Top Bethlehem Underground Tours

Michael is a well prepared and versed guide on all things related to Palestine, kind, informed, smart and resourceful. My tour allowed me to visit some of the most important cultural, religious and historic places across the West Bank with the best company. Highly recommended!

Michael took me on a journey I will never forget. I highly recommend his tours to anyone seeking a truly authentic experience.It was a full day of customized sightseeing that also gave me a deeper understanding of life in Palestine.Michael has a remarkable ability to adapt his vast knowledge to his audience, making each tour both relevant and uniquely personal. He is flexible, patient, and deeply passionate.He shows immense respect for the land and its rich history. Although Michael has visited these sites countless times, he still approaches each one with awe and curiosity. His personal, long-standing friendships with the monks allow doors and hearts to open for him—and his guests.Visiting the monasteries was my favourite part of the tour. It was very special to see these sites preserving their essence and still operating today.I am still absorbing all the information Michael shared with me, and I can only hope I have the opportunity to tour with him again in the future.

We are a pastor and wife from Grand Rapids Michigan. We hired Michael for the day and had a wonderful time with him. He is warm, personable, and very wonderful. His knowledge and understanding of the Bible and history helped our ministry in great ways. We highly recommend him.

Thank God who led us to our brother in Christ Michael, he is full of life and I highly recommend his tour, his knowledge is paved with historical and biblical facts that can only strengthen your faith and knowledge depends what are you seeking for. We saw everything that was part of tour and if time allows Michael will stop at additional places if you are interested in something extra. Thanks for everything God bles you and your family, thanks for quickies we are waiting for recipe. 🤣🙏🏻

What an amazing experience of Bethlehem and the monasteries of the Judean desert. Michael even adjusted the tour for some closings to include the Herodion. Michael has an intimate knowledge of these sites, a wonderful appreciation of them and he is personally connected with the entire region. What a gift to have found him! We not only had a day of wonderful and meaningful experiences, but gained an insight into the region that we never would have acquired without him.

Michael was an EXTRAORDINARY tour leader - ESPECIALLY MEETING MY REQUIREMENT TO 'WALK ON THE JERICHO ROAD'. Starting at St. George Monastery , I was able to walk both directions up to Jerusalem and the opposite direction down to Jericho along the often narrow original trail between the ancient cities. FIVE other tour agencies said NO - Jericho Road was dangerous they said, stay away. ABSOLUTELY not true. Michael clearly demonstrated Road VERY safe and accessible for hiking - met several other hikers on the Jericho Road. His recommendations on local bus travel to/from West Bank/Bethlehem were perfect - no time wasted. Michael was without question the FINEST and most professional guide I've had over many years of travel to Middle East.

I toured Israel in a rental car for a couple of weeks, but decided it would be much easier to hire a guide for a day in the West Bank. It wound up being one of the highlights of my trip. Michael was incredibly personable and eager to tailor our day to what interested me - even working with me to swap one destination for another on the fly. He had a very broad range of knowledge (historical, political, and Scriptural, depending on what interests you) on every site. If I had known how good Michael’s tour was, I would’ve rearranged my whole itinerary to spend more days with him. Highly, highly recommended.

We went for a fantastic tour of the desert monasteries and Bethlehem sites with Michael. There were some specific things that I wanted to see, and Michael tailored our visit to fit those in. Michael's friendly and kind personality, along with his expert knowledge of the sites, really made this a special experience. As well as the historical experience, it was a truly worthwhile insight into those living in the West Bank. My son really enjoyed seeing the Banksy art and we had lunch with Michael at a delicious falafel restaurant. This really was an amazing day, and my son and I would highly recommend Michael as a tour guide. We learnt so much, historically and politically, and were very, very well looked after!

We had a great tour with Michael today! He is a reliable person full of knowledge. He customized our tour as per our request and was always available in case of any doubts. We fully recommend to organize tours with Michael you will not regret for sure!

I toured with Michael on the day tour that visits a couple of desert Monasteries as well as Bethlehem. It was an amazing day and super well coordinated. I am staying in Jerusalem and it was simple to get to checkpoint 300 using bus 234. Michael provides excellent instructions. The buses are great (better than most buses I have travelled on in the US where I live) and easy to use. They also now take the Rav-Kav card or you can pay the driver in cash 5.5 NIS each way. The drivers speak good English as well. Don't let the concerns about taking a 30 minute bus ride stop you as it is easy. Michael picks you up on the other side of Checkpoint 300.Visiting the West Bank was truly one of the highlights of my trip for me. Visiting the two desert monasteries were amazing and the monks were very friendly (I had a long conversation with one on modern US economic policy of all things). Obviously the sights in Bethlehem were amazing as well even to somebody like me who is not terribly religious. But honestly the highlight of the trip of Michael himself. He gave me some real insight into what life is like in West Bank and helped be better understand the complexities of this part of the world. I found the West Bank people to be open, friendly and welcoming. If you come to Jerusalem truly take the time to visit the West Bank and if you do you cannot go wrong with Michael.As an aside I will echo the comments of others that a private tour is so much better. Given the hours Michael spends with you the tour is truly a bargain and you can spend as little or as much time as you want at any given spot.

Hazem was our tour guide, and he was exceptional. He was incredibly knowledgeable and ensured that we followed along with everything he said.I would highly recommend this tour for a few reasons. First, the monasteries are must-see places. However, from what I could see, there was hardly any public transit to get there. Moreover, navigating through the west bank can be tough. This tour made getting to those locations seamless. Second, it is really good value. Hazem took us to so many locations and spent the entire day with us. Finally, Hazem goes above and beyond in making an unforgettable experience. He knew our group was interested in politics and history, so he tailored the tour in that direction. He also gets you access to off-the-beaten-path places that many tourists will miss. For example, he took us to these excellent shwarma and tea places.

We booked the tour weeks before arriving. Michael worked closely with us to customize the itinerary. We wanted to stop at a monastery (not included in the itinerary) to visit and Michael went above and beyond to find out if it is open. and ensure out trip goes as plan. The day of the tour he waited for us right after the checkpoint and on our way we went! The stops were amazing and his knowledge of the area, of the culture and of the people were a great asset. We never felt rushed and enjoyed the places at leisure. We are thankful for the coffee he shared with us, as well as the excellent lunch suggestion. Michael also helped us find a second tour few days later that went equally well! We recommend him unreservedly.

This was a great experience. We were just slightly put off by having to meet our guide across the checkpoint at first - we didn't know what to expect and whether we could cross safely. The crossing was super easy, and we soon understood that our guide couldn't come to meet us in Jerusalem as he wasn't allowed due to being Palestinian.

There is absolutely no comparison to having a private local tour compared to a large group. Michael was amazing. We had wonderful one on one time and he was so knowledgeable, interesting, passionate and kind. Worth every penny and more. Thank you to Michael and his fiancée Georgette who added valuable input too. We had such a great experience. Book with Michael Tours. You won’t regret it.

We actually met him in 2018/2019 but we forgot to write the review. We thought he was really super knowledgeable & passionate about all. We had many different tour guides in the different countries in the past but he had somehow more personal touch to it. We(my husband & our adult nephew) totally loved the experience. Thanks Michael & sorry to write our review this late!

Michael is a gem! Not only was he willing to take one person on a private tour (I find most operators have a 2 person minimum), he went above and beyond to ensure I had an amazing day. He was extremely flexible with the schedule, valiantly attempting to fit in the ridiculous number of sites I was curious about (to be fair, I walk fast) while still providing historical, theological and social context for the different sites. He is incredibly knowledgeable, eminently professional, and genuinely passionate about what he does.Highly recommend, and will definitely travel with Michael again if I'm lucky enough to return to Palestine.