This list of the best places to see in Jerusalem It will help you prepare a visit to the millenary Holy City, a place that we are safe, you will never forget.
To understand the enormous history that this city hides, founded in 1004 B.C. For King David, you have to tour the four neighborhoods of the Old City. It is exciting as you walk through its narrow streets to feel the prayers in churches and synagogues, smell the aromas of the Muslim neighborhood stalls and see places that will leave you speechless, whether or not you are a believer.
Based on the experience of the 5 days we spent in the city during our trip to Israel and Palestine for free, we have made this list of those we believe are the 10 essential places to visit in Jerusalem.
1. The Esplanade of the Mosques
The Esplanade of the Mosques or Temple Mount is one of the holiest places in the world and one of the most essential places to see in Israel.
For the Jews, this mountain is their most important place because God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. King David first and Solomon later built a large temple in this area to house the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred object of Judaism. This First Temple was destroyed and rebuilt shortly after giving rise to the Second Temple, of which only the Western Wall is preserved.
For Muslims this is the third most important sacred place of their religion as it is the place where the Prophet Muhammad went up to heaven in 621. At this point is the great rock of the ascent, protected by the spectacular building of the Dome of the Rock, one of the places to see in Jerusalem more beautiful. This temple next to the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built according to the Jews on the foundations of the First Temple, hence the origin of all problems.
To access the Esplanade of the Mosques you have to reach the door of Al-Mughradia, located to the right of the Western Wall in the Jewish quarter.
The schedules are quite restricted and tourists are only allowed from Sunday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
It is recommended to arrive about an hour in advance when long lines are formed in the exhaustive access controls. Keep in mind that the entrance to the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is prohibited to non-Muslims and you can not access the esplanade with religious symbolism or with shorts.
The Dome of the Rock
2. The Holy Sepulcher
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the most sacred buildings of Christianity and without a doubt, one of the most essential places to visit in Jerusalem since inside it is, according to the Gospels, the exact point where the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus took place.
With the dim light of the candles and the smell of incense, you should keep in mind that the visit inside the basilica is carried out at a slow pace, by the large number of people, especially in the sepulcher chapel.
In this chapel, where it is said that Christ's body rested after his crucifixion, long lines of devotees and tourists are formed that can reach 2 hours. An hour in which you can make the visit with fewer people is in the afternoon, shortly before closing.
Another of the places where more people are concentrated is in the Stone of the Anointing, where according to tradition, the body of Christ rested after the crucifixion.
Nor can you miss Mount Calvary that has the stone in which the cross was nailed in which Jesus died.
Keep in mind that the church is guarded by several branches of Christianity that have several secondary chapels that are worth visiting. One of the most famous is that of Saint Helena, a 12th-century Armenian church, with a beautiful mosaic on the floor. Another interesting chapel is that of José de Arimatea, belonging to the Syrian Orthodox Church.
In a place with as much history as Jerusalem it is almost obligatory to book this city tour with a guide in Spanish or this free tour of Jerusalem Free!, Which includes all the important places of the city such as the Holy Sepulcher.
Visiting hours: every day from 05h to 21h from April to September. From October to March it opens at 4h and closes at 19h.
The Holy Sepulcher, one of the places to see in Jerusalem
3. The Wailing Wall
The Western Wall is the most sacred place of Judaism and another of the most important places to see in Jerusalem. Actually, it was the western retaining wall and the only remnant that remains of the Second Temple or Temple of Jerusalem.
For religious reasons the Jews cannot enter the Temple Mount and since this piece of wall is the closest accessible point to the most sacred place on Earth, it was chosen for their prayers and ceremonies.
To access the Kotel square, where the wall is located, you must pass a security check and when you leave the control, if you want to approach the prayer area, you will have to cover your head with a hat or a disposable kippa that you can find at the entrance if you are a man or dress with demure clothes if you are a woman.
Keep in mind that in this place the area of men and women is separated.
If you want to see the wall at its best, we recommend you approach on a Friday afternoon, when the Jews gather there to await the arrival of the Sabbath, their holiest day. When the sunset begins the prayers of the most devout are joined with the songs and dances of the younger people forming a show that we assure you, you will never forget.
As a curiosity in Jerusalem you can also see the Little Wall, a piece of the Western Wall hidden in an alley next to the Iron Portal, in the Muslim quarter. In this piece located even closer to the Sancta Sanctórum, the holiest section of the Temple of Jerusalem, you will find much less people than in the western wall.
The wall of lamentations
Our recommended hotel in JerusalemOur recommended accommodation in Jerusalem is the Abraham Hostel, located near the Mahane Yehuda Market and a 20-minute walk from the historic center. If you do not want to walk downtown you can use the tram that stops in front of the hostel. It also has a good buffet breakfast, communal areas for drinks and a very friendly staff.
4. The Mount of Olives, one of the places to see in Jerusalem
The Mount of Olives, located on the outskirts of the Old City, is another of the holiest places to visit in Jerusalem in which on a hill full of olive trees, are the Gardens of Gethsemane where Jesus usually prayed and was arrested by Roman soldiers.
In addition, in a large area of the mountain there is a Jewish cemetery with more than 150,000 graves where Jews wish to be buried because it is here the place where, according to the Book of Zechariah, God will begin to redeem the dead at the end of time . If you reach the top of the mountain you will enjoy a fantastic panorama of the Holy City.
While you go down or up the Mount of Olives you can visit several important churches such as Gethsemane, where the stone is located where Jesus prayed the night of his arrest and the Church of the Sepulcher of Mary, where the body of Mary was placed .
Other interesting places on the mountain are the Pater Noster, Santa María Magdalena and Dominus Flevit churches, the Ascension Chapel, the Tomb of the Virgin Mary and the Tomb of the Prophets.
You can finish the route at the foot of the mountain with a walk through the Kidran Valley, mentioned in the Bible as the valley of blessings, in which you will see three ancient tombs.
A good option to know the whole history of this place is to book this tour of the Mount of Olives with a guide in Spanish.
Views of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
5. The painful way
One of the best things to do in Jerusalem It is to travel the Via Dolorosa, following the last path of Jesus. During this route you will pass through the 14 points or stations that had a special meaning in the journey that Christ made, carrying the Cross, until his crucifixion.
The different stations are marked with an iron panel and in some of the points small chapels and churches were built to commemorate the historical moment.
The itinerary of the painful route begins in the Praetorium with the first two stations located in the place where Jesus was interrogated and condemned, by the Roman Pontius Pilate. In the following seven seasons, events such as the three falls of Christ with the Cross are commemorated, the encounter with his mother, the help that Simón el Cirineo gives him, the moment a woman cleanses his face and the encounter with the pious women.
The last five stations are all inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the places to see in Jerusalem, which we talked about earlier. Here you can see the places where Jesus was stripped of his garments, where he was nailed to the cross, where he died, where he was taken down and where he was buried.
Even if you are not a believer, investing one morning in making this path, which is kept as faithful as possible to the original layout, seeing pilgrims follow Christ's steps with great devotion, we consider it one of the most unforgettable places to see in Jerusalem.
The Via Dolorosa, one of the places to see in Jerusalem
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Jerusalem by travelers:
- Excursion to Bethlehem and Jericho
- Excursion to Masada and the Dead Sea
- Full guided tour of Jerusalem
- Excursion to Nazareth, Tiberias and Galilee
- Free tour of Jerusalem Free!- Many more excursions and tours here
6. Muslim Quarter
Of the four neighborhoods of Jerusalem, the Muslim Quarter is our favorite and another of the must-see places in Jerusalem. Located in the northeast of the Old City, it is the largest, most populous and most atmospheric neighborhood in the city. Getting lost in its narrow streets full of small bazaars, smelling of species, feeling the noise of bargaining and calls to prayer as well as tasting the rich Arabic food such as falafel, we assure you that it is a real pleasure for the senses.
To access the neighborhood you can enter through the Puerta de los Leones, Damascus or Herod's to visit several important Christian points such as 7 of the Via Crucis stations, the Church of Santa Ana and the Bethesda pool.
There are also important Jewish places such as the Little Wall, the cave of Zedekiah and the Kotel tunnel.
Muslim Quarter, one of the places to visit in Jerusalem
7. The gates and wall of the Old City
To enter the old walled city of Jerusalem you must cross one of the 7 magnificent gates that surround the city. There are actually 8, although the Gate of Mercy, the oldest of all and that allowed direct access to the Esplanade of the Mosques, was sealed by Muslims knowing that according to Jewish tradition, the Messiah would cross there when he will return .
The Jaffa Gate, located next to the Tower of David, is the most used to enter the Old City, especially by tourists. Keep in mind that near this door the north and south routes begin, which are a walk above the walls that will allow you to reach other doors and enjoy incredible views of the Old City.
The walk in the north will take you through the Christian and Muslim neighborhoods, while in the south you will pass over the Armenian and Jewish neighborhoods. From the Tower of David, an old citadel in the Armenian Quarter, there are also fantastic views of the Old City and the Dome of the Rock.
After touring the wall and seeing several doors such as Dung, Sion, Lions, Herod and New, we recommend you stay at Damascus Gate, the most important in the city and another of the places to visit in Jerusalem more beautiful in which in addition, a market with a lot of charm is mounted.
Damascus Gate
8. Cenacle and Tomb of David
In an old building on Mount Zion, located outside the walls of the old city, there are two of the most interesting places to see in Jerusalem: the Cenacle and the Tomb of David.
The Cenacle, which was the place where Jesus celebrated the last supper with the apostles, according to the New Testament is the most visited place, although on the ground floor of the same building, is the Tomb of David, revered as king and prophet by the Jews, Christians and Muslims, we recommend you not to get lost.
Keep in mind that both this and the rest of places to see in Jerusalem that we recommend, there is no scientific data to verify that they are the exact place of the great events or that they really existed.
Cenacle
9. Jewish Quarter
The Jewish Quarter that borders Armenian and Muslim neighborhoods, is another of the places to visit in Jerusalem more essential During a tour of the pedestrian streets of the neighborhood you will find numerous synagogues and study centers of the Torah and the Talmud as well as old synagogues such as the Caraite and the four Sephardic synagogues. Also in this neighborhood you can see the ancient Roman Thistle of which several rows of columns, arches and mosaic bathrooms are preserved that we recommend you not to lose yourself next to other places of interest in the neighborhood such as the Burned House, the Nea Church of the year 543 and the Wohl Archaeological Museum.
An experience that we recommend in this area is the walk along the rooftops of Jerusalem, from where you will enjoy incredible views of the city and the Dome of the Rock. The climb ladder is hidden between Habad St. and St. Mark's streets.
Jewish Quarter
10. The Garden Tomb
One of the places that impressed us the most and that we place it among the best places to see in Jerusalem, is the less known Garden Tomb. Located outside the walls of the Old City, in a small cave, this tomb is believed to be that of Jesus of Nazareth considering that archaeologists have more than 20 tests that this tomb of the first century was the true one and not that of the Holy sepulchre.
Some of the evidence for this assumption are its location on Mount Moria, outside the walls, and a rock found a few meters in the shape of a skull.
For this reason, the tomb, guarded by Anglican and Protestant Christians, has become a place of pilgrimage. To us the visit coincided with a Nigerian group that was singing and became an unforgettable moment.
The Garden Tomb
How to get to Jerusalem
The closest airport to Jerusalem, if you don't want to cross the border with Jordan, is Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv. To get from the airport to your hotel you can book a private transport, take the bus 485 or the train, rent a car or get on a sherut, which are shared vans.
If you are staying in Tel Aviv and have little time you can book this excursion to Jerusalem or this excursion that includes Bethlehem, both with a guide in Spanish.
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to see in Jerusalem, add yours in the comments.
