I made sure we had a free Saturday in Tel Aviv after returning from a cruise and before we flew home. There were many places we could have visited during this day, but Jerusalem and Bethlehem were by far the most attractive options.
Pickup time was early - before 7am at a larger hotel less than 5 minutes walk from us and the bus pulled up right on time. We were driven a short distance to the "meeting point" where everyone was shuffled of to different buses. It was pretty efficient, and we were off.
During the drive to Jerusalem (1 hour+) we were given an overall history of Israel. Interesting. Ah, but there was also a stop at a coffee shop / diner. Elvis Presley themed. Yes, you hear that right. It worked as a restroom stop, too. Wife and I ordered 2 coffees. The charge was about $17.50US or so. I was shocked, but ok. They weren't even big mugs. When we got back to the bus I realized (from hearing others talk) that the price include the Elvis-themed mugs. That made me feel a little better even though we left our mugs inside ... our extra suitcase space was reserved for more local treasures anyway. Remember, the coffee price INCLUDES the mugs.
The first part of the tour had me a bit worried. It was mostly seeing things from the bus and taking pictures out of the windows. Alas, we finally did get to leave the bus at a couple of lookups and site. Later and in both locations we also did get off to bus to explore churches and such. We had 3 hours or so of guided old Jerusalem and then some minimal free time. In all, for a bus tour, the time was allocated well.
Bethlehem came before Jerusalem this day. There was some concern with is that this went into the Palestinian area. Alas, we had no trouble all stress was relieved once we got there. Tourism is just that, and the people made us comfortable, including the lunch there. Also, the large Christian gift shop was interesting and my wife loved it (Perhaps a little too much!$$).
Our tour guide, Avishay, was excellent. Humorous, knowledgeable and very helpful/accommodating. We lucked out getting him! At one point my wife wondered off (during free time) and we couldn't find her. He made a plan that reduced any impact on the rest of the group and gave time to find her. It all worked out (she had gotten stuck in a crush of people moving through one of the Stations of the Cross areas). I was stressed yet his calming and organized planning made it work out ok.
In all, a very worthwhile and enjoyable tour. I am so glad we chose to take this one.