Board an air-conditioned coach at your central Tel Aviv hotel and set out on your day trip to Bethlehem and Jericho.
Travel through the Judean Desert to your first stop, the ancient city of Jericho. On route, pass the site of the Inn of the Good Samaritan, the location linked to the biblical parable.
Admire views of the Jordan Valley, and as you near Jericho, hear the Old Testament story of how the trumpets of the Israelite army brought down its city walls. Hear, too, how Jericho was described in the Hebrew Bible as the ‘City of Palm Trees,’ for its lush palm groves and oases.
Stop for photos of the rocky cliffs of nearby Mt. Temptation, and then head into the palm-filled city to explore some of its ancient and biblical sites.
Visit the Tell es-Sultan mound, home to the remains of the earliest city settlements; see Elisha’s Spring, an ancient water source mentioned in the Bible; and gaze at the sycamore tree from where, according to the Bible, the tax collector Zacchaeus gained a better view of Jesus more than 2,000 years ago.
Back aboard your coach, continue to Bethlehem, the holy city traditionally held to be Jesus’ birthplace. Walk around Manger Square, the hub of religious activity in the city. Head inside the revered Church of the Nativity on the square and visit the Grotto of the Nativity, where a star marks the place of Jesus' birth.
Then, view the Church of St. Catherine. Finally, see Shepherds’ Field, where a church marks the place fabled as where shepherds saw the Star of the Nativity.
Your trip concludes with drop-off at your Tel Aviv hotel.
