Jerusalem District Travel Forum

I understood that we need a special permission if we would like to go to Bethlehem from jerusalem. Where do we apply for the permission? How many days we need to apply it? If we join a group tour, can the agent help on this?

Thank you!

You understood wrong. No special permission is needed. Just take your passport with you (for identification purposes only).

Take a (shared) taxi from the Damascus Gate area to the Bethlehem checkpoint, cross over and then another taxi to the center of Bethlehem.

To clarify the above response. The shared taxi you need to take is an Arab one. If you are uncomfortable doing that you can find a guide with connections to a guide in Bethlehem so you can be transported to the border by one and "handed" over to the other. Israelis are forbidden from entering Bethlehem, so are Israeli rental vehicles. A group tour that takes you to Bethlehem will do what I indicated above. (unless they are using an Arab tour bus in which case you can pass through on your own tour bus)

Thank you all for your helpful information! Very helpful.