1 day

Dinner

About this activity

After pickup from your Jerusalem hotel, enjoy sweeping vistas of the Holy Land from the Mount of Olives, site of a 3,000-year-old Jewish cemetery where olive groves once flourished. Then, relax aboard your comfortable coach as you listen to your guide’s commentary and drive around the Old City walls that once encompassed the ancient city.

View Kidron Valley, where the Tomb of the Virgin Mary resides, and admire the gorgeous Garden of Gethsemane, which lies at the base of the Mount of Olives, where the disciples of Jesus gathered prior to the crucifixion.

Visit the 4th-century Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most popular Christian pilgrimage sites, and walk through the Christian Quarter in the Old City’s northwestern corner. Stop to look at the intricate metalwork as well as the murals and mosaics of Christ.

Afterward, continue on a relaxing drive through the New City and see the Israel Museum—site of the biggest archeological collection of the Holy Land—as well as the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and Valley of the Cross. Be on the lookout for the remarkable monastery built of high stone walls in the 11th century.

Next, stop at the Mount of Evil Counsel for a twilight view of illuminated Jerusalem and beautiful vistas of the city’s now-familiar sites. Then, cross the border into Bethlehem, in one of the Palestinian territories, where you hop in another vehicle for ease of transport.

Once you arrive, enjoy a light snack and drink (included) at a Christmas souvenir shop, and go to central Bethlehem to see the huge, lit-up tree and hear Christmas carols sung by pilgrims and locals in the cobblestone, pedestrian square.

See the bell towers of the Church of the Nativity, a UNESCO World Heritage Site rebuilt in 565 AD where Jesus was born, and visit the world’s oldest Christian basilica (time permitting) before the midnight mass begins.

Dine on a celebratory Christmas dinner at a restaurant located on Manger’s Square, and watch the midnight mass on the large outdoor screen (weather permitting) before returning across the border to your hotel in Jerusalem.

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Included

Local guide
Dinner
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Air-conditioned vehicle

Not included

Gratuities

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
You will be required to change vehicles at the Israel-Palestine border
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is solely responsible for the management and performances of the evening's events in Bethlehem. The local tour operator cannot be held responsible should changes to the evening's events occur within PNA territory
Hotel pickup provided from the following hotels in Jerusalem: Jerusalem Gate, Grand Court, David's Citadel and Dan Boutique. Please contact your local operator to reconfirm time of the service
Please note this tour is not suitable for children under the age of 4

Features

Tourism

95%

Cultural

90%

Nightlife

80%

Original

55%

Reviews

2.0

4

m

myvymy

1 | 2019-01-04

Very few of what they say will happen does. It was the least Christmas spirited thing we could do for a Midnight Mass. The tour guides in Jerusalem and Bethlehem did their job, but the overall tour was in short, disappointing. Dinner at the Christmas Bells restaurant was merely passable. We even asked the guides to just bring us back to Jerusalem instead of waiting hours in the least Christmas inspiring place ever, a real manger would have been a better place than Manger Square. No big screens, no access to anything. I do not recommend this tour AT ALL. Stay in Jerusalem and come to Bethlehem during the day only. It's scary during the night. If you don't have church issued tickets for the Mass, you have absolutely NOTHING to do here but endanger yourself.

A

ALOJZY M

4 | 2013-01-22

It was ok

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