Private Day Tour: Bethlehem, Jericho & Mount of Temptation

Walk the oldest city on earth, then stand where Jesus was tempted

A private day tour from Bethlehem visits Jericho (the world's oldest city, dating to 10,000 BC), Mount of Temptation Monastery, Hisham's Palace, and returns to Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, Church of St. Catherine, Milk Grotto Shrine and Shepherd's Field. Your guide and driver pick you up at your hotel or Checkpoint 300, drive you between sites in an air-conditioned vehicle, and return you by 4pm. Walking is involved at each stop.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Church of the Nativity1h 30m
2. Bethlehem20m

Jericho and Bethlehem private day tour

• Meet guide at Bethlehem hotel or Checkpoint 300
• Drive 45 minutes to Jericho passing religious sites
• View St. George Monastery panorama
• Take cable car and overview ancient Jericho
• Visit Mount of Temptation Monastery
• Explore Hisham's Palace ruins
• Visit Shepherd's Field in Beit Sahour
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Tour Church of the Nativity and Cave of St. Jerome
• Visit Church of St. Catherine and Milk Grotto Shrine
• See Banksy's graffiti art
• Return to Bethlehem hotel or Checkpoint 300

The experience

How do you fit ancient Jericho, a Byzantine monastery, an 8th-century palace and Bethlehem's sacred churches into one day without arranging your own transport across the West Bank? This tour handles the driving and the route, leaving you to move through the sites at the pace your guide sets. You start at 8am from your Bethlehem hotel or from Checkpoint 300 (about 30 minutes from Damascus Gate by bus if you're coming from Jerusalem), then spend roughly 45 minutes in the air-conditioned vehicle heading to Jericho. Along the way you pass St. Theodosius' Monastery and al-Eizariya, both tied to early Christian history.

In Jericho, you take the cable car up to Mount of Temptation Monastery, the Byzantine site where the current building dates to 1892 and where tradition holds Jesus fasted for 40 days. The panorama from the monastery overlooks the entire Jericho plain. Before leaving the area, you visit Hisham's Palace, the 8th-century winter hunting retreat of Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd al Malik: archaeologists call it the Versailles of the Middle East for its baths, mosaics and pillars, though only ruins remain. Your guide walks you through what stood where. You stop in Beit Sahour at Shepherd's Field, where the angel appeared to the shepherds, then break for a classic falafel lunch at a local restaurant (you pay separately).

The afternoon centers on Bethlehem. You enter the Church of the Nativity, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world's oldest church still in daily use, built on the spot tradition marks as Jesus's birthplace. Below it lies the Cave of St. Jerome, where many believe he translated the Bible. You also visit the Church of St. Catherine and the Milk Grotto Shrine, and your guide points out Banksy's graffiti pieces around the city. The tour ends by 4pm back at Checkpoint 300 or your Bethlehem hotel. Entrance fees to the sites are not included in the tour price, nor is the cable car ride up Mount of Temptation.

What’s included

• Private guide and air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.
• pickup from your Bethlehem hotel or Checkpoint 300 and drop-off at either location.
• cable car access is arranged separately and paid on-site.

Options for this experience

2 options

Maximum of 4Up to 4 per booking · Guide in English · 08:00 and 08:30

Maximum of 6Up to 6 per booking · Guide in English · 08:00 and 08:30Maximum of 6

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:00 and 08:30

Book up to1d before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Michael Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're staying in Bethlehem or arriving via Checkpoint 300 and want one guide to navigate the route, the sites and the checkpoints across the West Bank in a single day. The private vehicle means your group of up to four or six travels together without joining strangers, and the fixed 8am start and 4pm return fit the rhythm of a day trip from the city.

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Top questions

How old is Jericho, and what will I actually see there?

Jericho dates back to 10,000 BC, making it the world's oldest city. You take the cable car up to Mount of Temptation Monastery and walk the site itself. The ancient city below is visible from the monastery overlook, though the archaeological remains are spread across the valley floor rather than concentrated in one area.

What is Hisham's Palace and why is it worth the stop?

Hisham's Palace is an 8th-century winter hunting retreat of Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd al Malik, built with elaborate baths, mosaic floors and pillars. Archaeologists have called it the Versailles of the Middle East. Today it stands as ruins, but the scale and detail of what remains show how magnificent it must have been when it was built.

Do I need to pay extra for anything during the tour?

Yes. Entrance fees to the Church of the Nativity, Mount of Temptation Monastery, Hisham's Palace, Shepherd's Field and the other churches are not included in the tour price. The cable car ride up Mount of Temptation is also separate, as is lunch at the local restaurant in Beit Sahour.

What happens at Shepherd's Field?

Shepherd's Field is the site where tradition holds the angel appeared to the shepherds and told them about Jesus's birth. You visit the field itself in Beit Sahour, then move on to lunch nearby before heading to Bethlehem proper.

How much walking is involved?

Walking is involved at each stop (the monastery, the palace, the churches and the field), but your guide sets the pace and you move between sites by vehicle. The itinerary is suitable for all physical fitness levels, and infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller.

What is the Church of the Nativity, and why is it significant?

The Church of the Nativity is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built on the spot where Christian tradition holds Jesus was born. It is the world's oldest church in regular daily use. Below the main church lies the Cave of St. Jerome, where many believe he translated the Bible into Latin.