The Western Wall, considered the most sacred site for prayer and religious and national gatherings, has a magnetic appeal for the Jewish people. Many tourists, visitors, and worshippers visit the site, which is one of the most popular and highly recommended attractions in Jerusalem.

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The Western Wall

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Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, is situated on a 45-acre campus comprising museums, exhibitions, monuments, sculptures, and memorial sites.

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Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center

Nature has made its way to the heart of Jerusalem with the opening of Gazelle Valley, just outside the city center in a 250-acre area between the neighborhoods of Katamon and Kiryat HaYovel.

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Open on Sat

Open on Saturday

Gazelle Valley Park

The Hansen House is a center dedicated to the world of design, media, and technology, offering permanent exhibitions alongside temporary exhibitions, a historical exhibition about the story of the house and its occupants. It incorporates augmented reality works, a cinema hall, a sound lab, an animation lab, and a variety of fascinating cultural events throughout the year.

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Partially Accessible

Hansen House

The Montefiore Windmill complex currently functions as an entertainment center. It includes the Jerusalem Wineries visitor center, which fits nicely into its magical and picturesque surroundings in the majestic Yemin Moshe neighborhood (which is also named after the philanthropist). In addition, you can enjoy a coffee and pastries truck, and drink your favorite drink at a spectacular vantage point that overlooks the old city's walls. 

Montefiore Windmill

Via Dolorosa in the old city is the path of Jesus from the place of his trial to his crucifixion place. It is called in the Christian tradition 'the way of agony'. 

The Via Dolorosa

The Southern Wall is, along with the <a title="Western Wall" href="/city/jerusalem/the-jerusalem-western-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Western Wall</a>, one of the remaining walls of the Old City dating back to the Second Temple expansion by King Herod during the era of Roman rule in Jerusalem.
In 1967, archaeologists shed new light on the significance of the Southern Wall when they uncovered the ancient staircase leading up to the gate, which was likely used by Jewish pilgrims, including Jesus of Nazareth, in ancient times to enter and exit the <a title="Temple Mount" href="/city/jerusalem/temple-mount/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Temple Mount</a> during holidays such as Passover and Sukkot.
According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad tied his horse to the wall before ascending to the Temple Mount for his ascension.
This discovery is considered one of the most important in the Old City, alongside that of the <a title="Western Wall Tunnels" href="/city/jerusalem/western-wall-tunnels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Western Wall tunnels</a>.

The Southern Wall

A beautiful church located at the birthplace of John the Baptist

Church of John the Baptist, Ein Karem 

The Jaffa Gate is one of the eight gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. The gate is located on the city's western side, and you can reach it by public transport or private car, which we recommend leaving in the Mamilla Boulevard parking lot or the Karta parking lot (which is closer).

Jaffa Gate

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Jerusalem's magnificent Pontifical Institute Notre Dame is a towering French cathedral and guest house located across from the Old City's New Gate. As the director of Notre Dame explains, the complex was built in the 1880's in order to increase the flow of pilgrims to Jerusalem, and was part of an area called the "French Compound".

The French "Notre Dame," which means "Our Lady," is a reference to the Virgin Mary, who is said to have been assumed into heaven in Jerusalem.

The structure was built on a 400-square-meter plot that was bought by the Count of Piellat, and combined classical and modernist architecture with a touch of eastern motifs thrown in for good measure. In 1893, five years after Notre Dame received its first pilgrims, the cornerstone for the chapel was laid. And in 1904, after 20 years of unceasing construction, the marvelous nave was completed and the outside of the church was crowned with a statue of the Virgin Mary. During the War of Independence the building sustained heavy damage; a part of it was destroyed by explosions and became a guard post.

However, even after the situation quieted down, the center could no longer cope with the prohibitive maintenance costs, and was eventually turned over to the Vatican. Pope John Paul VI took the project under his wing, and in the late 1970's, Notre Dame reopened as the Holy See's international pilgrim center.

These days, Notre Dame is mostly used as a boutique <a href="/city/jerusalem/notre-dame/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">guesthouse</a> for pilgrims, who often attend the daily mass at 6:30 pm.

Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center

Open Friday Night

Has Sukka

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Attractions With Free Entrance In Jerusalem

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This is a bustling complex near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, with colorful shops, restaurant, churches and various sites. Its boundaries are; the Christian Quarter Road from the west, the David Street from the south, the Butchers’ Market from the east, the Painters Market from the north, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The Roman forum, which was a huge courtyard that served as an urban market, used to be in this area. The compound continues to this day to serve, among others, for commercial uses.

During the crusader era, this place used to be the abode of the knights’ order named after John the Baptist (Saint John), or known as the “Hospitaller” order.

The Hospitallers established in this area two churches (Santa Maria Grande and Santa Maria Latina), and a large and advanced hospital for the benefit of the Christian pilgrims.

The origin of the name “Muristan” is an erroneous pronunciation of the word “Bimristan”, which means hospital in a Persian-Turkish dialect. Following the occupation of Jerusalem by Salah A-Din, his soldiers arrived at Jerusalem. Salah A-Din was a promising and successful army officer of Kurdish origins, who defeated the crusaders army. That’s when the area became known as “Bimaristan”, named after the crusader hospital located there. The name was erroneously converted to Arabic over the following years, and it remains till this day “Muristan”.

This area was deserted again over the following years, and remnants of buildings and garbage piles accumulated in it. Only by the end of the 19th century did a new awakening start in this wide compound. The Germans began their construction in the area, building the Lutheran Church of Redemption with its pointed tower, where the crusader church “Santa Maria Latina” used to be located. Remnants of the crusader church were integrated into the current structure.

The church was inaugurated in 1898 in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm the 2nd and his wife Augusta Victoria. Later on the Germans built additional buildings in the Muristan area: a school for boys and a center for the Lutheran church. On the 1st floor of the building which serves the Lutheran community and its leaders, they used the crusader cloister (a courtyard surrounded by arches), built by the order of the Knights of Saint John.

The remaining plot was later sold on to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which established a touristic market that replaced what used to be the crusader church “Santa Maria Grande”. The market was inaugurated in 1903. The entrepreneur of the project was Archimandrite Avtimus, and the Bazaar is named after him to this day. At the center of the market there is a magnificent water fountain, which was built in honor of 25 years of the rule of the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid the 2nd. The fountain has recently been renovated, after decades of not operating, and next to it one can see two water troughs, which provided water to visitors in this area.

Muristan Market and Aftimos Market

This is one of the most beautiful and impressive gates among the gates of the wall, which was built during the times of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent from the 16th century. This is a central gate in the wall and it faces the north, towards Nablus and Damascus. In English it is named Damascus Gate, and in Arabic- “Bab El Amud” (“the gate of the pillar”), probably due to the pillar that stood at the center of the gate’s courtyard during the Roman-Byzantine era, as evident in the Madaba Map, which was discovered in Jordan. Turban-like decorations decorate the gate, and due to its importance, many observations points and guard towers were built there.

During the Roman era, a stone-paved courtyard was built here, and at its center stood the statue of the emperor. Two streets started from this courtyard, leading towards the south. To this day, two main streets split from Damascus Gate, preserving the Roman structure of this area: the right street is the Khan A- Zeit  or Beit Habad street, and the left street is El Wad Street- or Hagai. Both are commercial streets that cross the city from north to south.

Excavations conducted in this place after 1967 exposed under the Ottoman gate remnants of the Roman Square, as well as remnants of the Roman Gate. This was a magnificent gate with three arched openings. The central arch was twice as wide and tall than the two arches on both sides of it. The opening on the extreme left survived almost completely and was exposed in the excavations.

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Damascus Gate

This is one of the eight gates surrounding the old city of Jerusalem. This gate connects the Jewish quarter, the Armenian Quarter and Mount Zion, which contains sites that are sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike. 

Zion Gate

The Lion’s Gate is located near <a href="https://itraveljerusalem.com/attraction/mount-of-olives/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mount of Olives</a> and <a href="https://itraveljerusalem.com/attraction/via-dolorosa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Via Dolorosa</a>. This is one of the seven gates that were created in the wall of the old city, and the only one that is open towards the east. The gate was built as part of the wall of the old city during the 16th century by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. On both sides of the gate there are lion embossments. According to the legend, they were integrated into this structure following the dream of Sultan Suleiman, in which two lions were about to devour him, as a punishment for the situation of the holy city of Jerusalem, which was not protected at the time.
The sultan interpreted the dream as a sign from above, and ordered to surround the city with a wall. In fact, the embossments resemble cheetahs more than lions. Some say that they were taken from a more ancient building of the Mameluke ruler Baibars, whose symbol was a Cheetah.
Above the lion embossments there are additional decorations: flowers and arches are embossed between the embrasures, and above them an inscription that commemorates the construction of the city’s wall by Suleiman the Magnificent. On the upper part of the gate a terrace stands out, known as a “Mashikoli”. From this small terrace one can observe the outline of the wall, and possibly spill hot oil on intruders and unwanted guests. In the past it was a turn- gate, like Jaffa gate and others, which was meant to delay forces attempting to intrude into the city, but over the years it became a straight gate that enables the entrance of vehicles.
The gate has different names. In Arabic it is named “Bab Sitna Mariam”, due to the Christian site nearby, which indicates the location of the burial of Miriam, mother of Jesus, before she ascended to the sky. The Christians named the gate “Stephen’s Gate” after the first Martyr, the first tortured saint who died for his faith in Jesus. According to one of the traditions, Stephen was stoned next to this gate.
On Sunday of the first week prior to Easter, the Christians walk the path of Jesus, starting from the Mount of Olives. This is the “Palm Sunday”, in which processions of the faithful march from Mount Olives and continue via the Lion’s Gate to the old city.
In June 1967 the IDF paratroopers entered the city via this gate on their way to the Temple Mount, and after 19 years during which the old city was in the hands of the Jordanians, the Jewish settlement there was renewed. At the foot of the wall lies a Muslim cemetery, which was constructed in this place, adjacent to the Temple Mount that is sacred in the Muslim tradition, due to the Muslim belief in the Day of Judgement and the resurrection, that is to take place here.

Lion's Gate - Old City

The Temple Mount plaza is built on top of a hill which according to Jewish tradition, is identified as Mount Moriah - the most sacred place for the Jewish people, where the world was created and the binding of Isaac took place. According to Jewish law, this is the only place where the Temple can be built in the future. 

Not Accessible

The Temple Mount

The New Gate is one of the eight gates in the old city wall that joined the entire wall after the original construction. The gate was breached in 1889 with the consent of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid. It was made following the request of the European superpowers to connect the many Christian institutions built outside the wall with the Christian quarter. The gate's opening was evidence of the new trend of going outside the walls.

The New Gate

Teddy Park was established by the the Jerusalem Foundation at the foot of the Old City walls, across the street from Jaffa Gate. In the center of the park, which stretches over seven hectares, is Israel's only sound and light fountain. Watch beautiful synchronized water, sound and light shows which take place four times daily with 256 nozzles, 1,800 light fixtures and a recording of original music performed by the New Jerusalem Philharmonic.
The park also has a visitors' center which tells the story of the development of modern-day Jerusalem during Teddy Kollek's time as mayor in the city. Corner stones describing milestones of the mayor's life are erected along the pathways. There is also a wishing well made of Jerusalem stone, a sun dial, statues, a restored historic building and an aqueduct.
The park is accessible to people with disabilities, sight impairment and for strollers.

<h2 style="text-align: justify;">Park Hours</h2>
The park is open from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm daily, and the visitor's center is open Sunday-Thursday from 2:00-9:00 pm.

<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Show times</h3>
Daytime: 11:00 am, 13:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm (water only)
Nighttime: 8:00 pm, In the summer there is another show at 9:00 pm (lights, music and water)
Photo credit: Sasson Tiram care of the Jerusalem Foundation

Teddy Park  - Visitor Center, Sound and Light Fountain Shows

This is one of the eight gates of the Ottoman wall, built during the 16th century in the days of the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

In the beginning, this was just a narrow opening in the wall, later expanded under Jordanian rule between the years 1967-1948, in order to enable the entrance of vehicles. After the reunification of Jerusalem, this gate was further renovated.

The origin of the gate’s name is in the Book of Nehemiah, where the Dung Gate is mentioned as one of the city’s gates during the times of the Return to Zion (538 BCE). During that time the residents would remove the ashes and the dung from the Holy Temple via this gate, to dispose it in the Kidron Valley. Those who enter from the Dung Gate could see at their right the “Archeology Garden- the Davidson Center”, an impressive archeology site that presents the remnants of Jerusalem from different eras, especially from the times of the Second Temple.

Dozens of Mikvas were discovered in this place, as well as a paved street from the time of the Second Temple, an entrance gate to the Temple Mount, and remnants of four Muslim castles which were built next to the Temple Mount in the beginning of the 8th century, by the rulers of Umayyad Caliphate. On the Western side of the gate, inside the old city, next to the entrance of the “Archeology Garden- Davidson Center”, you can see the remnants of the Eastern Cardo, a street from the Roman era.

Above the ancient street there is a wall painting that depicts the street as it looked in the past. This painting is part of a project initiated by the Municipality of Jerusalem, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, and it was implemented by a group of artists- “The Creation City” from France. Outside of the gate stands the “City of David” site, with remnants from ancient Jerusalem, and also an observation point overlooking the graves of the Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives.

The Dung Gate

Those who grew up in the 1970s and ‘80s in Jerusalem fondly recall the Gilo Park as a sprawling assortment of wooden jungle gyms, slides, rickety bridges, rope ladders, and tire-tunnels - all set up in a forest among the pine trees, making it a veritable Never-Never Land for the under-10 crowd. The times and safety regulations have changed, however, and in recent years, the Municipality, deeming the park potentially dangerous, have done away with the old playground equipment, replacing it with modern installations.
There’s also a basketball court and a roller-blading path, and the slopes of the forest provide the more experienced mountain-biking crowd with some challenging routes. It seems that the only things that haven’t changed are the many picnic tables, and the trees, of course. But to be honest, although some 30-somethings may be struck by the feeling that they’ve been cheated out of a fundamental childhood memory, when they visit the park, their kids will never know the difference.

Gilo Park

Some Jerusalemites love it; others regard it as an outrageous eyesore. But there is no way you can remain oblivious to the massive edifice stretching across the western entrance to the city. The Chords Bridge accommodates one of the lines of Jerusalem’s light-rail project, has been the source of much controversy.
Many hailed the chance to bring world-renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava on board to create one of his iconic, ultra-modernist designs in the capital. At the same time, detractors of the project claimed that the monolithic structure simply did not fit in with its surroundings and was too conspicuous among Jerusalem’s older, smaller buildings. And indeed, the Chords Bridge is the tallest structure in Jerusalem, clearly visible from many parts of the capital. The suspension bridge consists of a 119-meter high angled central mast and a series of cables holding up the central section of a 360-meter long bridge.
Look for it as you’re coming in from Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem Chords Bridge

The Last Supper Room is located above King David's Tomb on Mount Zion and is considered one of the holiest places for Christianity since, according to Christian tradition, the Last Supper of Jesus was held here. 

The Cenacle, Room of the Last Supper

The Liberty Bell Park, one of Jerusalem’s largest, was created in 1976 in honor of the US bicentennial, and derives its name from the replica of Philadelphia’s famous Liberty Bell at its center. The park stretches from Emek Refaim in the German Colony to Jabotinsky Street and Keren Hayesod Street in Talbiyeh. It is across from the picturesque Yemin Moshe neighborhood, and only several minutes walk from many of the city’s luxury hotels including the Inbal – which overlooks the park – the King David, and Mamilla pedestrian mall.
Liberty Bell Park is a great spot for a picnic and contains plenty of facilities for both kids and adults. These include basketball courts, a roller-skating rink, playgrounds, a very climb-worthy dragon sculpture, and of course, the Train Theater, which stages puppet shows and other performances for children of all ages. Most importantly, Liberty Bell Park boasts plenty of grassy expanses and shade.
Next to the Liberty Park is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SkateparkJerusalem/">Jerusalem Skate Park</a> which has become a popular pace among teenagers and skateboard and roller blade lovers.

Liberty Bell Park

This is an impressive gate leading to the Temple Mount. The passage from this gate to the Temple Mount is open to Muslim worshippers and visitors only. The origin of the gate’s name is the chain dome in the Temple Mount.

The chain dome, Kubat A Silsila, is located above an open structure with ten sides, on the eastern side of the Dome of the Rock. The structure was apparently built during the 7th century. According to a Muslim legend, King David used to conduct just trials with a magical chain hung at the center of the dome. The accused would reach out in the attempt to snatch the chain, and succeeded in doing so only if he spoke the truth.

The double gate structure was built during the crusader era. In these days it was known as “The Magnificent Gate”. Following the conquest of Salah A Din, during the Ayyubid era, the crusader church was renovated.

The archeological excavations at the gate’s front uncovered remnants of a grand staircase dating back to the Roman era, as well as remnants of the main street which crossed Jerusalem during the Roman era from west to east, the “Decomanus”.

Next to the gate there is a sebil built during the times of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1537. The water trough of the sebil is actually a sarcophagus (a burial coffin made of stone) from the Roman times. On the upper part of the sebil there is an impressive rose embossment, and an arch with a zigzag decoration, which may have been taken from the ruins site and integrated into the sebil.

The Chain Gate

One of Jerusalem’s prime hangout spots for locals and tourists alike, Ben Yehuda Street is a pedestrian mall extending between King George Street and Jaffa Road in downtown Jerusalem. Commonly referred to as "The Midrechov" (a Hebrew portmanteau merging the words for "street" and "sidewalk"), Ben Yehuda has been closed to motorized traffic since 1983 – a trend that has since extended to several more streets in the surrounding area.
Ben Yehuda Street attracts a constant throng of tourists, who mill about the many gift shops and stop for falafel or ice cream in one of the small eateries lining the street. Entertainment abounds - often impromptu- as Ben Yehuda Street is often dotted with musicians and street performers, and during summer and holiday seasons, the municipality hosts festivals  live music festivals.
From souvenirs to shoes, meat bistros to frozen yogurt stands, Ben Yehuda Street is a must any Jerusalem visit.
Tip: See a list of the <a href="/saturday-tours/">municipality's free Saturday tours</a>, often on areas near the city center.
Photos by Noam Chen, courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism

Ben Yehuda Street

The picturesque Mishkenot Sha’ananim is part of the first neighborhood constructed outside the Old City walls.
Built along the pastoral top of a mountain overlooking the Old City walls in 1860, the historical area is popular among artists with venues for art and culture in the spirit of dialogue, cooperation and pluralism. There is also a guesthouse popular with artists and writers.
Mishkenot Sha’ananim houses the Jerusalem Music Center (JMC), an independent, nonprofit organization that offers top-notch concerts and facilitates enrichment programs dedicated to nurturing emerging Israeli talent.
<a href="/city/jerusalem/montefiore-windmill/">Read about the adjacent Yemin Moshe neighborhood and its historical windmill &gt;&gt;</a>
Photo by Vadim Mikhailov

Mishkenot Sha’ananim

One of the oldest sections of central Jerusalem, the Russian Compound includes the massive, striking Holy Trinity Church and several other buildings and courtyards. The compound, which is located off Jaffa Road just up from Zion Square, was constructed in the 1860's.
About 100 years ago, the Russian Compound served the needs of Russian pilgrims to the Holy Land, many of whom stayed in its hostels. That was good while it lasted; however, when World War I broke out, the Ottoman authorities expelled the Russians. Then, when the British captured the city, they used the area for various administrative offices.  After the State of Israel was established, the Israeli government bought most of the buildings from the Russian Patriarchate. Today the compound houses Jerusalem's district courthouse and the police headquarters, and the area is a happening restaurant and pub district.
Aside from the imposing-looking Russian church, another point of interest is the Underground Prisoners Museum, where British Mandate forces held captured members of the Jewish resistance in the years leading up to the 1948 War of Independence.

Russian Compound

The Flowers Gate, one of the gates in the walls of the old city, was built during the 16th century under the order of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. In the past, this was just a narrow opening, which was closed most of the time.

During the second half of the 19th century, the population started moving out of the walled city and building new neighborhoods outside of the walls. The Muslims started building private residential houses outside of the wall in this area. Following this trend, the gate was opened in 1875.

The name of the gate is related to the Muslim faith in the resurrection, which is supposed to take place on the opposite hill, where the Muslim cemetery is located. The gate used to be named “Bab A Sahira”, which means in Arabic “The Gate of the Dazed”, but over the years the name was changed to “Bab A Zahara”, which means The Flower Gate.

Some claim that the rose decorations carved around the gate are the origin of its name. during the crusader era, a church was built near this area, where Herod’s castle was located according to a local tradition. This tradition gave the gate its name, “Herod Gate”, and to this day, some know it by this name.

The Flowers Gate (Bab A Sahira)

The story of the Jewish Quarter is a story filled with vicissitudes, which spreads across many historical eras

The Jewish Quarter Site

Just a few minutes away from the city center of Jerusalem, the Park of Olives spreads over a beautiful landscape located in Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. Stroll along beautiful walking routes surrounded by the stunning sights of the Jerusalem Mountains, the Herodium, the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea.
One of the park's main landmarks is the environmental sculpture of the Olive Columns by artist Ran Morin. The sculpture consists of three columns, 11 meters each, with three olive trees on top of each column. Learn about the advanced irrigation technology which waters the olive trees on top of the sculpture. Get original local and independently produced olive oil. During the month of October, you will also be able to participate in Ramat Rachel's olive harvest – if you're interested, reserve your spots now! You can email your details to:  shivk@krr.co.il,  and get all the information you need!
The entrance is free and the site is open during all hours of the day, all days of the week, including weekends.

Park of Olives

Yvel is an international luxury jewelry brand that features a variety of expensive and unique natural resources in its designs. 

YVEL Design Center