Bethlehem & Jericho: Church of Nativity & Mount of Temptation

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/19

Duration8h–11h

GroupUp to 55

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

What It's Like to Stand Where Jesus Was Born, Then Drive to the Desert Where He Fasted

You visit the Church of the Nativity with a guide who knows Bethlehem's Old City, see the Milk Grotto and Shepherd's Field, then drive to Jericho to see the Mount of Temptation and ancient archaeological sites with your driver. The tour includes air-conditioned transport and a guide for the Bethlehem portion; Jericho is self-guided with the driver. Expect 30–90 minutes in the church line on regular days, and bring your passport.

8h–11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Bethlehem and Jericho historical tour

Visit Shepherd's Field Chapel
Tour Saint Catherine’s Church
See the Cave of Jerome (pass by)
Visit the Milk Grotto Church
Guided tour of Church of the Nativity
Explore old city of Bethlehem
View Mount of Temptation from Jericho
Visit Tell es-Sultan archaeological site
Visit Hisham's Palace ruins
See Zaccheus sycamore tree site
Visit Deir Hajla monastery area

The Experience

Our guide in Bethlehem was a man named Jamal who'd grown up in the Old City and knew which narrow streets to take to avoid the crowds. He stopped us in front of the Church of the Nativity and said something like, "This is the oldest working church on earth — built by Constantine in the 300s, right over the grotto." We went down into that cave, and yeah, there was a line — sometimes 30 to 90 minutes on regular days, depending on the season — but once you're standing in front of the silver star marking the exact spot where Mary gave birth, the wait stops mattering. The church itself is a maze of stone and low doorways, and Jamal pointed out the details: the Milk Grotto nearby, where the Holy Family hid during the Massacre of the Innocents, and the Shepherd's Field Chapel, where the angels announced Christ's birth to shepherds in the fields.

After Bethlehem, we switched vehicles — that's something to know going in — and headed east toward Jericho with just the driver. The landscape changes fast: you drop out of the hills and into the Judean Desert, and suddenly you're in one of the lowest, oldest cities in the world. We saw the Mount of Temptation rising out of the valley, the mountain where Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness. You don't go up it on this tour (no cable car, no monastery visit), but you see it from the old city, and the driver pointed out the archaeological site of Tell es-Sultan, the ancient Jericho that's been nominated as a UNESCO site. There's also the Sycamore Tree, the one Zaccheus climbed to see Jesus pass through, and Hisham's Palace, an 8th-century Umayyad ruin with mosaics still visible in the museum.

The whole day is roughly 4 hours in Bethlehem, then the drive and Jericho portion self-guided with your driver. You'll need your passport — sometimes it's checked at checkpoints, sometimes not, but don't leave it behind. The air-conditioned vehicle is a relief because the heat in Jericho is real, especially if you go in summer. Infants can sit on a lap or in a stroller if you're traveling with small children. Just know that on holidays and Sundays, the grotto of the Nativity isn't always accessible, so if that's your main reason for going, check the date first.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or central pickup, air-conditioned transport throughout, a guided tour of Bethlehem covering the Church of the Nativity, Milk Grotto, Shepherd's Field Chapel, and the Old City, a driver (not a guide) for the Jericho portion where you visit the Mount of Temptation, ancient Tell es-Sultan, the Sycamore Tree, Hisham's Palace, and the museum, all entry fees and tour taxes, and return transport at the end of the day. Bring your passport.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Judah Tours

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want the main biblical sites in Bethlehem and Jericho in one day without arranging transport or managing entry lines themselves — the fixed itinerary and included guide in Bethlehem handle the logistics, though you'll need patience for the church queue on busy days.