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A few miles south of Jerusalem lies the City of Bethlehem. Christians around the world know it as the little town where Jesus Christ was born. Still small, Bethlehem has retained a friendly atmosphere and is host to thousands of tourists and pilgrims each year. Many sacred Christian sites, Churches and Monasteries are located in the city. A major attraction is the Church of Nativity at the Manger Square, built over the cave where Jesus Christ was born. The adjoining Church of St. Catherine possesses marvelous wood carvings of the stations of the cross. Just a few minutes walk from the Manger Square is the Chapel of the Milk Grotto, where the Holy family took refuge on their way to Egypt and where Mary fed the infant Jesus.

This also is where the red rock, which is now darkened by age, turned into chalky white after a drop of Mary's milk fell to the ground. The Milk Grotto is a serene Chapel adorned with images of the Madonna and the Child. Along Milk Grotto Street, you can also find handicraft factories that produce lustrous mother-of-pearl and rich olive wood items.

At the northern entrance of the city is the Tomb of Rachel the Matriarch, wife of Jacob, who died in Bethlehem while giving birth to Benjamin. In the city are remnants of two aqueducts that brought water from Solomon's Pools to Jerusalem.

Visit the Arab Women's Museum just off Manger Street. In this museum you will find recreated a Diwan (a traditional living room) and displays of traditional clothing, jewelry. old photos, and personal items from the British Mandate era. A tour of the museum offers a taste of the gracious refinement Palestinian families enjoyed in the pre-1948 era.

The Herodion, in the hills south of Bethlehem, one of the many spectacular sites worthy of a visitor's special attention. The view from the top of this strategic fortress built by Herod the Great affords a panorama toward Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Although he died in Jericho, Herod was buried here.