Bethlehem

Bethlehem is less than 6 miles from Jerusalem, located in Palestine. The relationship between Israel and Palestine is long and complicated. To even travel those 6 miles takes around 30 minutes as you take a bus along a winding road beside the wall.

Most tourists can travel in and out of Palestine relatively easily. There’s no visa requirements, however, you must go through a security checkpoint and show your passport when re-entering Israel.

A lot of people have fears about crossing into Palestine and tell visitors not to share with Israeli authorities where you traveled when going through passport control. Maybe we look unassuming, but we had no issue at all, and no questions asked. But, the darkness of cultural war hangs heavy each step of the way.

Researching day trips

Getting to Bethlehem takes a bit of research and can be overwhelming when going over different options. Most car rental agencies in Israel won’t cover you if something happens while driving in Palestine. Only certain buses travel to and from the area, and there’s no train option. Israeli passport holders aren’t allowed to enter Palestine so you’d have to find an Arab taxi driver if you’re looking for a personalized option. For these reasons, a lot of tourists opt for a guided tour.

We decided to hit the cheaper bus route, and see if we could navigate by ourselves.

Getting There

The light rail through Jerusalem can drop you off near most major bus routes. We dropped down the hill close to Damascus Gate and hopped off. We went in search of the correct bus and found it within a few minutes. Of course it was a close call, but when is catching a bus ever easy?? We paid the driver and found a couple of seats.

The ride takes 30-40 minutes. It’s not the most direct route, but for less than $2 a ticket it was worth it. We weren’t sure which stop to get off at and like any bus, they won’t stop unless you tell them to. We paid attention to what local passengers were doing. We didn’t see any other tourists on the bus.

Luckily, Google maps was working intermittently. I made a point on the map, and if we didn’t stop near there, we’d get off. The point came to us, and we hopped to the front and asked to be dropped off.

Hopping Off in the Rain

Yep, it’s raining. We got off on the side of the road with no sidewalk and steep hills to climb. It wasn’t long before a local taxi driver sniffed out a couple of tourists and thought to make some extra money.

Of course they’re well prepared for tourists with money to spend.

“Church of Nativity - How much?” I asked.

After a moment of hesitation, (how gullible are these suckers), “10ILS,” he replied. This is about $3. We hopped in and thanked him for the ride. No surprise that our six block trip up the hill turned into a full-on offer to tour all of Palestine. We declined, but the driver said he’d wait for us while we visited the church.

After some small talk, he pulled over to give us a view of the city.

Church of Nativity and Manger Square

Before visiting the Church of Nativity, we took our time and walked to the chapel of the Milk Grotto. Supposedly, this is where the holy family took refuge, a drop of milk from the Virgin Mary fell to the floor, and the stone turned to white. It’s a nice stop if you have the time.

Lots of religious worshippers still actively pray in these spots, so it’s important to remember to be respectful.

We walked back up a short hill and entered the Church of Nativity through a small door that was meant to keep out invaders - Nice touch!. Christian pilgrims from all over the world visit.

Walking down some stairs you enter the manger where Jesus was born. Quite a sight to see.

We emerged from the church and walked through Manger Square where tourist busses gathered and people poured out from them. We stepped off the beaten path for some delicious Palestinian food, found our cabbie and headed to the next stop.

The Walled Off Hotel

After quick ride back down the hill, we arrived to the Walled Off Hotel. We said goodbye to our cab driver and wished him well.

If you haven’t heard of Banksy, look him up! He’s an anonymous graffiti artist known for his elaborate street art that is often political. He opened up the Walled Off Hotel in 2017. It’s right next to the Separation Wall and promises “the worst view in the world”. The 700km wall, built by the Israeli government, is contested as a security measure or if you ask Banksy, he says it turns Palestine into the largest open air prison.

If you’re a fan of Banksy, the hotel really is a must-see. We decided to have a drink and wander around. If you don’t have time for that, at least pop in for a quick peek at the lobby. It’s a gallery in itself. We ordered some Palestinian beers and toured the free, rotating art gallery on the second level. There is also a museum but we didn’t have time to visit.

Re-entering Israel

We finished our drinks and then asked the bellhop for directions to the security checkpoint. By now the sun was almost all the way down, and I was getting a bit nervous.

He instructed us to follow the wall a few blocks up the road and then take a left. We should see it after that.

We walked quickly. We passed a lot of Palestinians on their way home from Jerusalem after a long day’s work.

The checkpoint entrance looked a bit intimidating and we hoped this process would go smoothly. It ended up being fast and efficient. We went through a long tunnel to get into the building. We put our bags through as a security scan and stepped through the metal detectors. The passport line was short. I handed over my passport, the guard took a quick peek and then ushered us both through with no questions asked. We exited the building and found our bus back to Jerusalem just out front. The ride back was much more efficient and only took 15 minutes.

Bottom Line: With a little research and courage to ask for help, you can piece together your own itinerary and tour for much cheaper than any organized excursion. So grab your guide book and get going!