About Activity
We will start our tour driving through the Judean hills to Bethlehem. Upon arrival, we will ride through the city and see the important attractions before arriving to Manger Square. There we will have a guided visit to Church of The Nativity where Jesus was born in an underground cave that the church was built on.
Then we will take a short walk with the guide to the Church of Milk Grotto. After we finish we will ride to the town of Beit Sahour, the city of the Shepherd’s. There we will have a guided visit to the Chapel of the Shepherd’s Field.
Continuing our tour we will have a 25bminute visit an olive wood factory and a cooperative store.
Lastly we will visit one of the most unique in history and geography cities in the world, Jericho. We will visit the most important biblical and historical sites in the city as well as the jordan river.
*Make Sure to bring your passport
*Switch of vehicle is required, All times are approximate!
* no cable car visit on this tour
Includes
- Guided Tour of Bethlehem only
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Excludes
- Hisham palace 10 nis entrance fee
- Entrance Fee to Tel Jericho of 10NIS/Person
- Lunch
- Self guided tour in jericho and jordan river
- Hisham's Palace
Departure Point
- Meet at nativity church at 8:00 clock, msg to confirm if your picked up or return to Bethlehem
Return
- Meet at nativity church at 8:00 clock, msg to confirm if your picked up or return to Bethlehem
Stop At: Church Of The Nativity A full guided tour to the Church of the Nativity. The Church is one of the oldest working churches in existence today. The first Church was built by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD, over the grotto where Mary gave birth to Jesus. The church is located where Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Stop At: Church Of St. Catherine Saint Catherine’s Church is a Franciscan monastery. It is said to be built on the site of Christ’s appearance to St. Catherine of Alexandria and his prediction of her martyrdom at the beginning of the 4th century.
Stop At: Milk Grotto The Milk Grotto church is the place where the Holy Family found refuge during the Massacre of the Innocents, before they could flee to Egypt. The name is derived from the story that a "drop of milk" of the Virgin Mary fell on the floor of the cave and changed its color to white.
Stop At: Shepherd's Sanctuary The Chapel of The Shepherd's Field.It marks the place where, the angels first announced the birth of Christ. The Shepherds' Field Chapel is a religious building of the Catholic church that is in the area of Beit Sahur southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank in Palestine. The chapel marks the place where the angels first announced the birth of Christ.
Stop At: St. Jerome's Cave The Cave of Jerome is actually located beneath the Church of St. Catherine, and can also be accessed from there. St. Jerome, a Dalmation priest (345-420 A.D.), translated much of the Old Testament from Hebrew and Greek to the Latin "Vulgate".
Stop At: Carmel Of The Holy Child Jesus The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel does not have a single founder but was founded by a group of hermits living close to the “Spring of Elijah” on Mount Carmel, with two roots of their spirituality: the Prophet Elijah and the Virgin Mary. At the beginning of the 13th century the hermits received a rule of life, which was written by Saint Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Stop At: Sanctuary Bethlehem The Nativity Church in Bethlehem old City
Stop At: Aida Camp Aida, also spelled 'Ayda, is a Palestinian refugee camp situated 2 kilometers north of the historic center of Bethlehem and 1 km north of Beit Jala.
Stop At: Bab Iddeir Art Gallery Bab idDeir Art Gallery is an independent artistic and cultural space in Bethlehem, located in Deik quarters part of the historical old city of Bethlehem.
Stop At: The Monastery Of Saint Gerassimos Admission Ticket:
Tickets are not included Deir Hajla or Deir Hijleh is the Arabic name of the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Gerasimus. It is located in the Jericho Governorate in the West Bank, west of the River Jordan and north of the Dead Sea.
Stop At: Zaccheus' Tree In that Gospel, we hear of Jesus passing through Jericho. Zaccheus lived there, and he was “a chief tax collector and rich.” He was “trying to see who Jesus was” but was short, so he climbed “a sycamore tree” to see him as he passed by. Jesus stops and calls him down and invites himself to dinner at Zaccheus’ house—to the dismay of the people of Jericho—and the tax collector converts on the spot.
Stop At: Hisham's Palace Admission Ticket:
Tickets are not included Hisham's Palace is an important early Islamic archaeological site of the Umayyad dynasty from the first half of the 8th century, one of the so-called Umayyad desert castles. It is located at Khirbat al-Mafjar, 5 km north of the town of Jericho, West Bank.
Stop At: Mount Of Temptation Monastery The Mount of Temptation is located about 3km north-west of Jericho which is about 58km east of Jerusalem, Israel. The mountain is in the Judean Desert and overlooks the Jordan Valley. After being baptized by John the Baptist Jesus retreated to the wilderness to meditate and fast, this mountain on which Jesus is believed to have spent the 40 days and 40 nights of spiritual contemplation.
We do not take cable car or visit the mountain on this tour
Stop At: Tel Es-sultan Admission Ticket:
Tickets are not included Tell es-Sultan also known as Tel Jericho or Ancient Jericho, is the site of ancient and biblical Jericho and today a UNESCO-nominated archaeological site in the West Bank, located two kilometers north of the center of Jericho
Stop At: The Good Samaritan Museum On display in the museum are archaeological remains, including a wealth of beautiful mosaics from the Byzantine period. One wing of the museum is devoted to the story of the Samaritan community, its history and customs.
Stop At: The Baptismal Site On The Jordan River - Kasr El Yahud visit jordan river for 15 mins
Public transportation options are available nearby Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap Suitable for all physical fitness levels Self guided tour in jericho and jordan river No visit to mount of temptation or cable car on this tour we cannot guarantee visiting the grotto of the nativity on holidays or sundays We could wait on the line from 30-90 mins to see the Birth grotto on regular days For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
A tour guide can make and break the experience.Kevin_G
Our first guide was Johny and he provided the tour in Bethlehem. He was a fantastic guide. If he was the only tour guide, the tour would be a 5 star but he was not. Our second guide who took us to Jericho was nice, but he did not use the airconditioner in the car when the temps were close to 100. The car was so dirty and smelled so bad, I almost got sick several times. He did not "guide" us around, he drove us to a place and dropped us off and told us when to come back. We did not see all the sites listed on the program guide.
Great guides good experience AmineKefi
Great day spent with both Johnny and Saint George the best two guides ever.
The History, the flair and the people, all is sth to experience at least once in a lifetime
Totally recommend it
A beautiful experience Jonathan_T
A very good good tour. Monday was a slow day, so not a lot of people. Tour guys were really informative. Importante to bring cash for Jericho entrances. I recommend.
Convenient to see three places in one day.Roam568719
Sep 16, 2023, 12:52:24 PM Certainly Bethelem is worth a whole day of visit, but if you need to save time, this excursion going also to Jericó and Jordan river is very convenient. It´s possible to feel a bit of the desert during the trip and the palestinian side of Israel.
My tour didn´t go to the cable car and the monastry inJerico. They replaced it with the mosaic Al Hashim, which is magnificent and I really support this change.
Worth your time and money!Karla_F
We REALLY enjoyed this opportunity to safely see some of the renowned sites within the West Bank. Bethlehem was an absolute highlight! As was our first guide, Elias. He was wonderfully informative and engaging... but best of all, he was HILARIOUS. He could be a stand-up comedian, I kid you not. His comedic timing was impeccable and that helped to keep our daughters -- ages 11 and 13 -- absolutely enthralled with his recounting of historic, religious history. The afternoon at the Jordan River and Jericho were also good, as was the guide.. But it's the morning session that convinced us this was an excellent investment. The ONLY disappointment: This tour suggested a brief stop at (or at least drive by of) a Palestinian refugee camp... that did not happen. Not sure if it was due to timing or what, but I had personally hoped for that part of the tour, as well, to help round out the "balance" of our overall experience. Overall, I still highly recommend this tour!
Jun 10, 2023, 10:20:48 AM very nice trip. we had a guide also for the second part (Jerico and Giordano) even if it was not included in the tour. Second guide, by the way, excellent!!!
The birthplace of Jesus...Ayneaddis_W
The birthplace of Jesus was very beautiful and the holiest place in the world the church is very big and attractive the tour guide was very funny and brilliant he explained everything about the church and all the holy places in Bethlehem he makes our visit unforgettable Thank you.
Highly recommendable watties_12
Brilliant tour guide - very friendly and so knowledgeable. He took good care of everyone on the tour, making sure the could keep up.
Enough time at all the sights listed.
Very comfortable bus.
This was one of the best...Tamara_M
Mar 29, 2023, 11:57:54 AM This was one of the best experiences we had on our trip. We absolutely loved the different tour guides we worked with and the knowledge and experiences that they shared with us. I was a little worried seeing the itinerary that it would be too many churches that would all blend together and bore my young kids, but each one was very different and had so many different stories to share. One slight problem - when booking, I was mostly concerned with avoiding activities on Shabbat that would be closed to us but I didn't think about the fact that all of these churches would have services on Sundays that would make it difficult to see them. Toward the beginning of the day it worked out in our favor because we had extra time to squeeze in a few other sights that normally weren't included on the tour. But we ended up having a very long wait at the Nativity Church to wait until the services concluded and the other people in the church kept getting annoyed at us waiting there. On the other hand, our guides were on top of it and made sure we were among the first in line, while other groups had a significantly longer wait. I think one of the best things about the tour though was that I not only got to learn fascinating facts about the rich history (my mind can't even comprehend the thousands of years of people that all were in that area) but also a lot about the modern problems and the different opinions of different local people depending on which side of the wall they live. It put so much into perspective for me.
Correct guided tour. A...Janos_O
Correct guided tour. A lot of informations, facts, stories about places, ages, peoples. Great experience.
Enjoyable tour with espacially kind tour guidesmatthiaskP6464AR
The tour guides were very knowledgable and were very kind people. Felt always safe and in competent hands which was very important to me. The guides were eager to answer every question that arised and looked on the issues of the visited area with a refreshingly neutral view.
Great guide and experience!Sally_B
I highly recommend this tour. The destinations were great and our guide was knowledgeable and funny. He was very experienced, knowing exactly where to take us to get the most out of our day.
Absolutely Amazing Muhammad_A
Absolutely amazing tour. Tour guide in Bethlehem, Elias was one of the best and fun tour guide ever. Very informative tour regarding all the important places. Without doubt great day in Palestine.
In the evening we had Amir as a tour guide for Jordan river and Jericho. He was great as well. Jericho is amazing place and oldest city in the world.
Overall highly recommended this trip from Jerusalem.
Genuinely caring tour operatorsPvpvpv001
I had a wonderful tour with them. I had an issue during the trip with losing some important stuff and the tour operators and guide were very patient and supportive to help me with it. They went above and beyond even when they didn't have to
A great tour and great companyBridget T
Amazing service from this company earlier today. Accidentally booked the wrong day but they accommodated us on the tour anyway at no extra cost. I have some disability issues linked to asthma/long covid/recovery from a coma and they were kind and understanding through out making sure a guide was with me when I occasionally fell behind so that I didn't get lost. Everyone we interacted with seemed genuinely very nice and kind. Would 100% book with this company again.
Excellent trip
Great driver
Great guide
Well worth the money
Great transport
The guides and drivers where the best
A visit in troubled times. The guide tried the bestMaria Antónia F
In spiritual terms it is a wonderful experience: Bethlehem and the church of birth, the cave of milk and the field of shepherds.
The tour is well organized. It is a pity to have to see the wall that separates Palestine, it is sad. Note that it passes through military control zone. Take the passport. Go back to Jerusalem and go to the Jordan River to see a place of baptism (this is not the most beautiful of these places). Unfortunately, the city of Jericho was besieged by the Israeli army after they killed 5 or 6 Palestinians. Hence it was not possible to visit the mountain of temptations, nor the old city nor anything (it was all deserted). In return we visit an Orthodox monastery in the desert. The guide tried to make up for the damage due to political issues. You did your best.
The trip to Jericho with Roni PeledEmilia P
The trip very interesting, the guide prepared, erudite and attentive. Beautiful places. The times have been respected
Emozionante viaggio per Betlemme a Gerico, passando nel desertoCamillo_F
Aug 30, 2022, 11:20:41 AM Il tour era organizzato in due parti. La mattina visita a Betlemme, eravamo un gruppo di circa 20 persone con guida locale, molto preparata.
Dopo pranzo il gruppo si e' diviso in 3 parti (Gerico, Mar Morto, rientro a Gerusalemme). Io sono rimasto da solo e ho avuto il piacere di essere accompagnato in macchina da Ziad, che vive a Betlemme e che e' stato assai cordiale a portarmi in tutti i luoghi previsti nel tour e a raccontarmi molte cose relative ai posti attraversati. E' stato un vero compagno di viaggio, con cui mi sono sentito a mio agio, mi ha lasciato visitare i luoghi con tutta liberta'. Ziad mi ha poi riaccompagnato a Betlemme, non poteva proseguire a Gerusalemme perche' non era abilitato a guidare fuori dai territori palestinesi. A Betlemme un altro autista, di cui non ricordo il nome, ma altrettanto cordiale e con cui ho avuto una piacevole conversazione, mi ha riaccompagnato a Gerusalemme. Ho un bel ricordo di questa escursione, e ringrazio particolarmente i miei due autisti privati.
In Israele ho fatto due tour con Viator (l'altro e' la salita notturna a Masada). In entrambi i casi organizzazione eccellente, guide assai cordiali e competenti, prezzi competitivi.
