Understanding the Lay of the Land
East Jerusalem is the portion of the city east of the Green Line, and it includes the Old City along with sites of major religious significance to Muslims, Christians, and Jews. For a visitor, the practical reality is that most of what you will want to see sits close to the Old City, and the transport network is built around that fact. Getting around is easiest on foot in the core, with buses and a light rail line covering the places that lie farther out.
One thing worth knowing before you plan your movements: the city has separate but overlapping Jewish and Arab bus networks, and the central bus stations for Arab urban and intercity services sit just north of the Old City. Understanding which network serves your destination will save you time.
Getting Around on Foot
Walking is the most practical way to explore East Jerusalem. Most sights within East Jerusalem are close to the Old City, which makes them easy to reach on foot. Close to the Old City, the streets are limited and crowded, so walking is genuinely your best option rather than a fallback.
One notable exception is the Mount of Olives, which is quite steep. If you are visiting it, consider taking a very short cab ride to the top to save yourself the climb, particularly in hot weather. Cabs are generally easy to flag down near the Old City, so you can combine a short ride up with a walk back down.
Light Rail
Coming from West Jerusalem, the light rail enters East Jerusalem and stops first at Damascus Gate, right next to the Old City. From there it turns north, paralleling the boundary between East and West Jerusalem, before continuing north into additional East Jerusalem neighborhoods.
Depending on what you want to see, several stops are worth knowing:
- City Hall — the last stop in West Jerusalem and the closest stop to Mount Zion and the City of David.
- Damascus Gate — near the transportation hub of East Jerusalem outside the Damascus Gate. Use this stop for the Garden Tomb and the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum.
- Shivtei Israel — for the Tombs of the Kings and several hotels, including the Grand Court and the American Colony.
- Ammunition Hill (Giv'at Hatahmoshet) — for the Ammunition Hill Memorial Site, the Dan Jerusalem Hotel, and bus 84 to the Mount of Olives.
Buses
East Jerusalem has three central stations for Arab urban and intercity buses. All are close to each other, just north of the Old City. Listed in geographical order, from west to east:
- HaNeviim station — buses to Bethlehem, Hebron, and southern Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem. It is adjacent to the Damascus Gate light rail station.
- Nablus Road station — buses to Ramallah and northern Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
- Sultan Suleiman station — buses to Bethany, Jericho, and eastern Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
The stations are named after the street they are on. If you are asking for directions, it may be more useful to tell people your bus destination rather than the station name. Shared taxis to Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron also leave from here.
If you are coming from West Jerusalem, bus lines 1 and 3 leave from the central bus station on Jaffa Street and circle around the Old City, with stops near the Old City gates and major sites of East Jerusalem in the vicinity of the Old City. Bus number 84 leaves from the Ammunition Hill light rail stop and will take you to the top of the Mount of Olives.
For the few East Jerusalem sites that are far from the Old City, buses are the main option, alongside the light rail line. Remember that the Jewish and Arab networks are separate but overlapping, so check which one serves your destination.
Taxis and Shared Taxis
Taxis are a convenient option for short hops, especially where walking is impractical. As noted above, it should be easy to flag down a cab near the Old City, and a short cab ride to the top of the Mount of Olives is a sensible way to avoid the steep climb.
Shared taxis are another option for longer trips. Shared taxis to Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Hebron leave from the area around the three central Arab bus stations just north of the Old City.
Getting In from the Airport
The source material for this guide does not describe airport connections into East Jerusalem, so no specific airport transfer advice can be given here. What can be said is that once you arrive in the city, the practical entry points for East Jerusalem are the light rail from West Jerusalem, which stops first at Damascus Gate next to the Old City, and the bus lines from the central bus station on Jaffa Street, which circle the Old City. From those arrival points, most of East Jerusalem's sights are within walking distance or a short cab ride.
Practical Tips
- Base yourself near the Old City if you want to walk to most sights.
- Use the light rail for connections between West Jerusalem and the eastern neighborhoods, and for reaching stops like Shivtei Israel and Ammunition Hill.
- For intercity travel to Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, Bethany, or Jericho, head to the three central Arab bus stations just north of the Old City.
- When asking for directions, name your destination rather than the bus station, since the stations are named after their streets.
- For the Mount of Olives, consider a short cab ride up and walk down at your own pace.
- Be aware that the Jewish and Arab bus networks are separate but overlapping, so confirm which network serves your route.