Dead Sea ToursBethlehem and Dead Sea Day Tour from Jerusalem
This Bethlehem and Dead Sea tour pairs the Nativity churches with an afternoon float. The Bethlehem and Dead Sea Day Tour from Jerusalem combines two very different half days into one itinerary: the churches of Bethlehem in the morning and a float in the Dead Sea in the afternoon. The listing prices it at $150 per person and runs about 10 hours door to door from the David Citadel Hotel on King David St 7 in Jerusalem. It carries a 4.7 rating from 491 reviews, which puts it among the better rated options in our catalog. The day suits travellers who want the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and the Shepherds' Field chapel with a local guide, but who also want to end the day in the water rather than back at a hotel. You should be comfortable with two things: a valid passport and Israeli visa are required on the day, and Israeli passport holders cannot join under Israeli law. One honest edge worth knowing before you book: the licensed guide accompanies the group in Bethlehem only, so the drive through the Judaean Desert and the time at the sea are with the driver. If you are still weighing this against other routes, Dead Sea tours lines up every departure city side by side.
Bethlehem & Dead Sea Day Tour at a Glance
$150 per person
10 hours
4.7 from 491 reviews
Shared group
David Citadel Hotel, King David St 7, Jerusalem (drop-off at the same place)
About 2 hours at the Dead Sea
Check Live Dates & Prices
Quick answer Price, hours, sea time, meeting point and the passport rule in one block
The deciding constraint comes first: you need a valid passport and an Israeli visa on the day, and Israeli passport holders cannot join this tour under Israeli law. The price is $150 per person and the day runs about 10 hours from pickup to drop-off. You get about 2 hours at the Dead Sea, though the beach entry fee of 45 NIS ($14.50) is paid separately on the day. The meeting and return point is the David Citadel Hotel, King David St 7, Jerusalem, with a morning departure and the exact time shown at checkout.
Key takeaways
- Want more time at the water and nothing else? The Dead Sea Half-Day Beach Trip from Jerusalem skips the sightseeing and costs $50.
- Prefer a fortress to churches? The Masada and Dead Sea Full-Day Tour from Jerusalem with Hotel Pickup adds Masada for $115.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, and you can reserve now and pay later.
What the $150 Ticket Covers
The $150 per person price buys the transport and the guiding in Bethlehem, not the whole day's costs. Included in the fare are transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle, a tour guide in Bethlehem only, guided visits to the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and the Shepherds' Field, and one bottle of water. Not included are food and drinks, the Dead Sea entry fee of 45 NIS ($14.50), and towels, lockers or beach facilities at the sea.
That last line matters: if you want to swim, you pay at the beach and you bring your own towel.
What to bring
- Passport or ID card (a valid passport and Israeli visa are required on the day for this tour)
- Comfortable shoes
- Hat
- Swimwear
- Towel
- Sunscreen
- Modest clothing for the churches, with shoulders and knees covered
Booking terms are straightforward. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start, and the listing offers a reserve now, pay later option. The departure is in the morning from the David Citadel Hotel, with the exact time confirmed at checkout, and drop-off is at the same place after about 10 hours.
Inside the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Church of the Nativity and the Milk Grotto
After pickup in Jerusalem, the ride to Bethlehem takes about 35 minutes. There you meet the local licensed guide who leads the rest of the Bethlehem portion. The first major stop is the Church of the Nativity in the old city, with a guided visit of about 1 hour.
If availability allows, the visit takes in the Nativity Star and the Cave of St. Jerome. The Nativity Star marks the spot traditionally venerated as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
From the church the group continues to the Chapel of the Milk Grotto, a 15-minute guided visit. According to the tradition attached to the site, the Holy Family found refuge there from the Massacre of the Innocents before fleeing into Egypt. The chapel is small, the visit is short, and the guiding is the same licensed local guide you met on arrival.
It is a compact sequence: two sites in Bethlehem's old city within a morning, both with commentary rather than free wandering.
The guide situation in Bethlehem
This is the part of the day where the listing's own important information is most useful. The licensed guide accompanies the tour in Bethlehem only. For the rest of the day, including the desert drive and the Dead Sea stop, you are with the driver.
Travellers who want commentary all day should know this before booking, and travellers who prefer to be left alone at the beach will count it as a plus.
The Church of the Nativity is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, see the UNESCO listing for the Birthplace of Jesus.
Shepherds' Field and Beit Sahour
The third guided stop is the Chapel of the Shepherds' Field in Beit Sahour, the town known in the listing as the city of the shepherds. The visit lasts about 30 minutes. This is the church where, in the Gospel account, the angels are said to have appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus Christ.
It rounds off the Bethlehem triangle of sites, and by this point the guided portion of the day is nearly done.
Next comes the only shopping block on the itinerary, about 30 minutes at an olive wood workshop in Beit Sahour. You watch artisans crafting wooden sculptures, and the stop functions as a chance to buy. If olive wood carvings are not your thing, treat it as a short break and a bathroom stop before the drive south.
The Day on Video
Third-party footage, useful for judging the sites, the beach and the pace before you book. We did not film it and have no relationship with the creator.
The Day, Stage by Stage
The listing gives stage durations rather than fixed clock times, with a morning departure from the David Citadel Hotel and the exact start time shown at checkout. Here is how the 10 hours break down.
-
Pickup
David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem
Meet at the David Citadel Hotel, King David St 7, Jerusalem. Board the air-conditioned vehicle and set off in the morning. Bring your passport and visa documentation from the start, since they are required on the day.
-
35 minutes
On the road to Bethlehem
The drive from Jerusalem to Bethlehem takes about 35 minutes. On arrival you meet the local licensed guide who takes over the Bethlehem portion of the day.
-
About 2 hours 15 minutes
The three Bethlehem sites
A guided visit of about 1 hour at the Church of the Nativity, with the Nativity Star and the Cave of St. Jerome if availability allows. Then 15 minutes at the Chapel of the Milk Grotto and 30 minutes at the Chapel of the Shepherds' Field in Beit Sahour. Modest dress with covered shoulders and knees applies at all three.
-
30 minutes
Olive wood workshop, Beit Sahour
A shopping stop at an olive wood workshop, where artisans craft wooden sculptures. A short break and the last stop in the West Bank before the descent.
-
1 hour
Through the Judaean Desert
The drive down to the Dead Sea runs about 1 hour through the Judaean Desert, with a photo stop at the sea-level sign along the way.
-
About 2 hours
At the beach
About 2 hours at a Dead Sea beach for swimming and floating. The entry fee of 45 NIS ($14.50) is paid on the day, and towels, lockers and beach facilities are not included, so bring your own towel and sandals.
-
40 minutes
Return
The ride back takes about 40 minutes. The tour ends where it began, at the David Citadel Hotel, after roughly 10 hours in total.
Illustrative image of the hills of Beit Sahour.
Down to the Dead Sea
After Beit Sahour, the route runs about 1 hour through the Judaean Desert, dropping from the hills of Bethlehem toward the lowest land elevation on Earth. There is a photo stop at the sea-level sign, the classic roadside picture with the marker showing you are at or below sea level in the desert. The drive itself is part of the appeal of this tour: the landscape changes completely between the church doors and the shoreline.
You then get about 2 hours at a Dead Sea beach for swimming and floating. The entry fee of 45 NIS ($14.50) is extra and paid on the day, and towels, lockers and beach facilities are not included, so pack a towel and sandals in the morning. The water is about 9.6 times saltier than the ocean, so you float rather than swim.
Walk in, lean back, keep your face above the surface and stay out of the water with cuts or freshly shaved skin. Short sessions of 15 to 20 minutes with a fresh-water rinse in between are the usual advice.
Where the Tour Meets
The tour leaves from and returns to the David Citadel Hotel on King David St in Jerusalem.
Who This Day Fits
This listing fits travellers with one full day in Jerusalem who want both a holy-site experience and a beach afternoon, and who do not want to book two separate trips. The walking is rated easy, limited to some walking in Bethlehem, and there is no hiking, no early sunrise start and no cable car. If the Church of the Nativity is on your list and the Dead Sea is too, this is the most direct way to do both in about 10 hours.
It does not fit everyone. Israeli passport holders cannot join, in accordance with Israeli law, and everyone else needs a valid passport and Israeli visa on the day. The guiding split is also a real factor: you get a licensed guide in Bethlehem and a driver for the rest.
And the Dead Sea entry of 45 NIS ($14.50) plus towel and locker costs sit on top of the $150 ticket, so budget for the extras when you compare.
Kalia Beach, one of the beaches on the north shore. Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What the Day Really Costs
The ticket covers transport, the guide in Bethlehem and the church visits, and leaves the beach to you. Add the costs the listing names and the day looks like this. Food is not included at any point, so budget for lunch too.
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tour ticket | $150 | Transport, Bethlehem guide, three church visits, one bottle of water |
| Dead Sea entry | $14.50 (45 NIS) | Paid on the day |
| Towel, locker, beach facilities | Not included | Bring your own towel and sandals |
| Olive wood workshop | Optional purchase | 30 minutes on the schedule |
Packing for two dress codes
Churches first, beach second. Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and the Shepherds' Field chapel, and pack swimwear, sandals, sunscreen and a towel in a day bag for the afternoon. Keep your passport on you all day: the listing requires a valid passport and Israeli visa on the day of travel.
How It Compares
Within this catalog, the closest alternatives split into two groups. The Masada trips from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv swap Bethlehem's churches for Herod's fortress and include Masada entry, while the half-day beach trip drops all sightseeing for pure beach time. This listing is the only one from Jerusalem that covers the West Bank sites and the sea in a single day.
Figures current for Q4 2026.
| Tour | From | Leaves from | Length | The difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem and Dead Sea Day Tour from Jerusalem | $150 | Jerusalem | 10 hours | The only Jerusalem day combining Bethlehem's three holy sites with about 2 hours at the sea. Guide in Bethlehem only, beach fee extra. |
| Masada and Dead Sea Full-Day Tour from Jerusalem with Hotel Pickup | $115 | Jerusalem | 10 hours | Same length and city, but Masada and the cable car replace the churches, and Masada entry is included in the fare. |
| Dead Sea Half-Day Beach Trip from Jerusalem | $50 | Jerusalem | 5 hours | Cheapest and longest at the water, about 2 hours 45 minutes at Kalia Beach, but no guide and no sightseeing. |
| Masada and Dead Sea Full-Day Tour from Tel Aviv with Hotel Pickup | $125 | Tel Aviv | 10 hours | The Tel Aviv version of the Masada day, with a private beach and the beach fee included in the price. |
| Madaba, Mount Nebo, Baptism Site and Dead Sea Tour from Amman | $18 | Amman | 4-10 hours, depending on the option | The Jordan-side holy-sites equivalent: mosaics, Mount Nebo and the Baptism Site plus about 3 hours at a resort, at a far lower base price. |
Questions About the Bethlehem & Dead Sea Day Tour
Can tourists still visit Bethlehem?
Yes, and this listing runs from Jerusalem into Bethlehem in the West Bank. The ride from central Jerusalem takes about 35 minutes. The tour requires a valid passport and Israeli visa on the day, and Israeli passport holders cannot join under Israeli law.
What is the best Holy Land tour?
That depends on what you want to see. If the birthplace of Jesus is the priority, this Bethlehem and Dead Sea day covers the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and the Shepherds' Field with a licensed guide for $150. On the Jordan side, the Madaba, Mount Nebo, Baptism Site and Dead Sea Tour from Amman covers a different set of holy sites from $18.
Can you visit the exact place Jesus was born?
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem contains the Nativity Star, which marks the spot traditionally venerated as the birthplace. This tour includes a guided visit of about 1 hour, and if availability allows you also see the Nativity Star and the Cave of St. Jerome. Availability on the day can limit access.
Do I need a passport for the Bethlehem and Dead Sea tour?
Yes. A valid passport and an Israeli visa are required on the day of travel, so carry the passport itself rather than a copy. The what-to-bring list also asks for a passport or ID card generally, but for this specific tour the passport and visa requirement is explicit.
Can Israeli citizens join the Bethlehem tour?
No. The listing states that Israeli passport holders are not permitted to join, in accordance with Israeli law. This is a hard rule of the listing rather than an operator's choice, so Israeli citizens should look at the Israel-side options such as the Masada and Dead Sea Full-Day Tour from Jerusalem with Hotel Pickup.
What should I wear to the Church of the Nativity?
Modest dress is required for the church visits, with shoulders and knees covered. That applies to the Nativity, the Milk Grotto and the Shepherds' Field chapel alike. Bring swimwear and sandals separately for the Dead Sea later in the day.
Is the Dead Sea entry fee included on the Bethlehem tour?
No. The entry fee of 45 NIS ($14.50) is paid on the day, and towels, lockers and beach facilities are also not included. The $150 fare covers the transport, the Bethlehem guiding and one bottle of water, so budget for the beach costs separately.
Recent Traveller Reviews
Our guide was exceptionally attentive, always ensuring the group's well-being and comfort.
Absolutely the most incredible tour we have done. The entire team was so kind, very knowledgeable, and attentive.
Our tour guide, Elias Boaz, was excellent - very credible, knowledgable and mindful.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure