Jerusalem Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This Jerusalem walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa, from Jaffa Gate and the citadel through the four quarters of the walled Old City to the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Garden of Gethsemane and the memorial at Yad Vashem. The Old City covers only about one square kilometre, but its lanes are steep and its holy sites have their own rules, so the notes below add routes, timing, dress codes, transport and the free sights worth knowing. For official visitor information, also check iTravelJerusalem, the official tourism site for Jerusalem.

Route 1, the western gate and the Jewish Quarter (stops 1 to 4). Start in the plaza outside Jaffa Gate, in the walls built by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, and play the videos as you pass through the arch. Visit the Tower of David citadel, a fortress whose ramparts and museum tell the city’s long history. Walk into the Jewish Quarter for Hurva Square, the white Hurva dome and the Cardo, the old Roman street, then take the steps down to the Western Wall plaza, the holiest place where Jews can pray.

Route 2, the Temple Mount and the Holy Sepulchre (stops 5 and 6). If the visitors’ ramp is open, climb from the Western Wall plaza to the platform that Muslims call the Haram al Sharif and Jews call the Temple Mount, and see the golden Dome of the Rock, completed in 691, and the facade of Al Aqsa from a respectful distance. Non-Muslim visiting hours are short and can change or be cancelled at little notice. Then walk through the lanes to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, shared by several Christian churches, with the Stone of Anointing and the rotunda over the tomb.

Route 3, Mount Zion and the eastern gate (stops 7 to 9). Walk south through the Armenian Quarter to Zion Gate and out onto Mount Zion, where a ground-floor hall has been honoured since the Middle Ages as King David’s Tomb, with the Cenacle, the traditional room of the Last Supper, upstairs. Walk back along the walls to Lions Gate, also called St Stephen’s Gate, and down into the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane, with its ancient olive trees and the Church of All Nations.

Route 4, Yad Vashem (stop 10). Finish your Jerusalem walking tour at Yad Vashem on the Mount of Remembrance, Israel’s memorial to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Ride the light rail to Mount Herzl and walk to the campus. The Holocaust History Museum, the Hall of Remembrance and the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations need at least three quiet hours.

For photos, the best free viewpoints on this Jerusalem walking tour are the rooftop lookouts in the Jewish Quarter facing the Dome of the Rock, the ramparts above Jaffa Gate, the path below Lions Gate looking back at the eastern wall and the slopes of the Mount of Olives above Gethsemane. Photography is not allowed at the Western Wall on Shabbat and holy days, and some holy places ask you not to take pictures inside.

With one day, walk Routes 1 and 2, the core free walking tour Jerusalem visitors can do on foot inside the walls. With two days, add Mount Zion, Gethsemane and a separate half day at Yad Vashem.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for a Jerusalem walking tour, with mild, sunny days. The city sits high in the hills, so summer days are hot but evenings are cooler, and winter can be cold and wet, with rare snow. Start early: the Old City lanes are quiet and cool in the first hours after sunrise, and the main sites are less crowded before tour groups arrive.

Opening times depend on religion and the calendar. On Friday afternoons and Saturdays, Shabbat closes many Jewish businesses and stops most public transport in the west of the city, while Friday is the Muslim day of prayer and Sunday morning is busy in the churches. The Temple Mount has limited, changeable visiting hours for non-Muslims, and Yad Vashem closes on Saturdays. Check official sites and current travel advice before you go.

The Old City is a pedestrian maze, so walking is the only way around inside the walls. The light rail runs along Jaffa Road past the City Hall stop near Jaffa Gate and out to Mount Herzl for Yad Vashem. Buses and taxis reach the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane, and taxis or ride-hailing cars are useful on Shabbat, when the light rail and most buses do not run.

The fast train from Ben Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv arrives at Jerusalem’s Yitzhak Navon station, near the central bus station, with a light rail connection to the city centre and the Old City. If you are staying near the Mount of Olives, start with Route 3 in reverse; every stop has its own Map button.

Modest dress is essential on this Jerusalem walking tour. Cover your shoulders and knees at every holy site, and carry a scarf. Men cover their heads at the Western Wall, where paper kippot are provided, and women may be asked to cover their hair at some sites. Speak quietly, avoid blocking worshippers, do not touch people who are praying, and follow the instructions of guards and religious staff.

Jerusalem’s markets are full of food. Try fresh hummus, falafel and ka’ak, the sesame bread sold in the Old City, sweet knafeh, and pastries and spices from Mahane Yehuda market in the new city. Many restaurants in the west of the city are kosher and close on Shabbat. Tipping is customary in restaurants, usually around ten to fifteen percent. Tap water is safe to drink, but carry plenty in summer.

Security checks are normal at the Western Wall, the Temple Mount ramp and Yad Vashem, so carry ID and leave large bags at your hotel. Follow official travel advice and the instructions of local authorities, and avoid demonstrations. Watch your bag in the crowded lanes and markets, wear shoes with good grip, because the old stone steps are polished and slippery, and drink water between stops.

Most sights on this Jerusalem walking tour are free. Jaffa Gate, the Jewish Quarter lanes, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, King David’s Tomb, the Cenacle, Lions Gate and the Garden of Gethsemane cost nothing to visit, and entry to Yad Vashem is free with a timed booking. You pay for the Tower of David museum and ramparts, and for some smaller museums and excavation sites in the Old City.

Children, students and seniors often get reduced prices at paid museums. Yad Vashem has guidelines on the age of children visiting the Holocaust History Museum, so read them before you take young children. Prices, rules and visiting hours change, so check the official sites before your Jerusalem walking tour.

Accessibility inside the walls takes planning. The Old City has many steps, steep slopes and polished stone, and the routes between the quarters are hard for wheelchairs. The Western Wall plaza has accessible routes, and parts of the Jewish Quarter have ramps and lifts. Yad Vashem is largely accessible, and the light rail is step-free. Ask each site about accessible entrances before you go.

The Old City is traditionally divided into four quarters, Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian, and the walk passes through all of them in a few hours. Notice how the signs, shops, food and sounds change as you cross from one quarter to the next, and listen for church bells and the call to prayer.

After this Jerusalem walking tour, carry on with more free walks: the Tel Aviv walking tour on the coast, the Istanbul walking tour, the Rome walking tour and the Athens walking tour. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.