Bethlehem Half Day Private Tour - Pick Up From Jerusalem/tel Aviv/ashdod

Loved seeing The Church Of The Nativity, Joseph was such a good guide, very kind and knowledgeable of the history of Palestine and Bible.

A place thats close to my heart, within moments of arriving at the Shepard's field I was engulfed with love and joy. It is an unforgettable experience. Everyone should do it. It's actually very safe, and quiet. Almost no visitors...

This tour exceeded our expectations!!! Ahmad our driver picked us up from the hotel in Tel Aviv, he explained some details along the way, he also dropped us off on the way back to our Tel Aviv hotel. Ahmad was great, he asked us if we were hungry, since we were planning to eat back in Tel Aviv, he made us try a falafel at a local restaurant,the next thing you know we told Ahmad to please find us a table, it was the best falafels and hummus we have tried, all four of us for 60 shekels!! You can't find that price in Tel Aviv! Dia our tour guide was the best! He was great in explaining details and he waited with us in line inside the Church of Nativity. I wish all our guides in our previous tours with another company was like Dia. The souvenir shop was a blessing as we got good prices and they give you a discount plus free items to take with us. What a great tour to end our holiday vacation.

Excellent trip to Bethlehem. Our tour guide Johnnie was so friendly, knowledgeable and professional. Lots of time to see everything and ask questions. Air conditioned mini bus with professional driver. Ended up at a lovely gift shop for coffee and pastry and no pressure to buy but lots of beautiful gifts. Learnt a lot about the Palestine situation and how it impacts people, Highly recommended.

We went on the half day private tour of Bethlehem with Johnny ($250 USD total for my husband and I plus tips). Everything was easy to arrange with Elijah Tours online or through WhatsApp and the pickup and drop off all went smoothly. We requested a 9:30 am pickup at our hotel in Jerusalem. Our very nice driver was right outside waiting for us. He told us to bring our passports but when we got to the border crossing our car was just waved right through. We never even had to pull out passports out. When we got to Bethlehem our guide, Johnny, was there waiting for us. It's super important to have an experienced guide who knows how to get you in and out of each site on a schedule so you don't get stuck waiting an hour when they close the church at noon, or waiting when a procession is coming through. He was able to get us right in to the underground cave beneath the Church of the Nativity where it is believed that Jesus was born. If we had not been on this private tour the line would have been at least 2 hours. The sites we visited were Shepherds Field, Church of the Nativity, St Catherine's, St Jerome's Cave and the Milk Grotto. We also stopped at a Banksy mural on the side of an auto repair shop along the road. Johnny shared an incredible amount of knowledge about every site and he delivered it in a moving and thoughtful way. After the tour we ended at a souvenir shop and bought a few olive wood carved hearts and crosses, etc. There's really no pressure to buy anything if you don't want to since your ride back to your hotel is already there waiting for you. We were back at our hotel by around 1:30. We were so glad we went ahead and took this tour. Elijah made it easy and it was a wonderful experience. Johnny is the best!

It was a short but great and fruitful tour especially because of our tour guide Johnny! He explained things well and was very patient with our group. The churches included in our tour were very serene and full of meaning. The people we met in the souvenir shop, Zuluf, are really kind and generous! I was happy we went to Bethlehem with Elijah Tours and Travel! Highly recommended!

It was a very informative nd enlightening trip from our very friendly and intelligent guide. He has many insights and has shared many things during the trip.

Magnificently organized trip to Bethlehem accompanied by a super guide, who professionally led us to all of the essential sights!!!!

Hi George just got back from tour . It was beyond amazing . Our guide was the best ever . We were a group of 14 British women and can’t recommend you guys enough … All guides are not made the same and ours was so knowledgable / funny / so helpful . Emma

Our tour was well run with clear communication for both booking and on the day of the tour. We booked to be picked up in Jerusalem at a hotel near the train station (VERT hotel) and used the high speed rail to come from Tel Aviv that morning. The high speed rail is very cost effective and avoids any traffic. Our driver was in communication before the pickup time and ensured we knew where to find him. The driver took us to Bethlehem to meet our guide. The journey was smooth and the driver informative. In Bethlehem, we met our guide Johnny. Johnny had a great personality with good humor. He adjusted things accordingly based on our wishes for time at each location and gladly assisted with photos. Johnny also timed things perfectly to avoid larger bus groups at key times and ensure a smooth flow through the Church of the Nativity. He was full of knowledge and made our half day private tour very pleasant. At the Sheperd's Field, take some time to appreciate both the history of the old byzantine church and the nearby cave while also admiring the architectural choices of the more modern church. Make sure Johnny, or your guide, takes the special "star" photo of you in the cave. As you can expect, the highlight of the tour is the Church of the Nativity. It will be crowded but there is plenty to ponder as you pass through this incredible history. We definitely enjoyed the stop at the olive wood factory at the end of the tour and this is where we did most of our shopping for gifts. The team at the olive wood factory was very cordial and did not pressure in the least. They offered beverages and kind hospitality throughout our shopping experience. After we were finished shopping, our driver was waiting to take us bake to Jerusalem. If you are also doing a Jerusalem tour, I would recommend doing this tour the second day. For Jerusalem, you need a full day and this is fine in half a day. More so, if like us, you stay in Tel Aviv, you can take time to wander Jerusalem more after the morning in Bethlehem. You will have a good understanding of the area after the first day tour. Otherwise, you can have plenty of time to do other things back in Tel Aviv, such as enjoy the sun or the Old Jaffa Port.

My wife and I spent a great day doing a private tour to Bethlehem and the Dead Sea (from Jerusalem) through Elija Tours. Booking and organizing the trip was seamless. They were very flexible in tailoring the day to meet our needs and more than happy to eliminate any side trips that did not interest us. Most importantly, the tour guides and drivers were all very professional, prompt, friendly and dedicated to making sure we had a fantastic experience. Dia, (Saint) George, and Rocky all took very good care of the two of us and made sure we felt safe and comfortable the entire trip. All were super friendly, charming, and knowledgeable. It was especially helpful to be able to circumvent the crowds and skip the lines when needed at the historic sites. I cannot think of a better way to tour the West Bank, Bethlehem, and the Dead Sea and cannot recommend Elijah Tours and their team enough.

Did a half day private Bethlehem tour with Elijah Tours. After a slight mix up on which hotel, which Elijah sorted immediately, our driver took us into the West Bank. It felt like quite the adventure but we felt very safe. We meet our guide, Samuel, who was outstanding. We saw so much in such a short time and he explained everything really well. My Catholic friend was in tears of joy to be visiting such holy sights. So glad we went.

Our tour guide Daniel and driver George were excellent. They were able to provide us with a wonderful experience of the Shepherds Field and the Church of the Nativity. It was also an insight into life in Bethlehem and the West Bank. Bad Sam our driver from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv was courteous and also provided narratives along the route.

Glad we booked this as a last minute alternative for a half day tour! Elias made this half day trip a memorable one. Very informative and kind and we felt so welcomed.

This trip was, in a word: wonderful! It started with a mistake by me - I miscalculated the date we would arrive in Israel, and mistakenly booked this trip during a time we would still be on a jet coming to Israel. I did not figure this out until I was at the airport in Indiana. I messaged the tour company, and they were happy to re-book my reservation for the next day. On the way to Bethlehem, we had a traffic jam (due to a car catching fire), and our driver kept a positive attitude the entire time. He was knowledgeable about various questions we had, helpful to my father who has some mobility issues, and an all-around great guy. He was right on time as well, and kept good communication with me about our pick up, etc. Next, the tour guide at Bethlehem was amazing. Not only was he very well-versed about the sites we visited, but he had "connections" that allowed us to skip lines, park in areas that other cars were prohibited from entering, etc. The Church of the Nativity was just amazing, and we did not wait in a single line. We also visited the Milk Grotto Chapel (I was unaware of this prior to our trip) and the Shepherds Fields - all with great explanation from our tour guide and ample time to explore. Lastly, we visited an olive wood factory and attached store. This was owned by the family of our tour guide. The employees were extremely gracious to us and not at all "pushy" about buying anything. They gave us food and drink without expecting anything in return. I did buy something to have shipped home. After several weeks at home and no receipt of the item, I began to worry. I communicated with the tour company on WhatsApp. Quite frankly, I did not expect any response - as I was back in the US and thought he would not care very much about whether I received a package or not. I was happily mistaken. The tour operator took the time to get pictures of the package, provide me with a routing number and explanation that customs was taking longer than anticipated, and checked in with me regularly. I received the item today, and truly appreciate his efforts at checking into the shipment for me. Overall, this tour was considerably more than I bargained for, and I am grateful for all who were involved in making this tour possible. I wish I could rate this even higher than the perfect rating I provided!

All my family loved this tour. Our driver, Bassam, arrived in perfect time at our hotel (we had requested midday pickup which was great) and he could not have been more friendly, knowledgeable and helpful as we drove along. He was more than happy to tailor our visit to Bethlehem to do the exact things I was keen to see, and then between him and our lovely guide from Bethlehem, Dia, we had a combination of driving or walking to the things we wanted. It was amazing that I was able to see all the Banksy murals I had in mind, as well as the Walled Off Hotel, and amazing also to be able to see and touch so easily the place of Jesus’ birth and the place where the manger lay. Getting down to the grotto and adjoining cave was easily done with Dia and he was so interesting. We also loved the chapel of the angels/shepherds and were able to jump the queue in the gift shop we asked Dia to take us into. We wanted this to be a fairly short tour and Dia and Bassam could not have been more courteous and attentive to our needs. It was so resssuring that we could book this through Trip Advisor. Everything ran super smoothly and this private half-day tour with Elijah Tours exceeded our expectations. Thank you!❤️

This trip was a good experience for us. Our guide, Dia, did a wonderful job of maneuvering us through a very crowded site. He also explained the Bethlehem story to us in ways we had not heard of before.

We thoroughly enjoyed our half day trip to Bethlehem. It was booked with Elijah Tours who has a great system of navigating the challenges of Bethlehem. Our drive, Rocky, gave us a detailed, unbiased background of the local politics and culture. There are additional tour guides to cover the various sites based on what local regulations require. We were able to see all of the sites we hoped for and had time for some shopping at a local olive wood store. Rocky also provided the opportunity to try local snacks--fresh bread and falafel. Highly recommend!

Truly a great experience! We traveled from Tel Aviv and had a driver who shared a huge amount of knowledge about the area and history, then we’re met by an experienced guide in Bethlehem who showed us the many wonderful and blessed places in town. Personable and knowledgeable guides are so important and this trip exceeded our expectations!

The entire visit was fantastic! Our host was extremely knowledgeable and articulate. He was able to clearly answer all of our questions and it was a great experience!

Our tour guides in Bethlehem were very kind and could not do enough for us. And, seeing the West Bank, it’s current political state and it’s religious history, was an important part of our trip to Israel.

Excellent well organised tour. Picked up on time in a nice clean air conditioned mini bus. Johnny our tour guide was great and knew everything. We went straight to the church of the nativity to avoid the crowds. Only had to wait 10 minutes due to a mass/service taking place. Then visited the milk groto and shepherd’s fields. Everything was explained in great detail and with good humour. Felt safe all the time. Visited the wood carving workshop. Vast array of goods to buy. Also had a quick bite to eat which was extra. Really tasty food,very cheap. If your visiting Bethlehem or other areas in the West Bank stick with these your guides. Their knowledge is second to none We thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

Great trip! Both my husband and I enjoyed it. Very interesting and educational. We had Sameer and Ziad as tour guides. They were both excellent guides and very nice, warm, and friendly people.

This was a wonderful experience. The friendly taxi-driver picked us up at our hotel, and once through the checkpoint into the West Bank took us on a tour of the area, including a stop-off at the Wall and some Banksy art. Our guide Natalie was relaxed and well-informed, and gave insight both into the history of the places we visited, and also into everyday local life. The sites themselves are fascinating, and with this booking you avoid having to queue, which is a real bonus. Before being taken back to our hotel there's a short stop at a shop for a bite to eat, a coffee and the chance to buy a souvenir or two. There's absolutely no pressure or pestering to buy there, and everyone there is easy-going and friendly (as were everyone we met). We got a real buzz out of this trip, many thanks to everyone who looked after us!!

Our guide Abad was amazing. He gave us the experience of a life time. He was knowledgeable and professional. Through his contacts at the Church, He was able to get us into the areas of the church with little waiting. He even surprised us by singing the Lords Prayer in Armenian.

Absolutely wonderful tour that I would 100% recommend! Actually- a must take tour. They made the entire outing so comfortable and easy from pick-up to drop-off. The tour guide was local and incredibly knowledgeable, the driver was so kind. Bethlehem is a magical place to visit and a must see in the area. Do not miss this tour and be sure to book this one!

This was a great experience if you have the opportunity to take this tour you will not regret it. From pickup the driver was awesome he explained the political climate as well as the architecture and gave us a unbiased view of things. He even helped us on return to find a place to go eat after Shabbat. Our tour guide was fantastic he made the tour so interesting and even captured the attention of other tours to want to listen to his explanations and opinions. We went to a gift shop that was so welcoming and kind there was no pressure to buy but the artistry and craftsmanship was such that we could not resist. The shop owner was a very gracious host and made it a very pleasant experience. They were very attentive to the fact that my wife was nervous about leaving Israel and reassured her so that she was comfortable the whole time. I can not say enough about this tour the whole experience was so great. I hope that if you are thinking of taking a tour to Bethlehem you choose this as they make this tour the great pleasure it is supposed to be to experience the birth place of Jesus.

Our guide Dia was great. We saw all the sites in a timely manner, also thanks to our driver Rookie who really was a 2nd guide. I'd book at our through Elijah anytime! Great personal service. Thank you guys!

If I could give this tour more than 5-stars I would! This was our favorite tour during our trip to Israel. The tour operators, Elijah Tours, was fantastic and they are very nice! Diya, our private tour guide in Bethlehem, was absolutely wonderful and so knowledgeable!

Great tour that covered everything and more of Bethlehem. We went on a private tour and they were very helpful with suggesting a start time that suited our schedule and also meant it would be less crowded at the sights. We were picked up from our hotel by our friendly driver Bassam. He was very knowledgeable and friendly, he seemed to know everyone and introduced us to his friends as though we were his friends. We met our guide Natalie in Bethlehem. She was a local. She knew every answer to all our questions and was very patient. She also knew everyone and would often be able to help us find a quicker way to see the sights before lines of queues. The tour was a great pace to see all the highlights of Bethlehem. We also got to see Banksy art and the Palestine wall. We stopped by a fantastic place to eat Knafeh then ended our tour at a community supported Christian shop for souvenirs, Zuluf. And even at they shop Elias and his team were very welcoming and never pressured us to buy anything, they even gave us freebies. Overall it was an amazing tour.

My mother and I had a fantastic trip visiting Bethlehem. Our driver picked us up at a time that suited us and then drove us into the West Bank. He was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of extra info including seeing Banksy works and the dividing wall. Our tour guide was also very interesting and we felt this was a far better and more personal experience to that in big groups. We also got given traditional food which was a nice addition and also the gift store they were very polite and didn't hassle us to buy. I would highly reccomend getting this private tour.

My spouse and I took the half day tour from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. It was our first time traveling to the West Bank. We had such a positive experience with Elijah Tours for a variety of reasons: *Guides and drivers were very knowledgeable and friendly. Natalie was our guide in the West Bank. As a local, she was a great resource. *The sweets shop and gift shop - part of the tour - were actually fantastic. The knafeh was the best we’ve ever had! *We were so happy with the level of hospitality all-around throughout our visit *We loved the stops made along the route to see some Banksy graffiti. Highly recommend this experience!

Elijah, tour operator, was extremely accommodating and nice. We booked this tour before we traveled to Israel for the day we were supposed to arrive. We were supposed to arrive at 10 am that morning, thinking we would be at our hotel in Jerusalem before 1PM for tour pickup. Unfortunately, due to airline delays and rebookings, we did not arrive at our hotel until 5 PM. Elijah still provided us with a great tour. Bassam, our driver, was very nice, personable, informative, and friendly. Dia, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable, informative, friendly, wanted to answer any questions we had, and probably would have taken us anywhere in Bethlehem we wanted to go. Elijah also provided us with the most delicious knafe and gifts, which were not part of the tour. I would highly recommend this tour, and any other tours through Elijah Tours. The Church of the Nativity is absolutely beautiful!

This tour was the absolute highlight of my 2 week trip to the region. Picked up from my Jerusalem hotel and then a short private taxi ride to Bethlehem, narrated all the way by the very knowledgeable driver. He shared everything from the history of the route, countryside, culture & also the current impact of the cost of living crisis. Fascinating & so insightful. Once into Bethlehem I was then met by Dia, the local guide. He was ready & waiting for me in his lovely air conditioned car, with a bottle of chilled water. Over the next 3 hours he drove me and walked me round all of the beautiful religious and historical sites, this legendary town has. Dia’s knowledge is amazing, and it was truly so educational as well as fascinating to listen and chat with him. On our way back to meet the taxi to return to Jerusalem, Dia took me to a local restaurant where he treated me to the flavours of the homemade regional delicacies. Before I left, I was met by the manager of Elijah Tours who gave me some gifts to remember my visit to Bethlehem by ! I don’t think I’ve ever been on a trip, where I’ve been brought gifts, instead of being “sold too”. Well worth the little extra it costs for this private trip, a truly VIP experience, and Dia is the best guide I’ve ever met, authentic, caring and a genuinely lovely guy.

This was an amazing experience. The driver picked us up at our hotel in Jerusalem and while we drove to Bethlehem he gave us a little bit of history about both cities. We then met our first tour guide at Shepherds field who was very knowledgeable and nice. Then we met our second tour guide at the Milky Grotto who then took us to the Nativity church and he knew so much! People were great and waved and said hi to us as we passed them on the streets. It’s a beautiful town with warm inviting people and then we were taken to the olive wood factory where they continued with their amazing hospitality. Gave us food and we left with so many gifts! This was an amazing experience.

Great tour, both the cab driver and the guide Abdalahad were outstanding. They explain everything about the history and religion of the places you visit but their personal opinion and experience is especially valuable. I highly recommend this tour if you are looking for a more human and spiritual connection with the people of Bethlehem.

This was the perfect half day tour of Bethlehem! Exactly matched the description, they picked the three of us up on time in a nice van and we were able to bring a couple small suitcases and store in the van since we were switching hotels afterward. The tour guide was knowledgeable, we spent just the right amount of time in each place on the tour and then at the end they treated us to delicious local food! No hidden costs or fees, and in fact they gave us even more than we expected. The end of the tour is at the olive wood workshop and gift store but we didn't feel pressured to buy anything, although we each did find something we wanted to take home. I highly recommend booking this tour!

Great tour and very informative that was helped by a very knowledgable and a humorous guide in Bowers ( if I remember his name ) who kept feeding us different bread regularly to keep us energised. Must do the tour with this operator and specially this guide.

Excellent tour of Bethlehem! Loved every minute of this tour! Our guide, Boaz, was very knowledgeable and an excellent communicator. A small bus tour, excellent stops around Bethlehem including some Bansky street art! Awesome!

I attended the Bethlehem trip on my own. It was brilliant. Can't fault them at all. Before had I could message on Facebook, our guide greeted us with a falafel and was friendly, unbiased, excellent English and factual. Thank you Boas, "photographer", Mosses and driver 😁 I was made to feel comfortable the whole time. I'd definitely recommend.

This was a brilliant 6 hour tour. George our driver, was fantastic and drove like a pro around the tight streets of Bethlehem. We had 2 different guides waiting for us at 2 different sites. We got direct access to the church of nativity - otherwise a 3-4 hour wait in line. A lovely walking tour around this area and then a lovely visit to an olive tree shop where we were provided with a free lunch, tea etc. we were in a small group of 2, treated like a VIP and highly recommend this tour. Hotel pick up and drop off too and all about $100 pp (Australian $)

Everything was just great about this tour ! Thank you so much Moshi for interesting , informative tour.

We did the full day tour with Herodian National Park and the Mar Saba Monastery in the afternoon. Boaz was an amazing guide in Bethlehem. Said was our driver in the afternoon ( everyone else was going to the Dead Sea). And we made a stop for pastries anvthe way! Do a full day trip if you can. It’s worth the time.

I already wrote one glowing review but upon completion I was notified there was a problem and I don’t think the review posted!!! This was a wonderful tour from start to finish! My daughter and I were picked up from our hotel right on time and transported to a location where we transferred to another car for the drive into the Palestinian occupied Bethlehem! We were constantly kept hydrated with offered water which was appreciated due to the warm temperatures. Our guide was able to get us into the Church of the Nativity grotto area where Jesus was born! We went to Shepherd’s field, and other Biblical locations, just wonderful! At the end of our tour we were taken back to, little did we know to the most wonderful Olive Wood Factory and Gift Shop!! This is the place to purchase beautiful keepsakes and souvenirs!! I only wish that this was not our first day for the trip and I had known that this WAS the BEST place to buy!!! If I had only known, I would have DEFINITELY bought more! There was no pressure at any time to buy and they were the most hospitable people, offering us delicious refreshments, comfortable chairs, nice, clean restrooms, and a wonderful, fun shopping experience! I would highly recommend this tour, and wonderful shopping at the end!

This tour went far beyond my expectations, first of all the bus was very comfortable and our driver was so kind, when we arrived to Betlehem they offered us some delicious candies and the tour started. Our guide Dia was great, he really knew what he was talking about, he explained everything in detail and knew the difficult words for non English speakers in many languages so we understood the whole picture; also he didn’t mind spending a couple more minutes with us (one hour) to take us to a really nice and delicious restaurant. I really enjoyed this tour and knowing this city of the West Bank has definitely been an incredible experience!

We had such a great day on this tour which well exceeded our expectations, learned more than I thought we would and went to places i didnt know existed. Would highly recommend this tour to anyone.

This tour was amazing. Well organised with very informative guides. I will recommend this tour to any of my friends who are visiting Jerusalem.

Me and my friend had this trip booked, Unfortunately i fell ill so didnt make the tour. When my friend returned he said the tour was fantastic,They also gave him a bag full of souvenirs from the company!! We have taken loads of tours and he said that these were one of the best,Very informative,well run and great value for money. I couldn't believe it when my friend handed me $40, He said because i was ill that the company had refunded my money! I couldn't believe it,This has never happend before. What amazing customer service this is. A company on the up and would have no doubt in saying to use these for tours.

We had an excellent tour today with Elijah and his people. Dia was an excellent guide. I highly recommend them to anyone considering tours.