From Jerusalem: Bethlehem Old City & Dead Sea Day Tour

The listing price is $150 per person, not per group. Children of all ages can be booked. You reserve now and pay later, and you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund.

Included in the price

• Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle
• A tour guide in Bethlehem only
• Guided visits to the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and Shepherds' Field
• One bottle of water

Not included, pay on the day

• Entry fees for the Dead Sea, 45 NIS per person, which works out at $14.56 (45 NIS)
• Food and drinks beyond the one bottle of water
• Towels, lockers or beach facilities at the Dead Sea

Bring a passport or ID card, comfortable shoes, a hat, swimwear, a towel and sunscreen. Modest dress with covered shoulders and knees is required for the church visits. For the beach the listing suggests swimwear, sandals, sunscreen and a towel.

The return drop-off is at the same location you selected at checkout.

Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, about 10 km south of Jerusalem. After pickup you ride to the checkpoint area, where a change of vehicle may be required and the local licensed guide joins. Security checks can apply when entering and leaving.

These are routine, and your passport is needed both ways.

Church of the Nativity

The guided visit lasts about an hour. This is the church Christians hold to be built over the birthplace of Jesus. If availability allows, the tour also sees the Nativity Star and the Cave of St. Jerome.

Expect queues and modest dress, shoulders and knees covered.

Chapel of the Milk Grotto

A short guided stop of about 15 minutes. Tradition holds that the Holy Family found refuge here from the Massacre of the Innocents before fleeing into Egypt.

Shepherds' Field and the olive wood factory

In Bayt Sahur the guided visit to the Chapel of the Shepherds' Field takes about 30 minutes. This is the church where angels are said to have first appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth. Then comes a 30-minute shopping stop at an olive wood factory, where artisans craft wooden sculptures.

Leaving Bethlehem, the coach runs about an hour through the Judean Desert, dropping roughly 1,200 metres below Jerusalem. There is a photo stop at sea level in the desert, a favourite for the sign and the scale of the landscape. The Dead Sea shore runs 6 to 8 degrees Celsius hotter than Jerusalem, so a hat and water matter.

Two hours at the beach

The rest of the day, about two hours, is free time. You float, swim or relax in the water. The beach entry is an extra 45 NIS per person, $14.56 (45 NIS), and towels, lockers and other beach facilities are not included.

Bring sandals, since the salt shore is sharp underfoot, and do not shave just before swimming.

The ride back

The return drive to the David Citadel Hotel takes about 40 minutes. The driver handles this leg, as the guide's work ends in Bethlehem.

Check the practical points against your own plans before booking.

• Fitness and walking: the difficulty is easy walking in Bethlehem, then free time at the beach. Anyone in normal health manages it.
• Age limits: all ages can join, so families work, though a 10-hour day with small children is a real commitment.
• Wheelchair access: the listing states it is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments. Choose another tour if this applies to you.
• Language: the guide works in English only.
• Group size: this is a shared group, not a private tour.
• Dress rules: covered shoulders and knees for the churches, comfortable shoes, a hat and water for the rest.
• Documents: a valid passport and Israeli visa are required on the day. Israeli passport holders cannot join, in accordance with Israeli law. Leave the passport at the hotel and you will be turned away at the checkpoint.

The honest note from the listing is that the guide is with you in Bethlehem only. If you want commentary all day, this is not that tour. The desert drive and the beach are unaccompanied beyond the driver, which many travellers read as a plus, two hours of unscheduled time at the water.

Bethlehem and the Dead Sea in one day is a long haul, and several catalog tours split the same ground in different ways. Some do only Bethlehem, some only Masada and the beach, some add Jerusalem itself. The table below puts this listing next to the closest alternatives on price, length and what you actually get.

Figures current for Q4 2026.

Pick this tour if both Bethlehem and a float in the Dead Sea are on your list and you have one free day. Pick the half-day Bethlehem option if the churches are the point and you want your afternoon back. Pick a Masada and Dead Sea day if the fortress interests you more than the Nativity.

Pick the Jerusalem and Bethlehem combination if you have not yet seen the Old City.