My Guide to Visiting Palestine (The West Bank)

Probably most people do not imagine a visit to Palestine as their first pick for a holiday destination but its charm comes from the historical sites, off-the-path sights and most importantly the Palestinian people. There are a lot of questions and not too much information for travelling here independently so I am writing this to explain my experience on how to travel in the West Bank of Palestine.

Disclaimer: This Was Originally Written in 2022 Before the 2023-24 War On Gaza. Please Check News Reports Before Travelling in the Region.

General Info
First off, this is a very politically complex region and Palestine is broken into two major regions, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This article is only focused on the West Bank as that is the only region open to tourism and it is the region I visited. Ever since Hamas won the elections in Gaza in 2006 Israel closed it off and blockaded the outside and Hamas militarized inside. Now the only foreigners allowed in are aid workers and journalists; it is also the region that is most often in the news due to missile strikes between Hamas and Israel. The West Bank on the other hand while it has been occupied by Israel for decades the infrastructure is more developed and it is considered much safer to visit. The majority of the Palestinian population is by far Muslim but there is a significant Christian minority which has been fleeing the political situation in the recent decades. Certain Jewish communities have been popping up in the occupied West Bank which are sponsored and operate as part of Israel. These settlers are considered illegal by international law and have been the largest source of contention in forming any peace plans between Israel and Palestine.

What to See?
Most visitors to the West Bank are most likely interested in the historical and religious sites but upon reflecting on my experiences, the most memorable ones are experiencing the local Palestinian culture. East Jerusalem by international law is considered part of Palestine but this will not cover it since de facto it is controlled and acts as part of Israel. First off, Bethlehem is the most visited city of the West Bank mainly due to the Church of the Nativity which Christians believe is the location of the birth of Jesus Christ. Nearby Bethlehem are other interesting sites to check out such as the Mar Saba Monastery and Herodium which a local guide or taxi driver can take you to. Jericho is also on most people's itinerary in the West Bank with Christian holy sites such as the Baptismal Site on the Jordan and it also has the ruins of the oldest city in the world. Ramallah lacks a lot of the history of other West Bank cities but is a fun contemporary city with night life. Hebron and Nablus are both politically contentious cities with interesting old towns and Hebron has the Cave of the Patriarchs which alone makes the city worth visiting. That's not even mentioning its food which like anywhere else in the Middle East is world-class and the Arab Hospitality that Palestine embraces.

Itinerary
Day 1: Bethlehem
Spend a day exploring Bethlehem's markets and religious sites such as the Church of the Nativity and Chapel of the Milk Grotto. Most people know it for the Nativity story in the Bible but I had a wonderful stay at the House of Peace Hostel with a very kind family. A very good city to enter in to for visiting the West Bank
Day 2: Mar Saba and Herodium
Get a taxi driver (Daniel Akleh is a good option, contact information here: https://www.alternativetours-jerusalem.com or contact Khalid Ali from WhatsApp. Reach out to me for more info) and go to the Mar Saba Monastery which was built on a cliff face of a valley in the year 483. This is truly a Palestinian hidden gem and a very interesting orthodox monastery. Furthermore one of King Herod’s castles can be coupled with this. Herodium is interesting because the castle rests on an artificial mountain.

Day 3: Hebron
Hebron is a tricky city, coming in from Bethlehem will place you in the much more active and comparably relaxed Arab half of the city, from Jerusalem an Egged bus will bring you to the tense and heavily guarded Jewish half. I encourage visitors to see both sides and how the division has destroyed the city. I would recommend a guide here since this is a safe but tense city and it is very helpful to have a guide to hear people’s stories and understand why the city is the way it is. I had an impromptu tour by someone from the Hebron Hope Center which included a stellar home-cooked lunch and guide through the Al-Khalil Mosque. This was the most impactful place I visited in Palestine.

Day 4: Jericho
Now, while it once again is possible to visit Jericho without a guide, I wouldn’t do this unless it was winter. The city is the lowest on earth and being in the Judean Desert means that it is very hot and the monuments are quite spread out. Getting around without getting a taxi would be strenuous but possible except if you want to visit areas outside of the city. I opted to get a guided tour from the hostel owners in Bethlehem for the day and this turned out to be a good option. Drive around beyond the city to see an old Christian monastery (Saint Gerasimos) that has its own menagerie, the baptismal site of Jesus, the Dead Sea and Qumran. Inside Jericho lies the ruins of the oldest city, Hisham's Palace and a cable car to the Mount of Temptation with another Christian Monastery in the cliff face.
Day 5: Ramallah
On this day, I recommend taking a shared taxi to Ramallah from Bethlehem. While not the most monumental or historical West Bank city it is the de facto capital of the West Bank and it is the most cosmopolitan Palestinian city with foreign embassies and a contemporary nightlife scene that contrasts a lot of preconception about Palestine. It makes a good home base for exploring the north of the Palestinian West Bank.
Day 6: Nablus
This is the largest city in the northern West Bank and it is a full on energetic Arab city with an interesting old city that is known for its desserts (Try Al-Aqsa Kunafeh!) and historical sights. Nearby the city, on a hill, is the ethnoreligious community of the Samaritans of Biblical fame. Their community on Mount Gerizim has good relations with both Israelis and Palestinians and is worth checking out especially as the Samaritans only have a population of around 800 today. Also from the shared taxis (near Alhmuz Cafe on a map), one should consider the historic city of Sebastia which has ruins from the ancient city of Samaria which was the capital of the kingdom of Samaria and then a Roman city that due to shared Israeli-Palestinian control cannot be excavated.

Day 7: Jenin
Jenin sometimes appears on West Bank itineraries due to its importance to Christian communities by having one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. As a full disclaimer, its refugee camp is a frequent flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and for this reason when I visited at a point of heightened tensions and had limited time in the West Bank. As a result I skipped out on the city. Due to this I cannot give advice to this northern city but I would probably recommend a guide but it is probably not 100% necessary.
Day 8: Leave the West Bank
To leave the West Bank, it is possible to leave to Jordan or Jerusalem. I did the latter because of the simplicity of transit and proximity to the Tel-Aviv Airport but there are other interesting ttrips to consider in the West Bank such as the Palestinian Heritage Trail, a long-distance north-south trail in the West Bank and visiting the Taybeh brewery which is a family-owned brewery that supplies Palestine's beer.

Accomadation
While not much of a backpacking destination, Bethlehem does have some hostels and so does Ramallah. Most cities and decently sized towns will have guesthouses which I highly recommend due to the Arab hospitality of Palestinian hosts. With a bigger budget, Ramallah has some very nice hotels and there are Dead Sea resorts near Jericho. Management or hosts of any of these establishments usually have a decent English comprehension level and can help you with any questions you have and typically they are interesting people who will be more than happy to have a chat over some coffee or tea.

Safety
This is a big question when discussing Palestine. Now it is extraordinarily unlikely that as a foreigner, one will experience the safety issues that the citizens would have to deal with. Palestinians want foreigners to have the best impression of their homeland and for that they will make sure you have only good experiences. Israeli settlers and guards also want you to leave with a good impression of them to strengthen their position in the area so both sides will be kind to you. Most safety issues arise of being caught up in raids which occur usually in refugee camps and places where people rarely visit. Also avoid demonstrations and large gatherings and you should not have any issue. As a precaution though, this is not like visiting your average destination: there is tension in the air and it is a good idea to monitor the news but take everything with a pinch of salt.

Transportation
Palestine is small and a taxi can be organized from one of its cities to another for relatively cheap. The alternative to this would be a shared taxi which is either a 4 or five seat car or a larger minivan that leaves when full from the large taxi ranks of the cities. These shared taxis will let people off along the routes and are distinguishable by their yellow paint. To find which shared taxi you want, just ask someone nearby and for me they usually would have me follow them and ask around like it was their personal mission to help me find the correct one. There are also bus lines to get to and from the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem. For Bethlehem it is bus no 21 and Ramallah it is no 18.