Jerusalem

Jerusalem's Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing the religious, historical, and archaeological layers of three thousand years of continuous habitation. The four quarters — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Armenian — have their own character, market, and rhythm. The ramparts walk along the top of the walls (accessible from Jaffa Gate and Damascus Gate) gives a circuit-level view of the city and surrounding hills. The most visited site — the Western Wall plaza — is open 24 hours and sees prayer at every hour. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, shared by six Christian denominations under an agreement unchanged since 1757, contains the sites of Jesus's crucifixion, anointing, and burial. The Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount are accessible to non-Muslims at limited hours; the gold dome of the Dome of the Rock is Jerusalem's most recognized visual symbol. The City of David archaeological park south of the Dung Gate excavates the original Jebusite and Davidic city — Hezekiah's Tunnel (701 BCE) is walkable.

West Jerusalem beyond the Old City walls is a modern city of stone-clad buildings, tree-lined streets, and neighbourhoods with distinct characters. The city center around Jaffa Road and the Ben Yehuda Street pedestrian zone has cafes, restaurants, and shops. The Mahane Yehuda Market (the Shuk) is Jerusalem's great food market. The German Colony neighbourhood south of the city center (established by German Templers in the 1870s, now a pleasant residential and cafe area) has the best concentration of independent cafes and restaurants outside the market. Mea Shearim, an ultra-Orthodox neighbourhood a short walk north of the center, was founded in 1874 and operates as a self-contained community with Yiddish as the primary language and strict dress codes enforced for all visitors — modest dress (covered elbows and knees for women, covered heads for men) is required. The Hebrew University on Mount Scopus and the Hadassah Medical Center Ein Kerem (with Chagall stained glass windows) are on the district's edges.

Mount Herzl in West Jerusalem holds two significant sites in close proximity. Yad Vashem — the official Israeli memorial and museum to the Holocaust — is one of the most important institutions in the world. The History Museum follows a chronological path through the Holocaust, using individual testimonies and artefacts to document the genocide of six million Jews. The Children's Memorial, the Valley of the Communities, and the Avenue of the Righteous complete a complex that requires at least four hours for a considered visit. Entry is free. Mount Herzl itself is Israel's national cemetery — Theodor Herzl (founder of Zionism) is buried here, as are several Israeli presidents and prime ministers. The cemetery is open to visitors and offers a coherent summary of modern Israeli history in its burial records.