Private Jerusalem and Bethlehem Holy Sites Tour
Meet your tour guide. Below are some of the many attractions in Jerusalem and Bethlehem from which you can create your own one-day tour.
Travel from Mount Olives to see the ancient Jewish cemetery. From here, you can see the Old City and the Temple Mount, where the First Temple, built by King Solomon, and the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, once stood. Below is the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. In the Kidron Valley, also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, are monumental ancient Jewish burial tombs, including Yad Avshalom, Beni Hazir, and perhaps Zechariah.
Continue to Mount Zion and visit the Dormition Church, where some believe Mary was assumed into heaven; the Coenaculum, the traditional Room of the Last Supper, which may also be where the disciples met after the ascension of Jesus to heaven; and the Tomb of David, a large cenotaph covered with a drape embroidered with various attributes of King David, including the lyre he played, a crown, and the words 'David, King of Israel lives forever' in Hebrew.
Enter the Old City through Zion Gate and pass through the Armenian Quarter and, at its centre, the Church of St. James. Continue along the excavated Byzantine Cardo, the 1,500-year-old main streets of Jerusalem, which were partially destroyed and left unused during the Muslim conquest but briefly revived during the Crusader period. The excavated Crusader shops are now modern stores.
Visit Kotel, the Western Wall, which is part of a 2,000-year-old supporting wall built by King Herod when he enlarged the Temple Mount area. Then proceed to the Via Dolorosa and follow the Stations of the Cross, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built over the place of the crucifixion of Jesus and the burial tomb. Originally built in the Byzantine period, it was partially destroyed during the Persian and Muslim conquests and then rebuilt and slightly altered by the Crusaders.
Stroll through the market alleys before continuing to Bethlehem. Alternative sites in the Old City include the Church of St. Anne, the Lithostratos at the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, the Herodian House in the Jewish Quarter, the Church of Peter Gallicantu on Mount Zion, the Citadel Museum, and the Tower of David.
Cross into Bethlehem after a short drive (passports are needed) and meet a local guide. A short walk across Manger Square brings you to the well-preserved Byzantine Church of the Nativity. The original Byzantine mosaic floor is revealed through trapdoors in the later floor. Unlike most churches in the Holy Land, the Church of the Nativity was not destroyed by the Persian and Muslim conquerors, but the entrance was lowered, forcing visitors to crouch as they enter.
Continue to the Grotto of the Nativity and see the star indicating the place of birth. Opposite is the Manger and the altar dedicated to the Three Wise Men. Both the Church and the Grotto are Orthodox.
Pass the small Armenian Chapel of the Kings (Magi) and enter the Crusader Church dedicated to St. Catherine. Here, in the grotto adjoining the Grotto of the Nativity but separated from it, St. Jerome translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate.
Stop at the tent-shaped chapel in the Shepherd's Fields and enjoy the panels depicting scenes from the early life of Jesus.
See the Field of Ruth, where Ruth the Moabite, daughter-in-law of Naomi and great-grandmother of King David, gleaned in the fields of Boaz.
