contain water anymore. Mary's Well Square is home to several shops and cafés, as well as a Greek Orthodox church.

The shepherds, weavers, and other characters in this reconstructed Jesus-era community delight children and adults alike. Using information gained from archaeological work done in the area, this attraction aims to re-create Jewish rural life as Jesus would have known it more than 2,000 years ago. Workshops, farms, and houses have been built with techniques that would have been used at the time. Interpreters in period costume cook and work at wine presses and looms, giving a sense of daily life. Reservations are required for guided tours, which meet on the second floor of the Nazareth YMCA.

Bathed in the aromas of herbs and spices, this market in the Old City has something for everyone, from coffee sets to antiques to freshly baked pastries. The old lanes are narrow and shops tiny, with goods spilling into the street, but this souk is more orderly than those in many other Israeli cities. When it gets overwhelming, take a coffee break.