Bethlehem Half Day Tour

We start our half-day Bethlehem tour as we travel through the Judean Hills towards Bethlehem. This is the route Mary and Joseph would have taken when they traveled to Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. As the hometown of King David’s father Bethlehem is also known as the City of David. On arrival in Bethlehem, we stop in Manger Square. Here Christians gather from across the globe each Christmas Eve to celebrate the nativity. The square is bordered by the Palestinian Peace Center, the Mosque of Omar, and the Church of the Nativity.

The Bethlehem tour takes us inside the Church of the Nativity built in the 4th century around the site of Christ’s birth. The church was expanded in the 6th century but part of the original floor mosaic can still be seen. In the Grotto of the Nativity a silver star on the floor marks where Christ came into this world. From the basilica, the Bethlehem tour continues to the Church of St. Catherine that was constructed in 1882. The tour takes you beneath the church to ancient chambers hewn out of the rock. Here we see the Chapel of the Innocent; St. Joseph’s Chapel and the cave where St. Jerome translated the Bible from Hebrew to Latin.

The tour to Bethlehem makes its return journey toward Jerusalem and passes Shepherds Field.  On the first, Christmas Eve shepherds watched their flocks in this field. Today this site is marked by the Church of All Angels designed by Barluzzi. Finally, we drive past the Field of Ruth where Ruth met her future husband Boaz.