Walk the Walls and Enter the Holiest Sites
Stand at the Jaffa Gate and look inward. The narrow streets of the Old City fan out before you, dense with stone and centuries. The Temple Mount dominates the skyline—its Dome of the Rock gleaming gold and blue above the surrounding quarters. This 0.9 km² core holds sites of seminal religious significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, each layered into the same ancient ground.
Begin with the Ramparts Walk, which lets you circle the Old City atop its Ottoman-era walls. Two routes give you different perspectives: the northern route traces the Christian and Muslim quarters from inside the Jaffa Gate; the southern route circles the Armenian and Jewish quarters from outside. From above, you see how the four quarters tessellate within those stone boundaries, and the city spreads far beyond them.
Then descend into the sites themselves. The Western Wall is a retaining wall built 2,000 years ago on the Temple Mount's edge—the closest Jews can approach the ancient Temple's location. Watch people tuck folded notes into the cracks between stones, a 400-year-old practice of placing prayers where the Temple once stood. Nearby, the Western Wall Tunnels tour moves through underground chambers beneath the wall; the guides explain the layout of the First and Second Temples and how later construction of the Dome of the Rock reflects layer upon layer of religious claim and rebuilding.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre sits at the end of the Via Dolorosa in the Christian Quarter—the holiest site for Christians worldwide, marking the traditional place of crucifixion and resurrection. Arrive early to avoid the hours-long queues. Along the Via Dolorosa itself, stop at Bethesda (a Crusader church with Roman excavations), the Franciscan Archaeological Museum, and Les Seurs de Sion Monastery to see its underground Roman Street.
The Temple Mount itself—called the Noble Sanctuary in Islamic tradition—is crowned by the Dome of the Rock and contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque (The Far Mosque), from which Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Please note that some sites bar members of other religions from certain areas or from praying on the grounds.
Archaeology and Excavation: Walking Through Millennia
Beyond the current walls, East Jerusalem holds the City of David, an archaeological site on the south-east corner marking settlement from the time of King David. Descend into Hezekiah's Tunnel, carved by the Biblical King Hezekiah to bring water into the city from a nearby spring. The tour lasts around two hours: after an introduction to the site, you wade ankle-deep through the 25-minute water channel itself, torch in hand, following the path ancient Jerusalemites carved for survival.
The Jewish Quarter, completely rebuilt in 1969 after Israeli control in the 1967 war, still preserves ancient remains: Hezekiah's Wall (700 BCE), the Burnt House (70 CE), and the Cardo, a 6th-century Byzantine colonnade. The Davidson Centre (the Ophel) sits as an adjacent archaeological park. Inside the quarter, the Hurba Synagogue is the largest in the Old City, and the Herodian Quarter museum displays what the name promises—remains and artifacts from the Herodian period.
Just outside the Damascus Gate (the most elaborate of the Old City gates) lies the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, dedicated to archaeological finds across the Holy Land and opened in 1938. It now operates as a branch of the Israel Museum.
Mountains of Faith: Mount of Olives and Mount Zion
The Mount of Olives offers probably the best view of the Old City from the outside—a vantage point worth the climb. The site itself contains numerous monuments: the Kidron Valley Monuments, Maria's Tomb, the Ascension Chapel (marking where Christians believe Jesus ascended to Heaven), Domini Flevit Church, the Church of All Nations, the Tombs of the Prophets, a Jewish Cemetery, the Pater Noster Church, and the Muscoviya. Christians hold that Jesus will return here during the End Times.
Mount Zion, a separate hill to the south, clusters several religious sites: the Hagia Maria Sion Abbey (Dormition Church), Schindler's Tomb, the Chamber of the Holocaust (Martef HaShoah), David's Tomb, and the Room of the Last Supper. The Garden Tomb on Nablus Road in East Jerusalem sits in a lush garden—a quieter alternative to the crowded Church of the Holy Sepulchre—marking what many believe is Calvary and Jesus's tomb. Visit in the afternoons, when it is open.
Museums: Texts, History, and Testimony
The Israel Museum, the largest and most famous in Israel, houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Aleppo Codex—historic treasures that anchor Jewish and broader Middle Eastern history. The Bible Lands Museum, next door, provides detailed context on the ancient societies that surrounded Jerusalem.
The Tower of David (Citadel) stands at the Jaffa Gate as a museum of Jerusalem's own history. Each chamber and room of the citadel becomes an exhibition space devoted to a specific period, arranged chronologically so you move through the city's repeated destruction, siege, capture, and rebuilding. At night, the museum screens a spectacular sound-and-light show on the citadel's exterior (pre-order required) telling that same layered story in a different medium.
Yad Vashem is Israel's Holocaust museum—a necessary, sobering counterpoint to the ancient and religious monuments that dominate the city's geography. The Museum For Islamic Art includes ancient clocks and other exhibitions. The Rockefeller Museum, noted above, specializes in archaeological finds. The Friends of Zion Museum, located in the city center, tells the stories of non-Jewish supporters of Jewish statehood.
Markets, Neighbourhoods, and the Living City
Mahane Yehuda is the main outdoor market of West Jerusalem—large, loud, and labyrinthine, with hundreds of stalls selling fresh produce, pastries, spices, and salads. Sunday through Thursday it runs 08:00–20:00; Friday 08:00–15:00; closed on Shabbat. Locals and tourists blend together here, and it is the place for both bargains and genuine insight into traditional Israeli food culture. After the market stalls close in the evening, bars and restaurants open, and the market becomes a night-life destination.
The Damascus Gate, the most elaborate of the Old City's gates, borders a vegetable market and stands near Jaafar, a renowned Jerusalem sweets store. Just outside the gate you will find both the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum and the Garden Tomb.
Mishkenot Sha'ananim was the first modern neighbourhood built outside the Old City walls. It remains a beautiful cluster of small cobbled streets, offering a different texture from both the dense Old City and the sprawl of modern West Jerusalem.
Mount Herzl, in West Jerusalem, is the burial place of Theodor Herzl and four Israeli prime ministers, with a museum about Herzl's life; national ceremonies are held here. The Biblical Zoo is also in West Jerusalem. For a taste of Ultra-Orthodox life, wander the Mea Shearim neighbourhood in respectful attire, or, if you are male and interested, visit the Belzer Rebbe's tish (communal meal) on Friday night in Charedi Jerusalem.
Start with the Ramparts Walk to orient yourself, then commit a full day to the Old City's quarters and religious sites. Set aside time for the City of David tunnels and the museum cluster around the Israel Museum. The city rewards slow walking and multiple visits—each neighbourhood and excavation reveals a different layer of the story. Begin planning your trip now, and allow at least three full days to move through Jerusalem without rushing.