Things to do in

West Bank

This full day tour from Tel Aviv takes you to the Judean Hills and the shores of the Dead Sea, and to the site of one of the most remarkable stories in Jewish history. Perched on a high plateau, the ancient fortified palace of Masada became a refuge for Zealots who took a stand against the Romans, until the mass suicide of the zealots in 73 AD. The ruins sit precariously on a plateau some 1,300 feet above sea level and measure 2,000-foot long by 1,000-foot wide. They boast extraordinary views of the Dead Sea and the Judean Desert. It is an exhausting climb, but we will ascend by cable car to make life easier! Explore the fortress built by King Herod in around 37 BC. Visit the remains of the palaces and see mosaic floors, Roman baths and other findings. Masada was also home to the oldest synagogue in Israel, but one of the most remarkable features are the 12 water cisterns, each with a capacity of up to 140,000 cubic feet. Following the tour of Masada you will drive to the Dead Sea Mineral Beach. Located in the Jordan Rift Valley, between Jordan and the West Bank, it is the lowest place on earth and its high density of salt makes for a unique experience as you float on the beautiful aquamarine surface. Take a mud-bath and benefit from the therapeutic qualities of the natural Dead Sea mud. You will then drive back to Tel Aviv, with an on route view of the Qumeran cave, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

Enjoy a full-day tour from Jerusalem to ancient ruins in the Judean Hills and the shores of the Dead Sea. See the archeological site of Masada and a fortress built by King Herod. Go for a dip at the Dead Sea Mineral Beach and uncover the cave where the dead sea scrolls were found. Visit the Masada National Park ruins which are perched on a high plateau. View the ancient fortified palace of Masada which became a refuge for zealots who took a stand against the Romans, which ended in the mass suicide of the zealots in 73 AD. Follow your guide and ride up on a cable car to 1,300 feet above sea level to the plateau where the immense Masada ruins rest precariously. Look out at extraordinary views of the Dead Sea and the Judean Desert. Explore the fortress built by King Herod in Masada in around 37 BC. Stroll through the remains of the palaces and see mosaic floors and Roman baths. Uncover the oldest synagogue in Israel and admire remarkable features like the 12 water cisterns that each had a capacity of 140,000 cubic feet. Drive to the lowest point on earth at the Dead Sea Mineral Beach which is located in the Jordan Rift Valley. Experience the high density of the salt in the water as you float with ease on the surface of the aquamarine water. Take a mud-bath and benefit from the therapeutic qualities of the natural Dead Sea mud before heading to the Qumeran cave, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Return to your accommodation in Jerusalem at the end of your tour.

Following pickup in Jerusalem, you will ride to Bethlehem to meet your guide before heading to the Old City of Bethlehem. You will begin with a guided visit to the Church of the Nativity, as well as the Cave of St. Jerome (a visit to the Nativity Star is not always available). From there, you will continue walking to visit the Milk Grotto Church, where it is believed that the Holy Family found refuge from the Massacre of the Innocents before they could flee into Egypt. You will then ride to the City of the Shepherd's, Bayt Sahur. Once having arrived, you till take a guided visit to the Chapel of The Shepherd's Field, the church where the angels first appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus Christ. You will then have the chance to visit an olive wood factory and see the artisans crafting the wooden sculptures, which is considered to be an important and old craft in Bethlehem. Next, you will ride through the wonderful Judean Desert to the lowest point on earth, where you will have the chance to stop and take pictures at the sea-level point in the desert overlooking the oldest city in the world, Jericho. You will then stop to have lunch. before continuing to the Dead Sea to enjoy the rest of the day either floating in the rich water or relaxing at the beach.

Descend to the Judean desert, and see the Inn of the Good Samaritan on route. Look out over the remarkable moonscape of the breathtaking Judean desert. Continue on to Jericho, the oldest city in the world. Stop at Zacchaeus' Sycamore to see one of the oldest Sycamore trees, which Zacchaeus climbed in order to spot Jesus. Visit the Mound of Ancient Jericho, where 25 ancient cities were uncovered. Enter Jericho, which was founded in 8,000 BC, and is the oldest Jewish settlement, captured by Joshua and Israel in 1,200 BC. Stop for an overview of Mt. Temptation, where Satan endeavored to tempt Jesus, and see of the oasis of Jericho and Elisha's Spring. Depart Jericho to travel to the Judean mountains and the city of Bethlehem. Visit Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David, whose name literally translates as “City of Bread,” due to the wheat crop that grew in the region, the city where according to Christian tradition, it is the birthplace of Jesus, and undoubtedly one of the most biblical sites on earth. Discover the Church of the Nativity, and the cave where Jesus was born. See Manger Square, where Jesus was placed after his birth. Explore the Greek and the Catholic Church before continuing with an overview of Shepherd's Fields.  Enjoy round-trip transfers from Jerusalem and the services of an English-speaking guide, on this essential tour of biblical sites and fantastic panoramic views.

Embark on a comprehensive full-day tour of the West Bank of the Jordan River to discover the rich history behind the region. Depart Tel Aviv at 6:30 AM and then arrive on the West Bank after one hour and meet your guide. Beginning with the ancient baptism site of Qasr el Yahud on the banks of the Jordan River at around 8:00 AM, you'll be able to visit the marble steps leading into the river, said to be the very place where Jesus was baptized. At 8:45, move onto the city of Jericho itself, the oldest city in the world, where you will visit the ruins of ancient Jericho and view the nearby Mount of Temptation in the adjacent hills. Then continue to Ramallah at 10:15 and walk the streets of this modern city and see life in the big city on the West Bank. The tour will head to Manara Square, the thriving commercial district, and visit Yasser Arafat's tomb. Stop for lunch at around 1:00 PM before continuing onto a tour of Bethlehem at around 2:30 PM. In Bethlehem visit to the Nativity Church, and end with a visit to the Separation Wall. Return to your hotel in Tel Aviv at around 6 PM.

Explore Bethlehem, Jericho, and the Jordan River in one comprehensive day tour that visits each historic location with a guide. Starting in Bethlehem, visit the Church of Nativity, which houses the grotto (the birthplace of Jesus). While in Bethlehem, stop in front of the famous Banksy hotel for a quick photo op. Purchase souvenirs from a local artisan shop before enjoying a short presentation about craftsmanship and arts in the area. During the presentation, relax and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Depart from Bethlehem and travel down towards the city of Jericho, located in the Jordan Valley. In Jericho, enjoy breathtaking views overlooking the valley from a cable car as well as a guided tour of the Mount of Temptation. While in the area, you’ll take a quick stop at the Gallery of Temptations, with the chance to sample halva, local dates, and other sweets before heading east towards the Jordan River. Stop at Qasr el Yahud baptismal site overlooking the Jordan River, the site where it is believed Jesus was baptized.  

Take a full-day tour to explore Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, and the most contested. See the sites and meet people from both sides of the Old City, Israeli and Palestinian, both within "H2", the Israeli controlled side of Hebron. Starts with a guided tour of the Jewish "settler" neighborhoods of Hebron, beginning at the hilltop Tel Rumeida, with a Bronze Age archeological site, army base, and tomb of the Biblical Ruth and Jesse. From there we will visit the Beit Hadassah museum about Jewish life in Hebron until the riots of 1929, the "Shavei Hevron Yeshiva" in Beit Romano and the Avraham Avinu quarter and restored synagogue. Visit the Israeli/Jewish side of the divided Tomb of the Patriarchs, known as Maarat (the Cave of) HaMachpela with the symbolic tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob and Leah, all said to be buried in the cave beneath. Crossing over into the Palestinian side, start at the Muslim side of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, known as Ibrahimi (Abraham's) mosque, led by a Palestinian guide. Inside, discover the Mameluke era mosque and minbar- raised wood platform, and tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca. Then, walk through the colorful Old City "Casbah" market and have a home-cooked lunch with a Palestinian family. Climbing on top of a family home for a rooftop view, learn about the difficult conditions of Palestinian residents and shop owners living in close proximity to the nearby settlements. Going through the busy city center, cross a checkpoint and end the tour back at the top of the closed "Shuhada" street. This is a unique tour: it will present two very different narratives of one ancient, very contested city, Hebron. This is the only tour with two guides, Israeli and Palestinian, each showing half of the divided old city. The tour is political but objective, with each participant free to form their own opinions.

After being picked up from Jerusalem, travel to Bethlehem where you will meet your guide before heading into the old city of Bethlehem. Enjoy a guided visit to the Church of the Nativity. Continue your tour with a visit to the Milk Grotto Church before riding to the city of the shepherds, Bayt Sahur where you will visit the Chapel of the Shepherds Field before getting to visit an olive wood factory where you will see artisans crafting wooden sculptures.  Then journey through the wonderful Judean Desert to the lowest point on earth. Have chances to stop and take pictures at the sea level point in the desert overlooking the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Jericho. Stop and have lunch then pass the Mount of Temptation and drive into Jericho where you will see some of the famed sights in the city including Zaccheus's Tree that is mentioned in the bible.

Visit the city of Jericho, the most ancient city in the world, the city in the Bible where Joshua and his troops caused the city walls to fall in the Battle of Jericho. See the ancient sycamore tree that features in the Biblical story in the Book of Luke, where Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus over the crowds that had come out to greet him as he entered Jericho. Tour Elisha’s Spring, which supplied the city with fresh water over the course of thousands of years. Marvel at the spring, without which people would not have been able to survive in this harsh environment. Travel 2 km from Jericho to the archaeological mound of Tel Jericho, the site of the original Jericho settlement, where archaeologists have uncovered 23 layers from previous settlements in Jericho dating back to 9000 BC. See one of the most fascinating finds, a Neolithic watchtower dated c. 8000 BC. Continue the tour to the Mount of Temptation, where the devil tried to tempt Jesus to forsake God. Go up to the top of the mount by cable car and take in the stunning views, and see the Greek Orthodox Monastery seeming to defy gravity by clinging to the cliffs. Make a stop at Qasr el Yahud, a site on the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus, where the Jordan River has been made accessible to visitors who want to be baptized here., and which may also be where the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. End off a perfect day with a stop to the Dead Sea, to float in the water that is 8.5 times saltier than the ocean; lather skin with mineral-rich Dead Sea mud, and soak up the sun on the beach.

Travel to the heart of the biblical story of the nativity on this guided half-day excursion from Tel Aviv. Drive to Bethlehem to gain an insight into Shepherds' Field and visit the Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. Located on the West Bank, the city is the birthplace of King David and means “City of Bread” as a result of the wheat crop that grew in the region. Pay a visit to the Church of the Nativity and the cave where, according to Christian tradition, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Continue to Manger Square, home to the Mosque of Omar, an important site for the many Muslims who live in the city. Explore Shepherds' Field by seeing the lesser-known Greek Orthodox monastery. Then, visit the Roman Catholic Shepherds' Field chapel where angels first announced the birth of Christ. After getting an overview of the pilgrimage center, conclude the tour in Jerusalem.