Christmas Eve in Israel: Jerusalem & Midnight Mass in Bethlehem from Tel Aviv

Great day tour with Eli

Great trip! Eli is a fantastic guide! Very knowledgeable and funny! He made us enjoy and learn so much about the city even under the rain. Thanks Eli!

Response from the operator: Thanks for sharing that you have had a an enlightening and interesting tour guided by Eli. He sure deserves your complimentary feedback for his efforts

via Tripadvisor

Great tour by Itamar

Jerusalem and Bethlehem well organised tour. Itamar was amazing funny and knowledgeable. It’s a must visit for pilgrims

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the tour and that Itamar made the experience memorable. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again on your next visit!

via Tripadvisor

Once bitten, twice shy

Right from the start of the tour there were problems. We waited for ages for latecomers, with no explanation or apology. The part of the tour to the the old town near Jaffa Gate was very poorly set up and quite a few guests decided to go their own way and returned to the group later. The guide Raffy's approach was too informal, even to the point of sharing personal details of his love life and finances. He didn't seem to get the vibe that it was Christmas Eve with pilgrims on board. On such a busy night there could have been many adaptations made for the comfort of passengers. The wait for the restaurant was a surprise and showed a lock of understanding of what the evening would be like, with a high volume of visitors. Danny who joined the tour in Palestine was a bit more organized. However, sorting out how and where to meet up in Bethlehem, Manger Square, kept changing. What really got annoying was that the guides set up expectations and then weren't able to come through with them. Avoid this tour or avoid going on it at peak seasonal visit times.

Response from the operator: Most regretful that this was the nature of your experience and our guide Raffy, it doesn't sound like appropriate behavior. Will take this matter up with him. Indeed this was a busy evening with crowds of tourists, however much we try and be organized. Sorry that it was not on schedule and not up to par. During this time and season, one needs to be accepting that there are crowds all over. The restaurant wait was also logistics out of our control. We cannot determine the volumes of people who eat there on this festive. We also need to contend with this constraint. Each year, we try our best. We certainly would have wanted it to be a better kind of experience.

via Tripadvisor

Huge Disappointment. Amateur Hour.

To the point: If you want to be in Bethlehem for Christmas, find yourself a private guide. Avoid this destination management group; they cannot manage this particular destination. Overview: Perhaps the pandemic has left this tour operator scrambling to find good guides and regain their rhythm; however, this tour was, hands down, the least professional experience I have encountered in decades of touring (in developing and industrialized countries, from the jungle to the city). To begin, our party arrived early to the meet point. No one was around to tell us where to go, but eventually the guide appeared. He was completely out of his league (he was also under the influence, but that is another story) trying to manage what he had to do. We all boarded the bus, but then everyone wound up sitting and waiting for forty minutes for a late-arriving pair. That should not have been an option. The guide missed the tone of the group completely. People were interested (and had booked and paid for) in being in Manger Square for Christmas. We discovered there was no chance of being in the church, no opportunity for communion. His attempts at levity were poorly met, but the group remained polite. The driver was able to provide transport to and from, sans incident. There is a positive (without that, this review would have been rated "terrible"). The festive dinner was chaotic and very late. At one point, the guide asked if we'd like to meet at midnight to return. The group, again polite, reminded him of the reason we were all going to Bethlehem. For Midnight Mass in Manger Square. The guide was not able to communicate a plan in clear terms to the group. At one point, when we were about to visit the Holy Sepulchre, a number of the group had enough and simply asked the guide where to meet when it was really time to go to Bethlehem. His inability to think consequentially, communicate a schedule, and offer competent commentary were all well below expectations. He singing on the bus microphone was not welcome, but again, he was under the influence and not able to read the room and self regulate. We learned about his family, former girlfriend, and political stance (one sided and not welcome). Our guide in Bethlehem, Danny, was kind and welcoming (and saves this review from being "terrible"). Would I return to Bethlehem? Absolutely. Would I ever use this group? Not a chance. Save your money, and invest in a real tour with a competent guide.

Response from the operator: We are most regretful that this was the nature of your experience with a guide of our company, especially on this special evening. A crowded restaurant is not under our control. This shouldn't be the type of experience and what you describe will be further investigated holding the guide accountable (if you haven't contacted our offices by email). We are never informed in advance whether it is possible to enter the Church on Christmas eve.( rarely is it possible, we don't advertise this either.) The many reviews on this platform certainly indicate we are a company of great repute and we are most disappointed too that this guide has let you down as well as us. Other travelers had a great experience on this eve, as is listed on this platform above.

via Tripadvisor

Best Christmas Ever!

The fact that Ami got us into the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve and we received communion, is worth the 5 star rating alone. Ami was a fantastic guide. We had done the Jerusalem trip the previous day but even though we saw again the same places, it felt like a really nice supplement thanks to Ami's expert knowledge and different angle. In Bethlehem we had so much exposure to individual Palestinians and it was an amazing experience to be able to chat with them. The trip didn't always run smoothly...but considering we were 36 people in Bethlehem, in Palestine, on the busiest day of the year, with a few of our number who did not seem to care much about deadlines or timekeeping....the trip was an amazing success. We saw things that really we had no right to see and will remember for a lifetime. 10/10 for Bein Harim and Ami.

via Tripadvisor