Which one to choose in Palestine
Two ancient sites in Palestine. Tell es-Sultan (Ancient Jericho) has 14 tickets and tours to book; Herodium (Herodion) has no online ticket listed. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Jericho, Palestine
Tell es-Sultan is the mound of ancient Jericho, on the northern edge of the modern Palestinian city, where people settled by a spring from about 9600 BC. Its Neolithic stone tower, built around 8300 BC, is one of the oldest monumental structures known, and the site joined the UNESCO list in 2023.
Bethlehem, Palestine
Herodium is the fortified palace that Herod the Great built on a cone-shaped hill in the Judaean Desert, about 5 km south-east of Bethlehem. The summit palace, its cisterns and rebel tunnels, the lower palace and the tomb identified as Herod's in 2007 can all be seen on one walk, with views to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.
| Tell es-Sultan (Ancient Jericho) | Herodium (Herodion) | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ancient City | Palace, Villa & Baths |
| Civilisation | Near Eastern | Near Eastern |
| Founded | 9500 BC | 23 BC |
| Entry | A small fee in shekels at the gate | Fee at the gate; covered by Israel parks passes |
| Hours | About 8 am to 5 pm, to 6 pm in summer; check before travelling | Roughly 8 am to 5 pm Apr–Sep and to 4 pm Oct–Mar, an hour earlier on Fridays; last entry an hour before closing |
| Time needed | about an hour | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Booking | Pay at the gate; most visitors come on a tour booked from Jerusalem | Pay at the gate; check access conditions before you go |
| UNESCO | yes | — |
| Tickets and tours on GetYourGuide | 14 | none listed |