Available for mail, messages, courier services, restaurant bookings, airlines tickets, local deliveries and directions for places of interest in the city
Concierge service
Check-in/Check-out & Sightseeing
Check-in/Check-out time
- Check-in 14:00 – Check-out 12:00
- Official check-in time at the hotel: 14:00 hours / 2 pm
- Official departure time at the hotel: 12:00 hours / 12:00 noon
should you require early arrival or late departure, please contact our Reception team. Service is subject to availability and an additional cost might apply.
Sightseeing
A journey in downtown Bethlehem (madbasa) will take you to another level exploring jewelry shops, antique stores and old buildings
City Tips
BUSINESS HOURS:
Banks: 8:30-14:30
Business Offices 8:00-16:30
Government offices 8:00-15:00
Shops flexible but typically 10:00-12:30 & 15:3o-20:00
Please note that earlier closing apply during the month of Ramadan.
Friday and Saturday are the weekly holiday for Banks and Government offices.
Concerning Business offices and shops, some take Friday and others take Sunday.
CLOTHING:
Appropriate clothing is advisable for both men and women in public areas.
CREDIT CARDS:
Credit cards are accepted at hotels, restaurants and larger shops, including Visa and MasterCard. Please note that many smaller shops still prefer cash payments in the NIS or Dollar currency, and it’s essential for shopping in the local souks.
CURRENCY:
the local currency is the Israeli Shekel, symbol NIS. Currency can be exchanged at major banks, exchange boots and at most hotels. Street money-changers are best avoided. Exchange rates are set daily by the Central Bank.
Languages:
the official language is Arabic, but English, is also widely spoken.
Time Zone:
October-March:
Greenwich Mean Time plus 2 hours (G.M.T. + 2)
April – September:
Greenwich Mean Time plus 3 hours (G.M.T. + 3)
Palestine is seven hours ahead of US Eastern Time
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS:
Banks, businesses, government offices and many shops close all day for public holidays.
- Christmas Day (Eastern) 7th of January
- New Year’s Day 1st of January
- Labor Day 1st of May
- Independence Day 15th of November
- Christmas Day (Western) 25th December
Attractions
The Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity is a basilica located in Bethlehem, Palestine. The church was originally commissioned in 327 AD by Constantine and his mother Helena over the cave that marks the birthplace of Jesus. Due to its cultural and geographical history, the site holds a prominent religious significance to those of both the Christian and Muslim faiths. The Church of the Nativity is a World Heritage Site, and was the first to be listed under Palestine by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Solomon’s Pools
Solomon’s pools are located in the south-central West Bank, immediately to the south of the Palestinian village of al-Khader and about 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) southwest of Bethlehem. The pools consist of three open cisterns, each rectilinear pool with a 6meters (20 ft) drop to the next, fed from an underground spring. With each pool being over 100 meters (330 ft) long, 65meters (213 ft) wide and 10 meters (33 ft) deep, the total water capacity is approximately 200,000,000 liters (53,000,000 US gal).Consequently the pools have played a significant role in the area’s water supply for centuries. King Solomon the Wise, as mentioned in the Bible, constructed these pools for his wives, reportedly one thousand in number, so that they could bathe here. The three large reservoirs, following each other inline, at a distance of 50 meters (160 ft) from each other, are partly excavated from the rock and partly built; they are intended to collect the rainwater that descends from the overlooking hills and the water of the springs of the surrounding countryside.
Artas Monastery
Artas Monastery: This lovely church, built at the turn of the twentieth century, is located across the Artas Valley from the village of the same name. In fact, “Artas” is thought to be derived from “Hortus Conclusus,” alluding to a verse from the Song of Solomon. Ethnographers have found many parallels with that canticle in the traditions of the village. The association extends to the nearby Solomon Pools, traditionally guarded by the villagers of Artas during the Ottoman period, and equally present in their folklore. The existence of the convent in the midst of an entirely Muslim village attests to the centuries of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land. The Solar Park adjoining the Convent often served as the site of the Annual Artas Lettuce Festival before it out grew the space
Herodion Mountain
Herodion (is atruncated cone-shaped hill, located 12 kilometers south of Jerusalem and 5kilometres southeast of Bethlehem, West Bank. Herod the Great built a fortress, a palace, and a small town in Herodium, between 23 and 15 BCE, and has been buried there, it’s 758meters above sea level, the highest peak in the Judean desert
Shepherd’s field
Identified since ancient times with the shepherds who saw the Star of Nativity. There are two rival locations for the exact site, one run by the Greek Orthodox and the other by the Franciscans. Both sites have been excavated, and there have been churches and monasteries on both sites since the 4th century or earlier.