• Jerusalem iconic Old City
• Mount Scopus 
• Christian Quarter 
• Via Dolorosa
• Stations of the Cross

• Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• Tomb of Jesus of Nazareth
• Jewish Quarter 
• Cardo
• Western Wall

• Bethlehem 
• Manger Square 
• Church of the Nativity
• Grotto Nativity Silver Star 
• Shepherds’ Fields  

Jerusalem Bethlehem Tour ITINERARY

Spend a full day exploring the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, tour that takes you to sites of religious and historical importance, including UNESCO World Heritage sites. We start on Mount Scopus with a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Then we pass the Garden of Gethsemane, Church of All Nations and Kidron Valley to reach the Old City.

Enter the Old City via the Zion Gate and walk through the Armenian and Jewish quarters to the recently excavated and restored Cardo, the Roman Road.

The southern part of the Cardo, uncovered in the Jewish Quarter, was built during the reign of the emperor Justinian (527-565), as a continuation of the earlier, Roman, northern part, linking the two main churches of Byzantine Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and The Nea Church.

Reach to the Jewish Wailing Wall, The Kotel. The Wailing Wall or Western Wall is an ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. At the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall), you’ll step into one of the most sacred places in the world. As you stand before these ancient stones, witnesses to thousands of years of faith and history. You’ll have the special opportunity to place your own personal note or prayer into the Wailing Wall.

Continue to the Christian Quarter.  Walk along the Via Dolorosa and visit the Church of Holy Sepulchre. Following the very path Jesus walked from His judgment to His crucifixion, the Via Dolorosa invites us to journey through history with every step. The Via Dolorosa is a processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem. It represents the path that Jesus would have taken, forced by the Roman soldiers, on the way to his crucifixion.  Via Dolorosa (Latin for “Sorrowful Way” or “Way of Suffering”) is a narrow, stone path believed to be the route Jesus took to His Crucifixion nearly 2000 years ago. It is here that Christians relive and celebrate Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. This meaningful walk leads us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the most sacred site in the world for millions of Christians. This is the site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Helena identified this place as The Calvary, where Jesus was crucified.  Calvary, or Golgotha, (Aramaic: “Skull”) also called Calvary, (from Latin calva: “bald head” or “skull”), skull-shaped hill in ancient Jerusalem, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is referred to in all four Gospels (Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, and John 19:17). According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified at a spot outside Jerusalem called Golgotha, which in Aramaic means “place of the skull.” The Latin word for skull is calvaria, and in English many Christians refer to the site of the crucifixion as Calvary.

Second part of your tour continue on to Bethlehem. Drive towards Bethlehem via the Nativity Circle and visit Bethlehem’s Manger Square, named after the manger Jesus was born in. Manger Square is home to the Church of the Nativity, one of the world’s oldest-standing churches still functioning to this day.

Visit visit the main Church of the Nativity, designed in the typical Roman-style and constructed on the ruins of its predecessor in 565 AD, as well as the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, adjoining the Basilica of the Nativity. Underneath the Church stands the Grotto of the Nativity, the cave in which Jesus was born, the exact spot of birth is marked by a 14-pointed star of silver set into the floor.

If possible, we also visit the adjacent Church of Saint Catherine where we descend to subterranean caves and see sacred tombs and chapels. We make our way back to Jerusalem passing the Church of the Angels in Shepherds Field and the Field of Ruth where King David’s great grandmother met Boaz. Return transfer after the tour to pickup point.

Bethlehem part of the tour:  Bethlehem part of the tour is subject to Palestinian authority regulations. Change of vehicles required during the tour. Bethlehem part guided by local Palestinian guide only. Passports mandatory –  required on the tour day.