Can i visit palestine

Yes, it is relatively safe but to get the most of out of East Jerusalem we would recommend a Palestinian guide, or someone from one of the organisations that organize tours, such as ICAHD or Alternative tours.

If you are travelling alone or as a couple of the easiest ways to get a glimpse of the situation is to take a tour into East Jerusalem and its surrondings. Read our guide on what to do in Jerusalem and the West Bank. However, many of the day trips only travel if there are a minimum number of participants. Protests and demonstrations are one of the flash points you should avoid if want to make sure you stay safe.

Sure, Palestinians do want solidarity from visitors and if you may decide to participate. But it is one of the riskiest activities in the West Bank. Although Palestinian demonstrations are generally non-violent the response from soldiers is not. Tear gas canisters, rubber and metal bullets can cause serious injury and death. If you are in an area and think a demonstration is likely to occur, consider moving away to another area.

It is really difficult to visit Gaza right now, unless you work for an NGO, are a medic or sometimes a journalist. Hopefully, soon the restrictions will be lifted and when they are we will be amongst the first to visit again! So, is it safe to visit Palestine? Overall, our experience is that Palestine is a safe, friendly and interesting place to visit. But if you want to get the most out of it whilst travelling safely there are advantages to travelling in small expert groups like ours.

However, you travel, make sure you follow the Palestinian ethical code. Travel to Palestine and Israel is still severely restricted. In the meantime, we are hosting virtual events with our partners in Palestine and Israel.

If you want to be the first to hear the news when we resume our tours, receive invites to our online events, or hear about the latest developments, then please sign up. Skip to content. The most common question we are asked is: Is it safe to visit Palestine?

More on that below. Most of the time, news focus about the situation in or near the Gaza Strip, while little is said about the West Bank, which is where you would go. The West Bank is completely safe to visit. The overall impression you get when you visit is of an extremely friendly, chilled place where it is pleasant to walk around and explore.

Even though Palestine is safe to visit, I recommend getting a good travel insurance for your trip. Get yours here. The Jordanian Dinar is also accepted, and it is often the currency used for savings. Euro and US Dollars are also accepted. I bet you think Palestine is nice and cheap to visit, and it will give you a break from the crazy prices of Israel. Think again! Palestine is just as expensive.

The only cheap thing you are bound to get in Palestine is staple food — hummus, falafel, and similar.

Not exactly a budget friendly place. The good news is that you can take it with you to Palestine, and it will work just as fine and at no extra charges.

High speed wifi is available in most of the country. One thing people never say about Palestine is how nice locals truly are. These are people that would literally open the door of their houses for you, and make you feel like a king and would feel honored to host you. Expect to be offered freshly brewed coffee anywhere you visit!

People in Palestine speak Arabic — one of the many dialects of it. English is widely spoken in the tourism industry, so chances are that you will be able to have conversations with cab and bus drivers, people at restaurants and shops as well.

The majority of Palestinians are Muslims Sunni , and modest clothing is appreciated there. Places like Hebron and Nablus tend to be quite conservative, but Ramallah is more modern and thriving with life. Other than the Jewish people that live in the settlements, there is a nice chunk of the population that is actually Christian. Most of them live in Bethlehem, and in other smaller cities. One thing you can rest assured with is that food in Palestine is delicious. You have probably heard of Palestinian staples such as falafel fritters of chickpea flour mixed with parsley, onion and other tasty ingredients and hummus a spread of chickpeas with tahina, lemon, garlic and a good dose of olive oil.

But there is way more to Palestinian food than hummus! Make sure to try mansaf — a dish of slowly cooked lamb with yellow rice and a fantastic mix of spices. Most restaurants will serve it, but the best one is homemade! Maqluba is another must have. The presence of Christians in Palestine is good news for those of us who enjoy a drink every now and then. Alcohol is available in Palestine, and you can have wine or beer with your drink. In fact, there even are some really good microbreweries where you can get craft beer and even go on beer tasting tours.

The first brewery was founded in Taybeh, where many Christians live. It is easily accessible from Ramallah. Ask anybody in Palestine what their capital is, and they will say that although Ramallah is the center of the local economy and of administration, their capital is Jerusalem. They call it Al Quds. You need to go to Damascus Gate, where there is a bus station, and hop on bus Fresh and exciting, Palestinian food is heralded by many as the best in the Middle East.

My week in Palestine was full of people, of talking, exchanging stories, overturning preconceptions. Everybody had a tale to tell. Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem — Ethereally beautiful seventh-century shrine, its golden dome soars above the Old City. Souk, Nablus — Vivid, absorbing souk that rambles through the centre of this ancient city.

Travellers should dress conservatively while in Palestine and specifically when visiting areas of religious interest. Shorts or t-shirts should be avoided and women should cover their hair with a scarf when visiting mosques.

Around , in East Jerusalem. ATMs are widespread Palestine tourist board: Palestine tourist board. The best time to visit is from March to May and from September to November, when the weather is warm, sunny and mostly dry. The summer months of June to August are notoriously hot; avoid strenuous activity during the day. December to February is generally wet and cold. There is no fixed price and he will tell you to pay as much as you want. When you arrive in Zababdeh, just ask for Father Firas.

Everybody knows him. If you are interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after Hebron , this is a super interesting place, since this is the village most affected by the construction of the separation wall, as it practically surrounds the whole community, completely drowning its economy. Many fields owned by Palestinians were left on the other side of the wall, so the Palestinian farmers have to go through insane security checks every single day. If this was not enough, the different checkpoints are only open during certain, alternate hours a day, so quite often, the Palestinian farmers have to wait for hours at their fields before they can go back home.

Tours — I always encourage independent travel but, if you are short in time, or just feel safer with a local guide, there are loads of tours available, and I recommend you book them via GetYourguide , as you can book them with just one click, have free cancellation, and always count with professional local guides.

Here you can read all my articles and guides to Palestine. If you are traveling to Jordan, read my border crossing report. If you are going to Lebanon, read all my guides to Lebanon.

Would you like to travel to Syria? And here you can check all my guides to the Middle East. Disclosure: As a traveler, I use all the companies I recommend and you should know that, if you buy any service through any of these links, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Use Booking. Check on Hostelworld for for backpacker hostels. Trekking equipment, books, etc, check on Amazon. If you want to know all the companies I use to plan my trips, check my travel resources page.

If you did, how was your experience there? So did you have any trouble understanding Palestinian Arabic as it was spoken on the street?

Hi, thank you for your comment. My answers: 1 — I entered from Jerusalem but, when I went to Qalandia, I re-entered Israel just to see how was there, as the border in Qalandia is the most fucked up border. Stumbled on this article while searching for travel agencies in Palestine, and just got way more information about the country than I probably would on wikipedia.

Hello, I might be interested in working with a tourist agency in Palestine. Please, email me at joan againstthecompass. Hi, this an interesting article. You have described very well. The really descriptive post you have shared with us. Thanks so much for this information! It was a great resource for me. Bus from Jerusalem Damascus Gate to Bethlehem is only 7 shekels. Serveece from Bethlehem to Hebron is 9 shekels. Palestine is an amazing place with incredibly friendly people. I hope to go back sometime soon so I can get through all of the other stuff on your list!

I am glad you enjoyed Palestine and its people. They are awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this comprehensive itinerary and background. Palestine is a region I have been dreaming of visiting all my life and hope to do so this year, but I have been contemplating whether to join an organized tour or plan this out all on my own. The tours are quite pricey, but it definitely saves the hassle of coordinating visas, transportation, and general travel and accommodation.

I am a female and will likely travel with my brother and maybe others. With that in mind, think it might work best like you suggest to do some parts with a tour company while spending more time in areas I am interested in on my own. How much would you say your two week itinerary costed you overall? Hello, I spent around USD a day. If you want to stay in mid-range places and hire a guide it will be significantly more expensive. I will go there soon on a revisit together with my 6 year old son, and we will probably stay only in Palestine.

This was fantastic to read. Thanks so much for sharing! This just makes me more excited to go! Thanks for taking the time to write all this up! Hi Ellie, thanks for your kind comment!

I am glad you find it useful. Have a wonderful trip there! Hello buddy, this was a great piece to read and very informative. It answered many of my questions. However, I have few questions which hopefully you would be able to answer. If I land in Israel at Tel Aviv with an Indian passport and then need to go West Bank, then which check points or immigration centres do I have to use and clear.

Also when rerurning back from West Bank to Israel, how many check points or immigration centers I have to clear so I can reach back to tel aviv airport easily. Either way, there is only one checkpoint when entering the west bank and one when you get out. Most of the times, the checkpoint is very quick. It is seriously not a big deal.

Thanks for the quick response. Really interesting what you are doing by visiting these amazing palces which are not covered well by the media and tourism industry.

So what is next on your bucket list? First of all thank you very much for a wonderful 2 weeks tour itinerary for Palestine. I very rarely been to Arab and African countries so far, but I have plans to tour around Africa region in near future. Your complete tour itinerary for Palestine helps me to grab some ideas for my next tour, in between the photos look great.

Very informative article! Thanks and very informative. Do u know if it is fine for us to visit on our own without a guide? Great post!

Is there a way to get to Jericho from the border without having to go to Jerusalem? Hey Maddie, yes of course, Jericho is extremely close to the border, and for very little money, you can get a taxi. Thank you in advance.