Jerusalem is the most contested and most sacred city on earth — holy to three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), the site of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Dome of the Rock. The Old City (UNESCO World Heritage) is divided into four quarters (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Armenian) within 16th-century Ottoman walls. The scale of history here is impossible to fully absorb: 3,000 years of recorded history, dozens of civilizations, and the most disputed few hundred metres of land on the planet. Three days here will change how you understand the world.
The Western Wall (Kotel, "Wailing Wall") is the most sacred site in Judaism — the last remaining portion of the retaining wall of the Second Temple (built by Herod the Great, 19 BC, destroyed by Rome in 70 AD). At dawn (before the tourist crowds and the men in business suits arrive for morning prayer), the Wall has extraordinary atmosphere: the large stones, the prayer notes stuffed between them, and the muezzin calls from the adjacent mosques.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Temple Mount (for Jews, the site of the First and Second Temple — the holiest site in Judaism) / Haram al-Sharif (for Muslims, the third holiest site in Islam) is the most contested 14 hectares on earth. Non-Muslims can visit in the morning (7:30–11:00am, separate entrance from the Western Wall plaza). The Dome of the Rock (691 AD, the magnificent gold dome and blue tilework) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are the defining images of Jerusalem.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Muslim Quarter souk (covered market, continuous since the medieval period) — the smell of spices, the vendors of dried fruits and za'atar, the goldsmith street, the fabric merchants. The souks connect the Damascus Gate (the finest Ottoman gate in the Old City walls) to the Temple Mount entrance. More active and less touristy than the Christian Quarter.
The Armenian Quarter (the smallest of the four) is the home of the Jerusalem Armenian community (established since the 5th century) — the Cathedral of Saint James (12th century Crusader, with Armenian additions, hung with oil lamps like a cave of light) and the Armenian Museum (documenting the 1915 Armenian Genocide with one of the finest collections outside Yerevan).
The best hummus in Jerusalem (many say the best in the world) is at Abu Shukri in the Muslim Quarter (Al-Wad Street) — the hummus is warm, fresh-ground, drizzled with olive oil, topped with whole chickpeas, and served with pita fresh from the oven. At ILS 30 for a plate that is a full meal.
The Old City walls lit at night — the Jaffa Gate area has restaurants and the view from the Jewish Quarter rooftops (particularly the Rooftop Restaurant on Plugat HaKotel Street) over the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock is the most extraordinary night view in the world.
The Via Dolorosa (Latin for "Way of Grief") is the route through Jerusalem that Jesus walked to his crucifixion — 14 Stations of the Cross marked through the Muslim and Christian Quarters, from the site of Pilate's praetorium (now the Umariyya school) to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Walk it early to avoid the crowds of pilgrimage groups.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Church of the Holy Sepulchre (built 326 AD by Constantine I over the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial) is the most sacred site in Christianity — 6 Christian denominations share the church in an arrangement (the Status Quo) established in 1853, with territorial disputes still requiring Ottoman-era regulations. The Golgotha (the rock of the Crucifixion), the Stone of Unction, and the Edicule (the Tomb) are the three key sites inside.
The best falafel in Jerusalem (Moshiko on the Ben Yehuda pedestrian street) or a sabich (fried aubergine, hard-boiled egg, hummus, tahini, Israeli salad and mango pickle in a pita) at any of the Jewish Quarter stalls. The sabich was invented by Iraqi Jewish immigrants in Israel and is the finest street sandwich in the Middle East.
The Jewish Quarter was reconstructed after 1967 (it was largely destroyed in 1948) and has the finest archaeological excavations in the Old City: the Cardo (the Roman main street of 135 AD Aelia Capitolina, partially re-exposed and used as a shopping street), the Broad Wall (8th century BC Israelite defensive wall), and the Hurva Synagogue (19th century, destroyed 1948, rebuilt 2010 in the original dome style).
Machane Yehuda (the Shuk) is Jerusalem's main market — during the day it is a produce market of vegetables, olives, dried fruits, meats and cheeses; in the evening (Thursday and Friday especially) it transforms into a restaurant and bar district with the market stalls replaced by tables. The evening at Machane Yehuda is the most vibrant in Jerusalem.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe restaurants opening from the Shuk market stalls in the evening serve the most creative Israeli cuisine in Jerusalem — the fish dishes, the lamb from the Negev, and the mezze of hummus, tahini, labneh (yoghurt cheese), and roasted vegetables with the finest Israeli olive oil.
Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority) is the world's most important Holocaust memorial and documentation centre. The Holocaust History Museum (architect Moshe Safdie, 2005) is a triangular prism of concrete and steel, 180m long, cut through the Jerusalem bedrock — the 10 underground chambers document the Holocaust chronologically and emerge from the mountain into a panorama of the Jerusalem hills. A profoundly affecting 3-hour experience.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Mount of Olives is the ridge east of the Old City across the Kidron Valley — from the summit (where the Jewish cemetery, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Chapel of the Ascension are) the panoramic view of the Old City with the Dome of the Rock is the most photographed view of Jerusalem. The palm-lined path down to the Garden of Gethsemane passes through 3,000 years of sacred history.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Garden of Gethsemane (olive grove where Jesus prayed before his arrest) has olive trees that may be 1,000 years old — among the oldest living things in the Middle East. The Basilica of the Agony (1924, with Byzantine mosaic facade) is built over the rock where Jesus prayed.
The finest Israeli meal available: labane (strained yoghurt), muhammara (red pepper and walnut paste), shakshuka (eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce), lamb chops from the Negev, and a bottle of Israeli wine (Golan Heights Winery Yarden or Domaine du Castel) — the best Israeli wine labels at a Jerusalem wine restaurant.
The Old City Ramparts Walk (ILS 20) allows walking on top of the Ottoman walls (1538, Suleiman the Magnificent) between the Jaffa Gate and the Lions Gate. At night, with the city lit below and the golden Dome of the Rock visible, it is the finest walk in Jerusalem.