Last Updated on January 23, 2023
Whether you’re Christian, Jew or Moslem, you’ll find that Jerusalem is a focal point for all religions…
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
By Marcia Raffel Levin
No matter your religion – whether you’re Christian, Jew or Moslem – most travelers find that a visit to Israel has a great emotional impact. They also find there are a lot of things to do in Jerusalem.
Perhaps it’s that emotional element that’s fueling the surge in tourism to Israel lately. Another factor may well be that Israel remains one of the safer places to visit in the Mideast.
Even though many of the flights to Israel land in Tel Aviv, after arrival most visitors instead head first to Jerusalem, which is not only a popular tourist destination but also a focal point for all religions.
A Wealth of Sites to See in Jerusalem
Jerusalem has outstanding hotels, a mix of dining and shopping options and mind-blowing opportunities to explore history. As Israel’s capital, Jerusalem is a fascinating combination of the Old and New Worlds, offering many things to do. There are many emotional religious and spiritual opportunities around just about every corner.
In Jerusalem be sure to visit the Old City and the Western Wall, a leftover of the First Temple. Only minutes away from this Jewish holy site, one finds the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Dome of the Rock. It’s an area that offers a “something for everyone” intro to Israel.
Another of the things to do is to see the remnants of King Herod’s last palace, which lies outside Jerusalem’s Old City. The site where the Virgin Mary is said to have died, Dormition Abbey, is also nearby. More popular sites, both Christian and Jewish, can also be found on the Mount of Olives. All bring to life history and biblical stories.
If you’re physically up to it, also explore the Western Wall Tunnels, which document Jewish history, as well as the archeology and topography of the region.
Things to Do in Jerusalem: the Don’t Misses
If Jerusalem sounds like a treasure trove of sightseeing offerings, it is.
For starters, don’t miss the Dead Sea Scrolls at the 50-year-old Israel Museum.
Then choose other things to do and must-sees from a mélange of museums including Jerusalem’s Bible Land Museum, the Rockefeller Museum, and the Museum of Underground Prisoners (detailing history leading to the establishment of the State of Israel), Islamic Art Museum, Bloomfield Science Museum, and the Old Yishuv Court Museum.
Four quarters comprise Jerusalem’s Old City: Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. In the Christian quarter, pilgrims will need to pace themselves, as some 40 sites are particularly significant, to Christianity. Be sure to walk the Via Dolorosa, just one of many explorations of religion, archaeology, and topography.
Other Popular Sites to See
The world’s major Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem, was founded in 1953 and is a global center for documentation of, and education about, the Holocaust. It is the most complete documentation of it in the world.
It’s not for the queasy but is a necessary history lesson for one of any race, religion, or national origin. It’s a moving experience from which very few leave with dry eyes.
Another moving monument, the 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza, resembles a waving American flag and contains the names of all victims, including five Israeli citizens. It’s located on a hillside about 20 miles outside the city.
Another of the things to do in the city is to see the light show at the Tower of David’s Citadel in Jerusalem. You’ll find more history lessons there.
Shopping in Jerusalem
Jerusalem shopping, especially along delightful Ben Yehuda Street, ranges from religious items popular with each of the three faiths, as well as fine jewelry, interesting religious and secular artwork, clothing and those ubiquitous t-shirts. Glass is a popular purchase.
One of the top things to do, especially for foodies, is to tour Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market – a cultural mix of beautiful produce, fish, baked goods and the like, along with stalls of clothing and souvenirs.
Just as Jerusalem features five-star hotels as well as youth hostels, the variety of dining experiences is daunting. Coffee houses and falafel stands are everywhere. With all those Jewish mothers (and fathers and aunts and uncles) you will never go hungry here.
You’ll also find that cultural events – including concerts, dance performances, art shows, and street fairs – are common and are often conducted in both English and Hebrew.
Beyond the Capital
Although there is a lot of things to see and do in Jerusalem, it’s not a city known for its nightlife.
Las Vegas it isn’t, so many Jerusalem residents climb aboard a bus for the 37-mile ride to Tel Aviv where nightlife is more wide-ranging.
With its location on the Mediterranean Sea, it has wonderful beaches, good hotels, and restaurants that tempt just about every palate.
A list of top things to do in Tel Aviv could well be an afternoon at the Yitzhak Rabin Center (with an amazing array of interactive exhibits), the Port of Tel Aviv, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the Palmach Museum, the latter focusing on the Haganah, the underground defense organization that predated the State of Israel.
There are also several full- and half-day trips from Jerusalem to such popular places as Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Masada, Nazareth, Tiberias and the Galilee. Also popular is a tour to Petra, in neighboring Jordan.
From a personal perspective, here are my four favorite things to do for anyone who visits Jerusalem, or any place in Israel, for that matter:
- Rosh HaNikra, at the north end of the country near the Lebanese border, offers an incredible geologic formation where dramatic white cliffs stand guard over the amazing grottoes.
- Ben Yehuda Street shopping. Whether you’re looking for take-home souvenirs or high-end jewelry, there are plenty of choices for you here. If’s also fun to just window-shop.
- Haifa
- The beautiful beaches in Tel Aviv
(Photos courtesy of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism)
You may also enjoy: 5 Unique European Sites for Jewish Travelers / Things to Do in Prague…With a Map for a Walking Tour / 15 Tips for Cutting Your Air-Travel Costs
If You Go:
Israel Ministry of Tourism
http://www.goisrael.com/
We need to be much more aware of the Palestinians who live in Jerusalem and the occupied territories. Jerusalem is a city like no other in the world, and just going through the Israeli ministry of tourism will not give one the balanced and nuanced experience that comes from having Palestinian tour guides and seeing the holy sites through the eyes of a variety of the inhabitants. Embassies of foreign countries are in Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem.
Your comment is ridiculous and ignorant.The Jews are the indigenous people of Judea , nowadays Israel. A Palestinian guide may twist archaeological facts and history based on his own bias
Susan Miller’s comments are old & outdated!!! Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish State!!! The Jews have returned to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem for forever!!! GET USE TO IT,🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱✡️✡️✡️✡️🕎🕎🕎🕎
you are ignorant fellow, you are bias to your terrorist state, israel, killer of innocent Palestinian children, even your terrorist army soldiers in an interview, 6 of them admitted that they enjoy shooting at Palestinian children.you are a state established on Palestinian land, there nothing to connect tt our land. we are decedent of arab tribes(connaenean) 6000 years ago at that time no jews lived on earth. you are theive the land land even our tradi food(falafel, homos , even our traditional dress, folklore dance). you don’t have history, except fabricated lies, which yy sell to tourists, your people erected a kingdom as an occupying force, before 2000 years and it erased from the map after 200 years colonizing that land, you should understand that occupying any land doesn’t give you any right for one square meter in our land. go and study history,, real history not fabricated by your Zionist movement. make sure. that we will send you back safely, to your original country, europe, usa, shame on big lier and forger of heavenly facts
go and study no biased history stop this ridiculous writings
Palestinians descendants of arab tribes (cananean)who lived 6000years ago on Palestine land(before called land of Canaan) at this time therr were no jews on earth. Therr is nothing to connect you to our land inspite of the tedious efforts of your archeologist. Your occupied Palestine 2000 years ago as an occupying force, iit stayed less than 200 years, then erased by Babylonians.
according to international law , any occupying force has no rights in occupied land. shame on you are grown up fellow but lier. k