Hotels in Bethlehem

I was in Bethlehem for Christmas like many others, the town was quite busy. Christmas trees, lights and tourists everywhere. I couldn't get anywhere near the Church of the Nativity as it was so busy until the 27th of December when I could finally get inside, but still couldn't get any decent photos because there were so many people around. Manger Square was lovely, lots of souvenir shops where you can pick things up cheaply and cafes for warming up when it's freezing outside. A lot of the shops down the main road and in the mall seemed to be closed whenever I walked by but possibly they were just dark... Bethlehem has a few Banksy graffiti artworks dotted around the city which is a cool tour to do if you find a willing taxi driver. I went by foot and saw 2 pieces but if you can get to the "Rage" flower thrower piece on the other side of the town it is a very famous work of his, I'm gutted that I missed this one. If you like burgers as much as I do you absolutely need to try You Burger down Manger Street, they make delicious burgers and the restaurant is very clean with friendly staff. I got around by foot which was relatively easy, there were lots of taxis around though for if you want to go further afield and they will find you! Getting out of Bethlehem was difficult. Google Maps pointed me to a non-existent bus stop and gave me numbers of routes that didn't run to their times. A taxi driver took me to a seemingly random bench and said it was a bus stop, I had no choice but to trust him and eventually I did get back to Bethlehem. I would recommend arranging a tour or rental car to get in and out of Bethlehem as the buses are very tricky to navigate.

Bethlehem is worth the trip, although a day trip is more than enough time. However we stayed at Christmas so we wanted to spend the night. It's easy to get there by bus, it's only 8 shekels and very comfortable. Don't mind all the run down look and garbage everywhere--it's just a part of the culture and it's better to focus on the people and sites. We waited in a long line on Christmas morn to go down into the little room above where Jesus was supposedly born--it was a waste of time in my opinion, you look into a tiny glass in the ground where you can see literally nothing. I mean it's a black hole. Much much better to go to Shepherds Fields outside the city a little and explore the cave that is authentic and looks like what Jesus would have been born in.

Overall, except the Nativity and St. Catherine church, and the areas surroundings Bethlehem which require a taxi (Shepard's field, St. Sava and St. Theodor), there is not much to see there. I initially went by mistake to an area which is a refugee camp, called Aida Camp. This was not the safest experience for a solo woman traveller especially if coming at the evening, if taxi dropping you at different location (at the checkpoint), provided incorrect information by the guesthouse staff in terms of safety, staff not at the guesthouse location at the time of arrival and upset that you are upset that you had to wait two hours in cold weather, in the evening at the doorsteps of the guesthouse. At last, I felt extremely unsafe, especially after the reception staff whom I had to wait for two hours outside at the doorsteps was "sensitive" when I was telling him how upset I was. Scary experience... Please be mindful when you book the guesthouse... Unless you look for a refugee camp experience...

We felt very safe. Plan to return. We found in Manger Square the best deals on olive wood. The people were so nice. Some things are made in China and others not. Did not like the kids coming up to us during dinner with gum expecting us to give them money. The restaurants did not either.

I went to Bethlehem during Christmas time, I took a city tour with a private guide recommended by the staf/ owners of the guest house and he went out of the way to please me on food requests that I had and he was very knowledgeable of the history and the different sites we visited. I couldn't have asked for better weather. The only advice I have is to better travel in slow season, Bethlehem had a sea of tourists and sometimes very difficult to see the important sites. But the best choice was the Herodium Guest House, owned and managed by a local family, I could have stayed one month with them, very warm, helpful and attentive to your needs! I'll do it again in a heart bit.

Bethlehem was very disappointing. There literally are two historical / religious places, and an insane amount of shops. After a few hours spent there, I was genuinely stressed out - the amount of taxi drivers stopping me was ridiculous, the amount of sales people stopping me was insane. What’s even worse, they really use people’s kindness and good heart for their own profit. I would absolutely not come back, nor recommend it.