Hey guys, I'm Oren from travelingisrael.com and this video
is about all the things you need to know when
planning your trip to Jerusalem – sites, accommodation and transportation.
Jerusalem has a lot to offer but it is not that complicated to understand the city, so
lets get started:
There is a lot to see in Jerusalem and I will be adding a lot of videos about the sights,
so make sure you subscribe.
I like to divide the sights into 3 areas:
The Old City, Mount of Olives and the New City
The Old City of Jerusalem is not only the most important place in Israel,
but one of the most important places in the world.
The Old City is tiny, just one square kilometer, so in 15 minutes you can walk from one side
to the other, but in it you will find the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, Via Dolorosa, Damascus Gate, Old City Markets,
Western Wall Tunnel, Temple Mount, Rooftop Lookout and Jaffa Gate.
The City of David, the Last Supper Room, and the Tomb of David technically lie outside
the city walls but are considered sites of the Old City.
Two sites are a bit tricky: going up to Temple Mount (which is only open in the morning for
three hours and one hour at noon); and the Western Wall Tunnel, tours of which need to
be ordered in advance.
The light rail station ‘City Hall’ is 5 minutes’ walk from Jaffa Gate, which is
the main gate, and ‘Damascus Gate’ station is right next to Damascus Gate,
the most impressive gate.
The second area is the Mount of Olives, where you will find many important churches: the
Chapel of the Ascension, from which Jesus ascended to heaven, the Pater Noster Church,
the Dominus Flevit Church, the Church of Mary Magdalene, the Tomb of the Virgin Mary and
the Garden of Gethsemane.
Other than churches, this area also has one of the most important Jewish cemeteries in
the world.
There is no good public transportation to the top of the Mount of Olives.
You can either take a taxi for 50-70 shekels or set off on a morning walk that takes you
through the Old City and up the mountain (this is what I do when on my own).
It is however fairly steep, and I have never done it with a group.
Many tours and travelers start their first day in Jerusalem at the top of the Mount of
Olives in the Chapel of the Ascension and then go down through the Jewish cemetery and
churches to the Garden of Gethsemane.
From there they continue through the Lion Gate to the Old City.
2-3 hours are enough to see the main sites on the Mount of Olives
The best way to see the Mount of Olives and the Old City is with a guide.
If, however, you don’t want to pay for a guide or join a tour, I do recommend buying
or downloading my booklets.
Since in Jerusalem many of the sites, though important, are not impressive in themselves,
you will miss 90% of the experience if you don't fully understand what you are looking
at.
The third area is the New City, where you will find Mahane Yehuda Market, Nachlaot,
Yemin Moshe, and Mea Shearim (Haredi neighborhood).
Also here are the Israel Museum and the Knesset (the Israeli parliament).
Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum) and Mount Herzl are a bit further away but easy to get
to: just travel to the last stop on the light rail (Mount Herzl Station).
Ein Karem, a village that belongs to Jerusalem, is also a nice spot.
If you have half a day and want to experience a different atmosphere to that of the city,
it’s worth a visit.
There are some churches in Ein Karem, the most important being the Church of St. John
the Baptist, where he was born.
If you arrive in Jerusalem by public transportation,
you will most likely arrive in the central bus station.
Jerusalem Central Bus Station has buses going to most places in Israel.
Buses inside the station will take you outside the city and buses outside the station will
take you to the different neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
Next year the authorities propose to complete the fast train line to Tel Aviv and the station
will be located right next to the CBS.
In any case, unlike in Tel Aviv, where the central bus station is an ugly building in
a less than appealing part of the city, in Jerusalem it is a good place to start.
Next to the bus station is a light rail station which you will probably use the most.
There is only one line so you can’t really go wrong.
One direction takes you to Mount Herzel, the last station on the line, where you have Mount
the other direction will take you to the Old City and the northern neighborhoods of Jerusalem
You need to buy tickets for the light rail on the platform and validate them once inside
the light rail train.
I don’t recommend using a car in the city, but if you do come to Jerusalem by car, you
will find free parking lots at three light rail stations, enabling you to park and enter
the city.
If you come from Tel Aviv by car, your best option is to park at Mount Herzel station.
It's important to remember that there is no public transportation on Jewish holidays and
from Friday afternoons until Saturday evenings.
There are loads of hotels and hostels in Jerusalem,
so I've focused on the best ones for travelers, meaning those in the middle of the city.
To make things simpler I've divided my posts and videos into the best hostels, best hotels,
luxury hotels, and special guesthouses in the Old City.
A night in a hostel will cost you around 20$, a night in a 3-star hotel will be around 150$
and a night in the luxury hotels will cost you at least 250$.
I will leave all the links below.
I hope you enjoy this video, if you did here there will be another video
you can alway subscribe to my channel.
If you have any comments, please leave them down here below and bye for now.