Fodor's Expert Review Manger Square

Bethlehem's central plaza and the site of the Church of the Nativity, Manger Square is built over the grotto thought to be the birthplace of Jesus. The end of the square opposite the church is the Mosque of Omar, the city's largest Muslim house of worship. The square occupies the center of Bethlehem's Old City and has a tourist information office, several good souvenir shops, and restaurants where you can drink a coffee while people-watching. On Christmas, it fills with lights, street food hawkers, Palestinian marching bands, and merrymakers in Santa hats under a towering tree.