Jerusalem Travel: Luxury Hotels and the Old City

Inside the walls of the Jerusalem Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian quarters sit side by side within less than half a square mile. Within a short walk you can stand at the Western Wall, follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and look up at the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, known in Arabic as Haram al-Sharif. Few cities let you feel the depth of three faiths so directly.

Beyond the walls, modern Jerusalem offers the Israel Museum with the Dead Sea Scrolls, the moving Yad Vashem memorial, the lively Mahane Yehuda market and a fine collection of grand hotels. Our page on Jerusalem, holy city of three faiths goes deeper into the sacred sites, and the Israel travel guide covers the rest of the country.

Hire a licensed private guide for your first morning in the Old City; the layers of history make far more sense with someone who knows them. Walk the ramparts, visit the Tower of David museum by the Jaffa Gate, explore the Western Wall Tunnels, and see the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives at golden hour. Visitors may enter the Temple Mount compound at set hours through a single gate, while the interiors of its mosques are reserved for Muslim worshippers.

Give the Israel Museum a full morning, then wander Mahane Yehuda for tastings at dusk. Ein Karem, a village of churches and galleries on the city's western edge, makes a lovely half day. Read more on our Christian holy sites, Jewish heritage sites and great mosques and Islamic sites pages.

Jerusalem draws second-home buyers from around the world, particularly families who spend the holidays here. Demand centers on limestone apartments in Talbiyeh, Rehavia, the German Colony and the luxury buildings around Mamilla. Overseas buyers typically work with a local lawyer and agent; our prime Luxury Real Estate agencies page is a good place to begin.