Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s Old City Is Less Than One Square Kilometre and It Contains Three of the World’s Major Religions

Everything most visitors come for – the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Quarter, the Muslim souk – exists within a walled space you can walk end to end in twenty minutes. The compression of three world religions’ most sacred geography into an area smaller than most airport terminals is the fact that keeps returning to you as you navigate it. The scale is intimate. The weight is not.

As of mid-2026, visitor numbers to Jerusalem have been recovering to around 60 to 65 percent of pre-2023 levels as flight routes reopen and travel advisories ease. The tourist sites in the Old City, Yad Vashem, and the Israel Museum remain fully operational. Note that since January 2025, travelers from most visa-exempt countries require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA-IL) applied for at least 72 hours before arrival. Check your government’s current advisory before booking, as regional conditions can shift.

The Old City

The 16th-century Ottoman walls enclose four quarters: Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian.

The Western Wall (Kotel) is Judaism’s holiest accessible site – the retaining wall of the Second Temple platform. The plaza is open to all; men and women pray in separate sections at the wall itself. A security check is required at the entrance. Written prayers placed in the cracks are collected twice annually and buried on the Mount of Olives.

The Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif) above the Western Wall is Islam’s third-holiest site, home to the gold-topped Dome of the Rock (completed 691 CE, making it the oldest surviving Islamic building on earth) and the silver-domed al-Aqsa Mosque. Non-Muslims may enter during specific morning hours via the wooden ramp near the Dung Gate, but may not enter the mosque or the Dome itself. Access is subject to security conditions; verify before planning your visit.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is shared by six Christian denominations under a 19th-century Status Quo arrangement that means the building is governed by people not reliably on speaking terms with each other. The Immovable Ladder – visible above the main entrance, placed there since at least 1852 – has not been moved because no single denomination has authority over the area where it rests. Arrive at opening (typically 8am) for space at the Aedicule, the shrine enclosing the tomb.

Beyond the Walls

Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial and museum on Mount Herzl, requires a full morning. The Children’s Memorial – an underground space of reflected candlelight representing 1.5 million murdered children, where names are read continuously – is one of the most affecting memorial spaces anywhere. Admission is free.

The Israel Museum holds the Shrine of the Book, containing the Dead Sea Scrolls: manuscripts discovered in the Qumran caves between 1947 and 1956, dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible. The Second Temple Model in the museum grounds is the best available visualisation of what Jerusalem looked like in 66 CE, before the Roman destruction.

Mahane Yehuda Market (the Shuk) is a roofed labyrinth of fruit, spice, fish, and bread stalls by day. After 8pm the stalls close, the bars open, and the same space becomes the city’s most lively drinking quarter.

Food and Practical Notes

Hummus and warm pita constitute the correct Jerusalem breakfast. Sabich – fried aubergine, hard-boiled egg, hummus, pickled mango, and pickles in pita – is an Iraqi-Jewish street food standard and one of the more distinctive things you can eat in any city. Jerusalem mixed grill (me’orav yerushalmi) is the signature dinner: chicken hearts, livers, and thighs with onions, baharat, and cumin. Knafeh, hot shredded-pastry over warm cheese, is best from a street window in the Muslim Quarter.

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the most comfortable months. Shabbat from Friday sunset to Saturday night closes public transport in Jewish neighbourhoods and most restaurants. English is widely spoken. Treat everyone with courtesy – political sensitivity is real and present.