Bethlehem, Jerusalem Desert and Monasteries Tour from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. "The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity, is a basilica located in Bethlehem. The grotto it contains holds a prominent religious significance to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus. The grotto is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major church in the Holy Land."

   40 min

2. "The Monastery of Saint George of Choziba, also known as Monastery of Choziba (or Hoziba) or Mar Jaris,is a monastery located in Wadi Qelt. The cliff-hanging complex, which emerged from a larva established in the 420s and reorganized as a monastery around AD 500, with its ancient chapel and irrigated gardens, is active and inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. It houses the relics of saint George of Choziba, after whom the monastery is named, as well as the relics of saint John of Choziba.

   40 min

3. The Mount of Temptation is the supposed location of part of the Temptation of Jesus described in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the New Testament, during which the Devil took Jesus to a "high mountain" and offered him rule over all the kingdoms of the world.

   1 h

4. "The Shepherds' Field Chapel or the Sanctuary of the Gloria in excelsis Deo, dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima and St. Theresa of Lisieux, is a Roman Catholic religious building in the area of Beit Sahour, southeast of Bethlehem. The chapel marks the place where, according to Catholic tradition, angels first announced the birth of Christ.

   40 min

5. "Bethlehem is the cradle of Christianity, the site of the Church of the Nativity, which contains an underground cave where Christians believe Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable. A 14-pointed silver star beneath an altar marks the spot and the stone church is a key pilgrimage site for Christians and Muslims alike."

   5 h

6. "The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the Bethlehem at a point halfway between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea. The monks of Mar Saba and those of subsidiary houses are known as Sabaites. Mar Saba is considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world, and it maintains many of its ancient traditions.

   1 h

7. Pass By Blessings Gift Shop and Olive Wood Factory.

   Passes by

8. "The Chapel of the Milk Grotto of Our Lady also called Grotto of Our Lady or Milk Grotto, is a Catholic chapel in Bethlehem, erected in 1872. Since Byzantine times, the place has been a center of Christian pilgrimage. Christian tradition says 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." The space, which contains three different caves, is visited by some in hope of healing infertile couples,[8] the shrine allegedly being a place where prayers for children are miraculously answered.[9]

   30 min

9. "Set among a maze of subterranean chambers under the Church of Nativity, here, in the late 4th century, Saint Jerome devoted 30 years of his life to translate the Hebrew and Greek bibles into Latin."

   Passes by

10. "Rachel's Tomb is a site revered as the burial place of the Biblical matriarch Rachel. The tomb is held in esteem by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The tomb, located at the northern entrance city of Bethlehem, next to the Rachel's Tomb, is built in the style of a traditional maqam, Arabic for shrine."

    Passes by

11. "Tell es-Sultan, also known as Tel Jericho or Ancient Jericho, is a UNESCO-nominated archaeological site in the West Bank, located adjacent to the Ein as-Sultan refugee camp two kilometres north of the centre of Jericho. The tell was inhabited from the 10th millennium BCE, and has been called "the oldest town in the world", with many significant archaeological finds; the site is also notable for its role in the history of Levantine archaeology."

    Passes by

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 2 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Tel Aviv

• Its from-price is 77% below the median of the 187 day trips we list in Tel Aviv.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 89 of 187.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is Israel's Mediterranean city of white Bauhaus buildings, long beaches, street markets and a café-lined seafront beside ancient Jaffa.

Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 on sand dunes north of the old port of Jaffa and grew quickly into a city of modernist apartment blocks. Its White City, a large collection of Bauhaus and International Style buildings, is listed by UNESCO. Rothschild Boulevard is lined with these buildings and shaded by trees, and Independence Hall, where the state was declared in 1948, stands on it.

Top-ranked sights in Tel Aviv: Caesarea, Neve Tzedek (Neve Tsedek).

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