My Wheelchair Accessible Day Trip to Nazareth, Israel

During my recent trip to Israel, one of the places that I was most excited about visiting was Nazareth. As someone that grew up attending Christian churches, this city was simply a must-do. Not only was Nazareth home to Mary and Joseph; it was also the childhood home of Jesus. Needless to say, it is a popular pilgrimage site in Christianity. Regardless of whether you are religious or not though, Nazareth’s history is incredible and there are some notable (and wheelchair accessible) things to see in the city. I was only in Nazareth for a few hours, but it was plenty of time for me to fall in love with everything that the city offers.

Things to do in Nazareth

My journey to Nazareth started in the beautiful city of Haifa. Nazareth is only about a 30 minute drive from Haifa, assuming there is no traffic, so it’s not a bad drive at all. It’s also possible to do a day trip to Nazareth from the capital city of Jerusalem, since it is about 2 hours away. Or, take a Nazareth tour and get to know it even better. Everything in Israel is relatively close, unlike in the USA, so it is completely possible to see many different cities and attractions during your trip no matter where you are based.

The first stop in Nazareth for me was the Church of the Annunciation. This church is one of the most holy sites in Christianity, as it was built over Mary’s home and is where the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she would become pregnant with the Son of God. Nazareth has many different churches, but this is hands-down the most popular one.

 

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Church of the Annunciation

 

For wheelchair users traveling alone or on a Nazareth tour, there is an accessible entrance to the top level of the church. Ramps have been put into place for easier access. For the bottom area, where Mary’s grotto is located, I believe that it is not accessible. The church is definitely still worth a visit though because the inside of it is beautiful! There are mosaics and colorful artwork everywhere. I enjoyed just rolling around the top level and taking everything in. It was certainly surreal to be in this holy place.

 

church of the annunciation, nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

 church of the annunciation, nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

 church of the annunciation, nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

 church of the annunciation, nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

church of the annunciation, nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

 

Once I had admired the beauty of the church, we went outside to an elevator. The elevator is located near the accessible entrance to the church and it took us down to a courtyard area. There was a statue of Mary and a little souvenir shop, but my favorite thing about this outdoor area were all of the different paintings of Mary. Each country has a painting of their version of Mary on display here. So, for example, China’s Mary looks Chinese, and so on. It was really interesting to see every country’s representation of Mary and this was probably my favorite part of my visit to the Church of the Annunciation.

 

 nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

 nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

 nazareth, nazareth tour, things to do in Nazareth, things to do in Israel, wheelchair accessible

 

After seeing all of the different paintings of Mary, we went back up the elevator and made our way to the main street. The sidewalks were a little bumpy, but not too bad. We didn’t have to wander far until we found Caza Nova Restaurant. Our tour guide, Eli of Israel4All, said that this was a restaurant with great Israeli foods so we decided to try it out.

This restaurant is open air, but there were fans blowing luckily on this hot day in August. I started out by ordering a fresh pomegranate juice and it was perfect for quenching my thirst. We also ordered hummus with pita bread and falafel balls. This was my first time trying hummus and falafel in Israel and they didn’t disappoint at all. This was actually my first time ever trying falafel and I quickly became addicted. It was delicious! As you probably know, hummus is mashed up chickpeas with various spices and oils. Well, falafel is a more unhealthy version of hummus basically. It is deep fried chickpeas. You can find both hummus and falafel all over Israel, but I was very impressed with Caza Nova Restaurant. It isn’t a fine dining establishment, but it is a fantastic spot for a quick lunch at a reasonable price.

 

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Directly across the street from Caza Nova was an accessible souvenir shop. Of course, I had to stop in to buy myself, and family and friends, some mementos from the Holy Land. This shop had everything that I could imagine, and I ended up buying almost all of my souvenirs from this one store. They had olive wood Christmas ornaments, olive wood camels, jewelry, and much more. The shop owner was friendly and we were able to haggle for the best price. He was more than willing to work with us to find a good price. I would definitely suggest to not take the first price that you are told. If something is 100 shekels, tell them that you can give 60 or 70 shekels. Then they may come back with 80. By the end of my time in Israel, I felt like an expert at bargaining.

Upon exiting the souvenir shop, we went a bit further down the street and loaded into the van. We went for a short drive (about 5 minutes) to the final stop in our list of things to do in Nazareth : Mount Precipice. Mount Precipice is also known as Mount of Precipitation or Mount of the Leap of the Lord and this biblical site is where an angry mob of people attempted to throw Jesus off the cliffs and he then disappeared before their eyes.

 

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Mount Precipice

 

To get to the viewing area at Mount Precipice, there are paved paths and it is perfectly smooth for wheelchair users. To be such an old site, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of accessibility and didn’t have any problems. Once I got to the top, which is just a 5 minute stroll from the parking lot, I was in awe. There were sweeping views of the Jezreel Valley, Mount Tabor, and the city of Nazareth in the distance. I could have stayed up there admiring my surroundings all day. Israel has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

 

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Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay at the lookout point at Mount Precipice all day and it was the last of my things to do in Nazareth. It was time to leave. To only be in this city for a few hours left quite an impact on me and I truly enjoyed my visit. Whether you are looking to find more things to do in Israel during your stay, to see the biblical sites, or just want to have a nice day in one of Israel’s most historic cities, I am sure that Nazareth will draw you in just as it did me.

 

Check out my other wheelchair accessible guides to destinations in Israel:

Rolling in the Footsteps of Jesus in Northern Israel

8 Reasons Why I Absolutely Love Israel

Wheelchair Accessibility at Masda Desert Fortress & the Dead Sea in Israel

7 Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do In Jerusalem

Check Fodor’s Guide to Israel for additional travel tips and information.


*Thank you to the Israel Ministry of Tourism and Israel4All for making my trip to Nazareth possible. This post contains affiliate links. When you click on a link, I may receive a small compensation, which will help this blog grow into a better resource for disabled travelers. All opinions are authentic and my own.