Planning a Multi-Day Jerusalem Itinerary
Travel advisory: the security situation in Israel and the West Bank can shift quickly, and advisories from different governments don’t always match. Check your own government’s current advice, such as the US State Department or UK FCDO , before booking several days here, and check again close to your travel dates.
There’s no bundled multi-day pass covering Jerusalem’s sights and transit - you’re buying tickets individually and paying per Light Rail or bus ride with a Rav-Kav card. What makes multi-day planning here different from most cities is that one day a week, the city partly shuts down for Shabbat, so the itinerary has to work around that rather than through it.
Day 1: Old City on foot
Start at the Western Wall Plaza, free and open 24/7, modest dress required, with separate men’s and women’s prayer sections. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is also free, open roughly 05:00-20:45 in summer. If your timing allows, Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif is free for non-Muslim visitors via the Mughrabi Bridge, Sunday through Thursday only, in two short windows (roughly 07:30-11:00 and 13:30-14:30 in summer) - non-Muslims cannot enter the Dome of the Rock or Al-Aqsa Mosque interiors. Add the Old City Ramparts Walk (25 ILS adult, closed Saturdays) and finish at Mahane Yehuda Market for dinner.
Day 2: Museums and archaeology
The Dead Sea Scrolls sit in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum (54 ILS adult). City of David (around 65 ILS adult) includes Hezekiah’s Tunnel, a First Temple-period water channel from roughly 701 BCE - water shoes and a flashlight required, and it’s closed Saturdays with advance booking needed. Tower of David Museum runs 55 ILS for the museum, 69 ILS for the Night Experience, or 108 ILS combined; check current pricing at tod.org.il since it has changed more than once this year.
Day 3: A day trip
Masada, about 1.5 hours out via Route 1, charges 37 ILS adult / 21 ILS child / 31 ILS student for entrance on foot, with the cable car a separate 54 ILS round trip adult - the two fees add up to roughly 91 ILS for an adult, not one flat combined price. Bethlehem is a 30-minute crossing via Checkpoint 300 on Bus 231 (7-9 ILS each way); carry a passport for re-entry into Jerusalem. To book a full-day Masada and Dead Sea trip, check Viator’s listings or browse GetYourGuide .
Fitting Shabbat into a longer stay
From roughly one to two hours before Friday sunset until about an hour after Saturday sunset, the Light Rail and Egged buses stop running and most museums close. If your multi-day trip spans a weekend, put a Saturday walking day - Old City or Mount of Olives - into the plan rather than anything ticketed or bus-dependent.
For single-day versions of these trips, see day trips from Jerusalem , or start from a set 3-day itinerary .