Bethlehem Private Tour: A Day of Sightseeing, Local Cuisine, and History
5.0
14 Ratings
Jerusalem
Immerse yourself in the rich history and culture of Bethlehem on this private tour. Explore ancient sites, savor local cuisine, and learn about the Palestinian narrative from locals. Don't miss the opportunity to visit the famous Walled Off Hotel and connect with Palestinian refugees.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Discover Palestine - Meet your guide at Bethlehem 300 Checkpoint from Bethlehem side.
- Mar Saba Monastery - Drive into the Jerusalem wilderness to enjoy the view and visit St. Saba Monastery (Mar Saba).
- Shepherd’s Sanctuary - Visit the Shepherd’s Field Chapel, the place where the angel Gabriel first announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.
- Church of the Nativity - Drive back to Bethlehem. Time for optional traditional Humus and Falafel lunch in a local restaurant (Lunch not included). Visit the Nativity Church, Birthplace of Jesus (UNESCO Site), visit Saint Catherine Church. Saint Jerome Cave, Milk Grotto Church.
- Blessings Gift Shop and The Olive Wood Factory - Visit a local olive wood workshop to learn about the olive wood production in Bethlehem which the most famous handicraft in Bethlehem.
- The Walled Off Hotel - See the separation wall and the graffiti of Banksy. Witness how the wall affects the lives of the locals. Visit The Walled Off Hotel “Banksy Official Hotel in Bethlehem”.
End of the tour at Bethlehem 300 Checkpoint or your hotel in Bethlehem.
- Discover Palestine - Visit Aida Refugee Camp and hear from the residents about their experiences of being born and growing up as refugees in their own country.
End the tour at the ending point.
What's Included
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Local Guide Driver
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off outside of Bethlehem City
- Meals and drinks
Additional Information
Experience many of Bethlehem’s noteworthy locations in a single day. Listen to the Biblical stories told by the locals, tour the splendid ancient city of Bethlehem, relish the local cuisine, and delve into the history of Palestine. Take a stroll in the public gallery, a canvas for global artists to showcase their graffiti on the partition wall, and pay a visit to The Walled Off Hotel (Banksy hotel and museum). Sip tea or coffee with Palestinian refugees in the Aida refugee camp.
- Dress code is decent clothes
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Location
Checkpoint 300/Bethlehem Road
Take bus 234 from Damascus Gate (Runs every 15 minutes) and the last stop will be Bethlehem 300 Checkpoint. Once you get of the bus, cross on foot to Bethlehem side (you have to cross the wall / Just follow all other people getting off the bus as they will be crossing to Bethlehem).
Once you cross, your guide will be waiting for you wearing his name tag.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(14 Ratings)
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Rayjay20
May 24, 2023
The best tour of Palestine - This tour is highly recommended for everyone. Hazem was amazing guide. We went to Hebron and Bethlehem in his car. His car was very clean. He was fantastic guide. Highly recommended
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Unseentraveller
May 19, 2023
MUST DO! Fantastic day with Hazem! great guide! - Hazem is an EXCELLENT guide. you won't regret going with him. highly recommended. we spent an incredibly eye opening and educational day with him touring Palestine. We saw the Jordan River, Jericho, and Bethlehem. We felt extremely safe at all times and well looked after. If you are visiting Israel, consider this a must to add on to your trip! you won't regret it!
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Carolsolich
Aug 18, 2022
Excellent day with a great guide - We did a full day tour of Bethlehem, Mar Saba and Herodian. Hazem was an excellent guide. He was full of knowledge and interesting facts and his delivery of information kept us interested and engaged throughout the entire day. He was very open to all of our questions and patient whenever we wanted to spend some extra time at any sight. We were a bit nervous, as it was our first time visiting the country, and Hazem was very reassuring and made us feel safe. We would highly recommend him as a tour guide to anyone wanting to visit Bethlehem and it’s surrounds. Thank you for a wonderful day.
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803attilas
Jan 17, 2020
Tour to Jericho/Bethelem - Great tip! Hazem is an excellent tour guide. He knows everything about the region and the history. Totally recomended.
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Hughandb
Dec 8, 2019
Exceptional day tour with Deya - We were recommended Deya (a graduate in archeology), and his brother Ala (our driver) by their colleague Hazem, and they made every effort to ensure that we had a wonderful, and insightful, tour of this part of the West Bank. Deya and Ala are Palestinian Christians who live close to Bethlehem, and they made delightful companions for the day. Transport and logistics are complicated in Palestine (eg managing the checkpoints) and we would not have managed well without Deya's sincere kindness and patience (and great communication beforehand).
We loved the remoteness of the Kidron valley and thought St George's Monastery and Mar Saba truly beautiful to visit, enhanced by Deya's knowledge. A private tour was a big plus in these special places. We had an even better experience than expected at the Church of the Nativity, managing somehow not to get caught in queues. And we loved Walled Off Hotel with its Banksy art and all the nearby graffiti art. This, and our open and informative guides, truly helped us appreciate the complexities of life in Palestine.
All in all, a remarkable day out made very special by our guides. Thank you both.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oklahomasherri
Sep 22, 2019
Wonderful day! - We booked a private tour with Hazem. This was the best tour of our entire trip! We divided our day between the history/current events of Palestine and the religious history/locations of Bethlehem. Hazem is passionate about his country and is a great story teller/educator. He met us the minute we crossed the checkpoint and took great care of us the whole day! I’m often asked if we felt safe so I will share that we always felt save. I really enjoy the benefits of a private tour over being with 100 others. The private tour offers the chance to truly talk and get to know your guide. By the end of the day we felt we had made a friend in Palestine. I highly recommend Hazem as a guide, we wish we had met him earlier in our trip so we could have planned additional tours. Meeting others and understanding different cultures is why we travel and this experience will be one remember!
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Jlovestallboys
Aug 5, 2019
2 day tour with Hazem - Literally the highlight of our trip. I can't believe there are only 22 reviews. Hazem is a hidden gem! I wish we could have been with him for a week. We had 2 full days in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Hebron and Ramallah. He was so nice and kind, like a family member. He was super knowledgeable about the history of the area and the current status. I honestly can't say enough. The teens loved him too. I would love to go back for another tour. We traveled for 18 days and nothing compared with his tour. Both days we had a clean van with AC (group of 6), water, and a driver. It made it so nice to learn and discuss things while we drove, let alone the curb side pick up service. He recommended great stops that the family would enjoy and worked out an itinerary in advance based on what we were looking for. We stopped at great places for lunch and he recommended other places for dinner, shopping, etc. Book a tour, it was worth every penny. 10 stars!
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Georgejoseph88
Feb 27, 2019
Best experience ever - Thank you Hazem for this amazing experience, god bless you.
we will never forget this trip
highly recommended. awesome experience, great people and wonderful tour explanation
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Tourist_b
Nov 11, 2018
Highly recommended - To say that this trip was eye-opening was an understatement. I was a staunch Christian but it wasn't the Church of Nativity that blew me away, it was the wilderness of Kidron Valley, the hospitality of the Palestine people, the contagious smiles of the street vendors and the small museum at the Walled Off Hotel that left a lasting impression. It's such a lovely and safe place. I am glad that I went and I will go again.
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Navigate10549473715
Nov 7, 2018
Very good informed guide - We were in Palestine for a few days over New Year's Eve 17/18 and Hazem was a great tour guide which introduced us in the history and culture of Bethlehem and the surroundings. He is very good informed and gave our trip a wonderfull atmosphere. After our trip we had a deeper understanding of the place and the people living there.
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