Jerusalem on a Budget: Prices and Free Days
Jerusalem’s Biggest Sights Are Also Its Free Ones
The Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Yad Vashem, three of the most-visited sites in the city, charge nothing to enter. Add the Old City’s four quarters, walkable end to end, and a realistic daily budget for the sights alone runs close to zero. Where the money actually goes is food, transit and the two or three paid extras worth booking. Check your government’s travel advisory before booking, as the regional security situation can shift; treat it as one planning step, not a reason to skip what follows.
Key Facts: Price, Hours, Booking Lead
| Site | Price | Hours | Booking lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Wall Plaza | Free | 24 hours | None |
| Church of the Holy Sepulchre | Free | Roughly 5am-8:45pm summer, 4am-7pm winter | None |
| Temple Mount esplanade | Free | Sun-Thu, two short windows (verify same day) | None, arrive early |
| Yad Vashem | Free | Sun/Wed 9-4, Tue 9-2, Mon/Thu 9-7, Fri 9-1, closed Sat | Timed slot, small non-refundable fee |
| Israel Museum | ~54 ILS ($17) | Varies by day, late Tue opening | Recommended online |
| City of David | 65 ILS/$21 adult, 10 ILS child | Daily, hours vary | Recommended, fills weekends |
| Western Wall Tunnels | ~45-50 ILS ($15-16) | Sun-Thu to 5pm, Fri to 2pm, closed Sat | Required, especially weekends |
| Mahane Yehuda Market | Free to browse | Sun-Thu 8am-7pm, Fri to ~3pm, closed Sat day | None |
What a Day in Jerusalem Actually Costs
Sticking to the free sights, meals are the whole budget: a hummus plate with pita runs 20-35 ILS ($6-11) and covers lunch on its own; a casual sit-down dinner main is 45-75 ILS ($15-24). That puts a no-ticket day at roughly 100-150 ILS ($33-50) for food plus a short bus or light rail ride at 5.90 ILS (about $2). Add one paid extra, the Israel Museum, the City of David or the Western Wall Tunnels, and the day jumps to 200-350 ILS ($65-115). Across a full trip, that averages to roughly 250-350 ILS ($80-115) a day per person outside accommodation.
The Old City, in Brief
The Old City’s four quarters , Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Muslim, sit inside 16th-century walls small enough to walk in under an hour. The Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif and Dome of the Rock sit above the Western Wall, with strict visiting rules for non-Muslims covered on that page separately.
Is Jerusalem an Expensive City to Visit?
Not for sightseeing. The Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Yad Vashem, the three most significant sites in the city, are free, and the Old City itself costs nothing to walk. Accommodation and the paid extras above are where a Jerusalem budget actually gets spent, not admission tickets.
Do the Free Sights Close on Shabbat?
Some do. Yad Vashem and the Israel Museum close Saturdays; the Western Wall Plaza and the Old City’s Christian and Muslim Quarters stay open regardless, since Shabbat closures apply mainly to Jewish-run West Jerusalem. Light rail and buses also stop from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, so plan Old City walking, not transit-dependent sights, for that window.
Book a City of David and Western Wall Tunnels ticket on Viator ahead of a weekend visit, since those slots fill first. Confirm current prices directly at imj.org.il and yadvashem.org before you build a day around either, and check the day’s Temple Mount hours at itraveljerusalem.com , since they shift with little notice.