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Neve Daniel
Israeli settlement in the West Bank

Neve Daniel

Neve Daniel is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

Plan a trip to Neve Daniel→From Tel Aviv

Located in western Gush Etzion south of Jerusalem and just west of Bethlehem, it sits atop one of the highest points in the area – close to 1,000 meters above sea level, and has a view of much of the Mediterranean coastal plain, as well as the mountains of Jordan. In 2024, it had a population of 2,418. It is organised as a community settlement and falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council.

Get in

Getting to Neve Daniel

Ben Gurion International Airport is Israel's main entry point for the international traveller. From the airport, the cheapest way to Efrat is to take the 485 bus to Jerusalem (see Jerusalem article), and then to take a local bus to Gush Etzion. If you have more money, then take a taxi from Jerusalem to Gush Etzion. If you have even more money, take a taxi directly from the airport to Gush Etzion.

See

Worth seeing

Herodium - a hill shaped like a truncated cone (758 m. above sea level) built as a fortress palace by King Herod the Great.

  1. 01
    Biyar
  2. 02
    Neve Daniel

    Neve Daniel is the highest point in the Gush Etzion area.

  3. 03
    Lone Oak Tree

    A 700-year-old oak tree next to the settlement of Alon Shevut.

  4. 04
    Bubble House

    A bizarre residential house where every room looks from the outside like a bubble or eyeball.

Do

Things to do

Natural Springs All around the area, many people enjoy the natural springs Gush Etzion has to offer. Most popular springs are the Palestinian village of Ein Sajma (near Bat Ayin) and En Chaniya (on the road from Gush Etzion to Jerusalem via Wallajeh road). For more information- ask the locals!

  1. 01
    Deer Land

    Contains various attractions such as a petting zoo, climbing walls, bungee trampoline, paintball, and Israel's longest zip line.

Eat

Where to eat

Gavna Restaurant In the forest near Bat Ayin, a dusty road (follow the signs) leads you to a nice wooden construction, built by two brothers from the nearby settlement. With an amazing panoramic view by day and a great atmosphere and music by night, this is a fantastic place (though quite expensive) to enjoy a good dinner. Efrat has a range of basic restaurants: There are a few places to eat.

How locals move

Getting around Neve Daniel the local way

  • Get inHitchhiking (described below) can be difficult if you have a suitcase.
  • Get inIf you prefer to hitchhike, take the 31 or 32 local buses to the trempiada (see below).
  • Get inIf you don't have a car, the fastest, cheapest and easiest travel option is hitchhiking, or in Israeli English, "to catch a tremp".
  • Get inThe main hitchhiking hub is in the southern exit from Jerusalem, a place called "Tzomet HaMinharot", or informally the trempiada.
  • Get inFrom here you can get another tremp to a specific settlement, although many Israelis consider it unsafe to hitchhike here (in the past, it has been the site of kidnappings and shootings by Palestinians).
  • Get inFrom Beit Shemesh, hitchhiking is easiest, but the 409 bus also runs several times a day.
  • Get aroundThe only exception is Efrat, which is very long and narrow, so hitchhiking or taking an (infrequent) bus may be more effective.
  • Get aroundHitchhiking (from within a settlement) is a safer and faster option.

From Wikivoyage: Gush Etzion, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-07.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.