Things to Do in Palestine

About Palestine

The air in Hebron's old souq smells of cardamom and tension — both linger longer than you'd expect. You'll taste it in the thick Arabic coffee served in tiny porcelain cups at Abu Shaker's stall near the Ibrahimi Mosque, where men argue politics over 3-shekel ($0.80) shots while soldiers patrol overhead on metal walkways. In Bethlehem's Manger Street, tour buses idle beside vendors selling mother-of-pearl crosses carved by Armenian families who've lived here since 1948, and the Church of the Nativity's stone floors are worn smooth by 1,700 years of pilgrims kneeling in the same spots. Ramallah's Rukab Street pulses with Palestinian hip-hop from car speakers and the clack of backgammon pieces at Café de la Paix, where students smoke argileh and discuss startups over 12-shekel ($3.20) mint lemonade. The separation wall's graffiti — Banksy's girl with balloon next to Arabic calligraphy reading "You can cage the singer but not the song" — creates surreal contrasts against 2,000-year-old Herodian stones. Getting through checkpoints means patience and passport checks that can stretch 45 minutes at Qalandia, but that tension dissolves when you're sharing maqluba with a family in Nablus's old city, where the smell of sumac and fried onions drifts through Ottoman-era arches. This isn't an easy destination — it's an essential one.

Travel Tips

Transportation: Shared taxis (servees) rule the roads — bright yellow Mercedes sedans that leave when full from Damascus Gate for 25 shekels ($6.70) to Ramallah. Download the "PalTaxi" app for reliable pickups; it saves the hassle of negotiating. From Allenby Bridge to Jerusalem, the sherut minivans charge 50 shekels ($13.40) and run every 20 minutes until 11 PM. Watch for the green license plates (Israeli) versus white plates (Palestinian) — some roads are restricted. Always carry small bills; drivers rarely have change for 200-shekel notes.

Money: Israeli shekels dominate, but Jordanian dinars work in the West Bank at slightly worse rates. ATMs exist in Ramallah and Bethlehem but charge 15-shekel ($4) fees — grab cash before crossing. Money changers near Manara Square give better rates than banks. Credit cards work at upscale Jerusalem hotels and Ramallah restaurants, but falafel stands and taxis are strictly cash. Pro tip: exchange any leftover Palestinian pounds (technically Jordanian dinars) before leaving — they're useless outside the territories.

Cultural Respect: Friday prayers turn city centers into pedestrian zones — don't expect taxis between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM. At checkpoints, keep phones in pockets and passports ready; filming soldiers invites problems. Handshakes linger here — don't be the first to let go. When visiting refugee camps, ask before photographing children; many parents fear identification. During Ramadan, avoid eating publicly after sunset call-to-prayer — even tourists get scolded. The Arabic greeting "Ahlan wa sahlan" opens more doors than any guidebook phrase.

Food Safety: Street food is safer than you'd expect — the kanafeh at Nablus's Al-Aqsa sweet shop has been perfect since 1950, and the 5-shekel ($1.35) falafel at Bethlehem's Afteem hasn't poisoned anyone yet. Avoid tap water; even locals buy 5-liter bottles for 3 shekels ($0.80). Hummus heated in copper pots keeps bacteria at bay, but skip unrefrigerated shawarma after 4 PM. In Gaza's fish markets, look for eyes that haven't clouded over — if fishermen won't eat it, neither should you. The real risk isn't food poisoning — it's eating so much mansaf (lamb in fermented yogurt) that you can't walk.

When to Visit

March through May transforms the hills into patchworks of wildflowers and olive blossoms, with daytime temperatures hovering at 22-25°C (72-77°F) in Ramallah and slightly warmer 25-28°C (77-82°F) in Jericho. Hotel rates in Bethlehem spike 60% during Orthodox Easter week (usually April), when pilgrims book every room within a mile of Manger Square. Summer brings desert heat to Jericho and the Dead Sea — 35-38°C (95-100°F) — but surprisingly pleasant 28-30°C (82-86°F) evenings in Jerusalem's hills. The olive harvest in October turns villages into celebrations, with families pressing oil in courtyards and offering tastings to anyone curious enough to ask. Winter (December-February) brings chilly 10-15°C (50-59°F) days and occasional Jerusalem snowfall, but also the lowest hotel prices — rooms in Ramallah drop 40% from November rates. Ramadan shifts earlier each year; when it falls in summer (2025-2027), expect sunset iftar feasts that spill into the streets and reduced daytime services. The best compromise: late October when olive oil is fresh, temperatures are mild, and the political situation tends to be (relatively) quiet — plus hotel rates haven't yet climbed for Christmas pilgrim season. Christmas in Bethlehem is magical but mobbed — book six months ahead for December 20-25, when even basic guesthouses triple their rates and the Church of the Nativity hosts midnight mass that requires tickets distributed months in advance.