Bethlehem

What people say

"The obvious one given its only 15 miles from the center of Jerusalem. Home to the birthplace of Christianity and also the first town into the West Bank, Bethlehem is usually a top site for people coming to Jerusalem. Christmas is particularly lively for obvious reasons. Main sites: Church of the Nativity, Milk Grotto, Walled Off Hotel and Museum (owned by Banksy), the murals along the separation barrier, Manger Square Places to Eat: Afteem (off Manger Square), Bazooza in Beit Sahour for felafel, any place recommended by a cab driver, if feeling bougie: Walled Off Hotel Bar is a nice bet, the lobby of the Jacir Palace Hotel is also a nice pit stop Places to shop: the markets around Manger Square, the Bedouin Shop by Majdi al Amro, the store at Wi'am Conflict Transformation Centre (say hi to Zoughbi if you go) How to get there: take a cab or bus to the checkpoint and walk through - you're there! "

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Mark Fedoronko

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Best West Bank Day Trips from Jerusalem

So you visited Jerusalem and were wowed by the shimmering Dome of the Rock. Perhaps you made a loop around Israel proper, but you know there’s a whole world to explore on the other side of the separation barrier and you’re curious. Is it safe? What locations are worth travelling to? To answer your first question, 95 percent of the West Bank is quite safe, especially during the day. While it is advisable to avoid refugee camps without a local guide, the Palestinian territories are quite safe if you are a foreigner. Sure the checkpoints are intimidating but they let you through really easily once they see your Israeli entry visa. Now that we cleared up the first question, let me give you a guide for the other one. After spending six months living in Jerusalem, I spent a lot of time exploring all of the great sites of the West Bank. Here are a few of my top picks.

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