If you’ve always wondered where exactly ‘shepherds watched their flocks by night’, drop into Shepherds’ Field, a parklike area just outside Beit Sahour. As well as the strollable grounds, you’ll find a Byzantine cave housing a chapel and the 1953 Italian-designed Church of the Angels.

To reach Shepherds’ Field, take a private taxi from Bethlehem (20NIS).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Milk Grotto Chapel

1.15 MILES

A short walk from Manger Sq is the lesser-known Milk Grotto Chapel. Legend has it that Mary and Joseph stopped here to feed the baby during their flight…

2. St Catherine’s Church

1.22 MILES

Midnight Mass at this pink-toned church, next door to the Church of the Nativity, is broadcast across the world on Christmas Eve, but there’s nothing like…

3. Church of the Nativity

1.23 MILES

For the millions of pilgrims who descend on the Holy Land every year, the Church of the Nativity is the main reason for visiting Bethlehem. The church,…

4. Bethlehem Museum

1.36 MILES

The museum, housed in a typical 19th-century Palestinian home, is made up of three rooms recreated as a traditional Bethlehem family abode, with many…

5. Mosque of Omar

1.36 MILES

Opposite the Church of the Nativity and named after the second Muslim caliph, Omar Ibn Al Khattab, this is the only mosque in Bethlehem’s Old City. It was…

6. Souq

1.43 MILES

Has a range of fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, junk, shoes and some mighty tasty snacks. Known to locals as the Green Market, the souq was…

7. Rachel’s Tomb

1.52 MILES

In a desolate corridor created by Israel’s separation wall and near the main checkpoint into town on the Israeli side, stands Rachel’s Tomb. Rachel is…

8. International Center of Bethlehem

1.53 MILES

This Lutheran-run centre puts on concerts, plays, films, English-language documentaries, workshops and lectures. There’s also a coffee shop, guesthouse,…