• Church of Nativity • Manger Square • Shepherds' Fields • Old City • Banksy Graffiti & Walled Off Hotel • Separation Wall • Refugee camp visit • Street Festivities

You'll have an opportunity to visit Shepherds' Field and the Old City of Bethlehem in addition to viewing Israel's Separation Wall and visiting Aida Refugee Camp. Manger Square will be a hub of activity with music, dancing and even bagpipe bands marching through the streets of the Old City.

From Aida Camp you will see sections of the Separation Barrier and some of Banksy's famous graffiti. The Barrier surrounds Bethlehem on three sides and has resulted in travel restrictions for Palestinians and confiscated land.

If you opt for the Christmas Eve tour then you will have plenty of free time to explore on your own. You'll be with the guide until the late afternoon and then you will be on your own for dinner and activities. You will have free time until you return in the evening. If you are traveling on your own, we suggest that you team up with one or two others in the group for the evening. The guide will tell you where to meet.

Those of you on the Christmas Day tour will be with the guide for the entire time.

Location: Bethlehem - Bethlehem

Itinerary

Christmas in Bethlehem is an iconic activity in Palestine. With pick-up possible in either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, we will seamlessly bring you back & forth and through the checkpoints, making your trip a delight.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience Christmas at the site of Christ’s birth! Manger Square is the hub of activity with music, dancing and even bagpipe bands marching through the streets of the Old City, a legacy of the British Mandate.

On the 24th there are parades and the chance to see the Patriarch of Jerusalem enter the city, while on the 25th you can visit the site of the Manger exactly 2022 years since Christ is said to have been born there. Whichever day you choose and whatever festivities are ongoing, we will ensure that you get to see the best of the action, and be sure to stop for a delicious Palestinian meal where you can experience the flavor of local traditional cuisine.

On the tour you’ll begin with a visit to Shepherds’ Field Church, where tradition holds the shepherds watch their flocks by night before following the star to the Manger. You will also have an opportunity to visit the Aida Refugee Camp, where you will meet with residents and spend time at a local center.

Aida camp was established in 1950 on an area of 66 dunums between the towns of Bethlehem and Beit Jala and you will learn more about it from a community leader.

From the Camp you will see the Separation Barrier, and walk along it for an up close look of the graffiti done by many local and international artists including the famous Banksy. You will visit the Walled Off Hotel, with a museum and acclaimed gallery that attracts many art lovers and visitors from around the world to this once abandoned area in the city.

Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, approximately 10 kilometers (6 mi) south of Jerusalem, with a population of 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism. You will not want to miss the chance to experience it during this singular time of the year.