[2025 Bethlehem Attraction] Travel Guide for Manger Square (Updated Jul)

Bethlehem is a city located in the West Bank of Palestine, 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is the capital of Bethlehem Governorate and the center of local culture and tourism. For Christians, Bethlehem is of special significance as the birthplace of Jesus and the location of the world's first church, the Church of the Nativity. When talking about Bethlehem, we have to mention its country Palestine. Although Bethlehem is administered by the Palestinian Authority, Israel controls the import and export of Bethlehem through its Berlin Wall and checkpoints, treating Palestine inhumanely. Palestinian citizens are like second-class citizens in Israel. The land of Palestine has been an Arab territory for thousands of years. After World War II, the Israelis returned and established the State of Israel with the assistance of the United Nations, occupying more than half of the Arab land, and the other half belonged to Palestine. Israel was founded in 1948 and was quickly recognized by the United Nations and Western countries. However, Palestine was not established until 1988, but has not been recognized to this day and can only operate internationally as an observer country. Even its capital, East Jerusalem, has been annexed by Israel. In sixty years, Palestine's territory has been reduced by more than 80% compared to the territory allocated to it by the United Nations in 1947. To get to Bethlehem, you can only hire a taxi or take a bus. Taking a bus at the Damascus Gate in the old city is the most convenient option. Buses 231 and 234 can also reach Bethlehem, but it is closer to walk to the Church of the Nativity after getting off bus 231, so it is recommended to take it. The No. 231 bus takes about 40 minutes and costs about ILS 7.0 (Palestine does not have its own currency and mainly uses the Israeli new tuk-tuk or US dollar). There is no passport check on the outbound trip to Bethlehem, but a passport check is required on the return trip to Jerusalem (remember to bring your passport and blue entry card). After getting off the bus, use Google Map to locate Bab El-Zakak Square (Beit Jala Road) or the Church of Nativity. It is about a 20-minute walk to the destination. You will pass through the vegetable market and grocery market during the walk, so be careful with your personal finances. On the return trip, you can take a bus back to Jerusalem from where you got off. The main attractions in Bethlehem are concentrated around Manger Square, such as the most popular birthplace of Jesus - the Church of Nativity and the connected Church of the Nativity - St. Catherine Church. In addition, there is the Milk Grotto Church next to it, where the Virgin Mary breastfed Jesus for the last time. The milky white building is well worth visiting. The most important thing is that all the above three attractions are free to visit. Finally, if time permits, you can take a taxi to visit the Chapel of the Shepherd's Field, which has three exquisite murals describing the scene of Jesus' birth.

🇵🇸-3 Opposite the #Damascus Gate in #Jerusalem, I boarded the No. 231 Arab bus heading for #Bethlehem in #Palestine. Although it is only a short 50-minute drive, it may be a lifetime for the people of both countries. The first stop in Bethlehem is Manger Square, famous for being the birthplace of Jesus. The Church of Nativity located in Manger Square may be one of the oldest existing churches in the world. It was built by Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. It is currently managed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Orthodox Church in accordance with the "maintain the status quo" policy. So the whole feeling of the church is quite different from other churches I have been to, especially in terms of decoration, furnishings, and even the way of praying. Then we went to the Milk Grotto Church, which was built in 1872. The same place was a Byzantine church in the 5th century, so you can still see traces of that time. Here, I met an old man who enthusiastically explained to me the story of this church. According to legend, when Mary was breastfeeding, her milk dripped down and dyed the entire cave white... So he said that many couples would come to this cave to soak the white powder in water and drink it in order to pray for offspring. Later on, it became a cure for all kinds of diseases. The whole of Bethlehem makes me feel that it is a place where you can get a lot, and there are really few tourists at the moment. So when I was looking for information, I found that the birthplace that might have required an hour-long queue to visit was now completely deserted, just as I mentioned before, with 2-30 tourists a day (🙋🏽♂️1/30). On the way back to Jerusalem from Bethlehem, we passed several checkpoints for routine inspections. But in wartime, I feel that the border is full of tension, especially now, I have heard that Israel is about to go to war with Hezbollah in #Lebanon. Although the city is relatively peaceful, there are obviously more people with guns on the road (@ee.yiyi said that this is because of the Hamas attack in 2023, so the number of people applying for gun licenses has increased). We earnestly hope that the two countries can move towards peace in a better direction and coexist peacefully like the Church of the Nativity and the Omar Mosque on Manger Square.

🇵🇸-1 Regarding the journey to Palestine, I would like to start with Joseph (a biblical name). Joseph (I'll call him "Joseph" here) is a Palestinian whom I met shortly after arriving in Bethlehem. At that time, I was looking for traces of various churches. Joseph suddenly stopped me and started talking to me. He said he wanted to invite me to visit their store and have a cup of coffee, but I declined on the grounds that I would come back to find him later. But, unexpectedly, I met Joseph at the door of another church. He said, "Didn't you say you would come back?", so I had to follow him to their store to sit down, but at the same time, I was mentally prepared to be treated as a plate. After following Joseph to their store, he kindly took me to see their factory (which makes souvenir wood carvings) and store. At the same time, they also talk about the impact the war has brought to them. So after chatting for a while, I chose two rosary beads. However, since I bought an olive wood rosary for 8 sherks (TWD70) in the previous store, I had a rough idea of ​​the price. But when I asked him the price, he asked me how much it was worth. But I was prepared to be a dish (after all, Joseph treated me to tea and snacks), so I said it should be 80 sherks (TWD700, which is 10 times the price of my first one). This is the love I can give to the Palestinian people. But Joseph shook his head. He said he envied us for being able to come and go freely, and that they were all caged birds, forced to be trapped in this huge open-air cage. Before the war, there were thousands of tourists visiting the birthplace of Jesus every day, but now there are only 2-30 (1/30 🙋🏽♂️) left every day, so they are having a hard time. At the same time, they also said that war was not what they wanted, and they also hoped to go out and see the world, rather than being born and dying here. You and I, we live in a completely different world from them. We still have the right to choose, but their fate is determined at birth. Look around you. Although we cannot change the world immediately, we can at least start by loving ourselves and the people around us more. I hope that everyone's little love can become a tooth that drives the world's wheel, starting from now on. Oh yes, in the end I paid 300 sherks (TWD2700), nearly 40 times the love for Palestine. Before leaving, Joseph asked me to take a photo of him and the store. He said that any of my friends who came would be well taken care of. (I still recommend that you go talk to them, but whether you want to be treated like a plate is up to the individual) #Bethlehem #Palestine #Israel #Jerusalem