Jerusalem Highlights
A curated tour of Jerusalem's most sacred and storied sites — holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike — spanning 3,000 years of history in one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.
Trip Stops
- 1
Begin your visit at this ridge east of the Old City for the most iconic panoramic view of Jerusalem, with the golden Dome of the Rock gleaming below. It hosts a 3,000-year-old Jewish cemetery with 150,000 graves, the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed the night before his arrest, and ancient olive trees some believe date back 2,000 years.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 2
Built in 1924 at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane, this Roman Catholic basilica enshrines the rock where Jesus is believed to have prayed in agony the night before his crucifixion. It was funded by 12 nations — hence the name — and its stunning mosaic facade depicts Christ as mediator between God and humanity. The ancient olive trees in the adjoining garden may be among the oldest in the world.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 3
The holiest contested ground on Earth — sacred to Jews as the site of the First and Second Temples, to Muslims as the place of Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven, and to Christians as where Jesus taught. The golden Dome of the Rock, completed in 692 CE, is the world's oldest surviving Islamic building and was modeled on the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Note: non-Muslims may only visit during limited hours and cannot enter the Dome itself.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 4
Islam's third holiest site after Mecca and Medina, Al-Aqsa stands on the southern end of the Temple Mount and can hold up to 5,000 worshippers. The mosque's name means 'the farthest mosque' — referring to the Quranic verse describing Muhammad's Night Journey. The silver dome (in contrast to the Dome of the Rock's gold) has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, most recently after a 1969 arson attack by an Australian extremist.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 5
Judaism's holiest prayer site and the sole surviving remnant of the retaining wall built by Herod the Great around the Second Temple in 20 BCE. Millions visit each year to pray and tuck written petitions into its ancient stones. The largest single stone in the wall is estimated to weigh 570 tons. The Western Wall Tunnels beneath run 488 meters along the full length of the wall.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 6
Built by Emperor Constantine in the 320s CE over the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. It is shared — sometimes tensely — by six Christian denominations. The key to the church has been held by a Muslim family since 1187, when Saladin entrusted it to them to keep the peace between the rival Christian sects.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 7
The 'Way of Suffering' — a 600-meter stone path through the Old City's Muslim and Christian quarters tracing Jesus's final walk to crucifixion, marked by 14 Stations of the Cross. Every Friday, Franciscan friars lead a procession along the route, joined by pilgrims from around the world. The path winds through the bazaars of the Old City, where the scent of spices mingles with frankincense.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 8
An ancient citadel near Jaffa Gate whose foundations date to the Hasmonean period (2nd century BCE), later rebuilt by Herod the Great and further fortified by Crusaders, Mamluks, and Ottomans. Despite its name, it has no connection to King David. Today it houses the Tower of David Museum, covering 4,000 years of Jerusalem's history, and hosts a spectacular sound-and-light show at night.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 9
One of the top ten museums in the world, housing 500,000+ artifacts spanning 5,000 years. Its crown jewel is the Shrine of the Book — a striking white dome housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known biblical manuscripts, discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd. The outdoor scale model of Jerusalem as it appeared in 66 CE is astonishingly detailed.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 10
Israel's official Holocaust memorial and museum, spread across 18 hectares on the Mount of Remembrance. The archive holds 68 million pages of documents, nearly 300,000 photographs, and thousands of survivor testimonies. The Hall of Names commemorates over 4.8 million individual victims. Entry to the history museum is free, but no children under 10 are admitted.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
- 11
Jerusalem's beloved open-air market, with over 250 vendors selling aromatic spices, fresh falafel, tahini, halva, and local produce across a tangle of covered and open-air lanes. Founded in 1887, today it doubles as a nightlife hub after sundown, with bars and restaurants popping up behind the shuttered market stalls. Thursdays and Fridays draw enormous crowds stocking up before Shabbat.
📍 Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel
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