If you’re interested in another opinion, I enjoyed Masada much more than Bethlehem. It may depend on if you have religious reasons for visiting Bethlehem. Even though our guide was able to bypass the line with us, too, I found the Church of the Nativity claustrophobic & unpleasant. Masada was enjoyable for the outdoor experience & the dramatic desert setting & history. Unlike the church in Bethlehem that bears no resemblance to the historic birthplace, Masada is readily recognizable as the place where its story took place. For me it’s no contest.

Thank you you for seeking advice from this forum and best of luck with your trip to Israel. What I find moving is that churches there that are named for important events events in Christianity like the Assumption, the Nativity and the Ascension are erected where they occurred.

The pictures are below the altar of th church of the Nativity. The star is said to be the spot where Jesus was born and the other is where the manger was.

All the best.

Larry

MmePerdu, thanks for your thoughts. I am biased toward Masada also.

On a side note if you like beer try an Israeli brand, Goldstar. Pretty good!

IF I like beer!!! Thanks for the tip!

Yes, Bethlehem is usually very crowded and honestly, apart from the church, there’s literally nothing to see there. I’d definitely go to Masada and then you can make it a Dead Sea trip and perhaps stay at a hotel and avail yourselves of the salts, mud baths etc. It’s close enough to Jerusalem to even make it only a day trip if you prefer although the Masada site has expanded a bit since I lived there 30 years ago. I was in Jerusalem in 2019 and there’s so much to see, even more than when I lived there that 4 days isn’t enough. I’d definitely get a tour guide for Bethlehem if you choose to go because it’s easier with a guide. Don’t forget to book with an official guide rather than some chap from the streets.

Note: We deleted five recent posts. A spammer's post had been deleted back in October, however at that time, a post quoting it was left in place. This led to a misunderstanding/argument about whom was addressing whom. No one remaining on the thread has attacked other members.

BTW we are strongly considering Egypt now. Perhaps February next year as the weather should be ok.

jacketwatch, I encourage you to travel to Egypt! Every day was exciting for us as we explored the country’s rich history. We also went to Jordan.

Thank you. We both seem to be in agreement and I’ve read that the people are very nice.

I love history so this is right up my alley and now that you mention it Jordan to see Petra is worth considering.

Larry

Petra is amazing. I was surprised how much I liked all of what we saw in Jordan.

Fodorites, I need some advice.
Prior to October 7, 2023 we scheduled a trip to Israel & Egypt for November 2024. Now that war broke out in Israel, I was wondering if in your opinion would it be safe to travel to Israel (or Egypt) next November? I can see it both ways - one does not want to travel to a war zone, but with the IDF mopping up in Gaza It might be safer than it was on October 6.


Having no local resources in this forum, I am reaching out due to Fodor's posters insight on Israel. This is not a political statement only a safe travel inquiry.

Thanks in advance
Greg

I would be hesitant to plan anything to Israel in Nov. Egypt should be fine.

I agree with yestravel. I would not plan on going to Israel any time soon.

Ditto, ditto.

I wouldn't travel to Israel at this time. It would like to hope the situation will be better by November, but it doesn't look good.

as a dual national I’d have to say not to go to Israel or Egypt at this time. People keep saying Israel is safe but it isn’t because there’s been daily rockets from Gaza, still, and as of now the count is in the tens of thousands and let’s not even talk about the rockets fired at northern Israel by Hezbollah. Until things die down, and hopefully that’ll be sooner than later, I’d stay away from the Middle East in general. There’s plenty of other places to go in the world and traveling to a war zone, even though I lived there during a few wars, is not advisable.

Thanks happy_traveler_too, that was our impression. Even if Gaza is quiet this coming November, Hezbollah in the north still makes Israel dangerous. We cancelled the Israeli part of the trip and decided to hold on to the Egyptian part for the time being.

Thanks to all, we are taking your collective advice!
Greg