Jerusalem – the sacred city of the three great religions, is the most important spiritual centre of the world. Filled with pilgrims, tourists and visitors from all over the globe, it’s full of sounds, scents, lights and customs. The multicultural character of Jerusalem is without a doubt its huge asset, adding a lot of flavour to the already interesting streets and alleys. Downtown Jerusalem offers a wide choice of restaurants and eateries, with cuisines from all over the world. The most popular landmarks and objects are located in the Jerusalem’s Old Town, with Western Wall, Temple Mount and Church of the Holy Sepulchre being visited by thousands upon thousands of tourists each year. Those interested in exploring museums and learning the rich history of Jerusalem should head west of the Old City, where the Israel Museum and Yad Vashem memorial are. Tourists interested in shopping will be delighted by what Mahane Yehuda Market has to offer. All in all, Jerusalem is about much more than religion and sacral architecture – all the different cultures flooding it made it one of the busiest and most diverse cities in the world.
Jerusalem like most cities in Israel is filled with plenty of outdoor markets where the locals show off their produce to sell. You can not only find fresh fruits and vegetables here, but also full meals, and even some clothes, homeware, souvenirs, and handmade crafts and art.
The best way to discover Jerusalem on a budget is to join one of the free walking tours in the city. Not only will this save you a lot of money, but you will get a chance to see the city with the guidance of a knowledgeable local who will surely provide you with tips and advice and answer your questions.
Since Jerusalem is a highly popular city among tourists, finding cheap accommodation might be a bit tricky. The first thing you want to make sure to do is to avoid hotels and high-end resorts, as those are extremely expensive. Instead, try to find a cheap hostel which provides good quality and offers a reasonable price.
Sadly, you might have to cut back on alcohol if you want to save some money while on your trip to Jerusalem. Alcohol in Israel is quite expensive, and many of the shops are only permitted to sell it at certain times, and clubs and bars usually serve drinks at a highly unfair price.
Food, just like alcohol, is also quite expensive in Israel and in Jerusalem especially if you plan on dining out frequently. Instead of going to a fancy restaurant, search the streets for small stalls serving street food and try some of the local cuisine for a lower price than served in most of the restaurants.
If you know you are going to visit Israel a few months before you actually fly off, make sure to pre-book your flight as early as possible. Most of the airlines flying to Israel provide much better prices when booked a few months back, allowing you to save as much as a couple of hundred dollars on a ticket.
You are probably going to save a lot of money if you take your local currency and exchange it to shekels before you take off. The money exchange in Israel is not quite profitable, as the money exchange kiosks try to rip off tourists. Likewise, paying with a credit card will most likely add a tax fee every time you pay.
More often than not, using a cell phone in a foreign country will cost you quite a lot every time you make a call, and sometimes even if you pick up a receiving one. If you are staying in Jerusalem for longer, you might want to think about getting a temporary contract which gives you unlimited calls and texts and can be ended any time.
If you are going to stay a while in Israel, you can apply to get a membership from the Israeli Park Service. It gives you free access to a lot of attractions and monuments and is usually more money-efficient if you are visiting with a couple of others. While the membership is expensive, it usually saves you money after five or six attractions visited.
The best way to save money before you even start planning your journey to Jerusalem is to try to organise it off-season, but not during holidays. You are sure to have much better prices on both flight and accommodation and the attractions in Israel do not close down for the winter.
Jerusalem is the most crowded during the summer and on major Jewish celebrations, like High Holy Days, Passover and Sukkot. If you’d rather avoid the crowds, pick your date of visit beside these holidays, sometime from April to May and October through November.
Jerusalem is the warmest during the summer – from June to September, you can expect around 28 °C high every month, and sometimes even more. Shoulder months are still very pleasant, with around 25 °C high in May and October. Winter brings around 6 °C lows and 14 °C highs.
Prices in Jerusalem surge during the summer and on Jewish holidays, when tourists and visitors swarm the city. If you’re looking for some discounts, try to visit in the shoulder seasons and beside the holidays. Winter offers the most substantial discounts, but brings worse weather.
Chanukkah Celebrations (November-January; varies by year)
Jerusalem International Book Fair (February; biennial)
Jerusalem Marathon (March)
Passover (March-April; varies by year)
Easter and Holy Week (April)
Jerusalem Day (May)
Israel Festival (May-June)
Jerusalem Film Festival (July)
High Holy Days (September-October;varies by year)
Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles (September-October; varies by year)
If you’re looking for accommodation in Jerusalem, you’ll be delighted with apartments for rent. This popular alternative to renting a hotel offers a higher degree of privacy, as well as many conveniences which aren’t available in a hotel, like kitchen annexes.
Visit Jerusalem on a budget and book a cheap hotel to save money. 1- and 2-star hotels in Jerusalem are cheap and comfortable, ensuring that everyone can get a roof over his head and a bed to sleep on while being able to spend more money on entertainment, exploration and food!
Standard hotels in Jerusalem offer better than average comfort and diverse facilities. Those who are ready for a bit higher price, compared to cheap hotels in Jerusalem, can enjoy better location and higher quality of service. Nightly rates for good hotels in Jerusalem start around $50.
Those looking for truly spectacular accommodation in Jerusalem will be delighted by luxury hotels. These hotels offer nothing but perfection, on all fields – the quality of service, facilities and location. Nightly rates for luxury hotels in Jerusalem start around $200, but they are well worth the expense.
If you know your way around a bike, you can try riding through the city of Jerusalem, but keep in mind that there are many steep hills and bustling streets, making travelling through the city on a bike quite difficult and risky. There is no general bike-sharing programme in the city, but there are a couple of rentals around which will provide you with a bike at a good price, and often a helmet for no additional fee, and some of the hotels even offer free bikes to their guests.
The bus network in Jerusalem is quite efficient, making it definitely one of the better ways of getting around. A single ticket costs 5.90ILS, which is not bad, and the bus lines cover all of West Jerusalem. However, only a few of the buses reach to East Jerusalem, making moving around that part of the city quite tricky. Keep in mind that while the West Jerusalem buses are government-run, the ones in the East Jerusalem are private, which means you will need separate tickets for those and the Rav Kav card is not usable there.
Driving around Jerusalem in your own vehicle can prove to be quite a trouble. The traffic jams are frequent, the locals are reckless and impatient, and you are almost certain not to find any free parking spots, so only drive on your own if you really have to. The parking spots for non-residents are signified by a blue and white marking, and you have to purchase a ticket which is quite pricey, costing 5.70ILS per hour. However, you can park for free in the evenings and during Shabbat, which might come in handy.
The taxi fare in Jerusalem is generally quite cheap, as is in the most of Israel. A cruise in the city centre will commonly cost something along the lines of 30ILS or 40ILS. Make sure, however, that the driver uses a meter, as they sometimes "forget" to do so and overcharge their passengers, and it should be at 12.30ILS, which is the flat fare. Also, remember that taxi services are more expensive during the night and during Shabbat. Try to avoid taking a taxi at Jaffa Gate, as the place is known for shady drivers trying to scam tourists.
A regional train is a good way to get to some of the remote locations outside of Jerusalem, and to other nearby cities. There is a light rail within the city, which runs from Mt Herzl to Heyl HaAvir, connecting the western part of the city to the north-eastern. The line has twenty-three stops, including ones at the major locations in the city, making it a good way to quickly cross Jerusalem. The light rail runs around every five to ten minutes from 5.30 a.m. all the way to midnight, except during Shabbat. The tickets are the same as the bus tickets, and you can also use the Rav Kav card here.
The only major transport card in Jerusalem is the Rav Kav card, used in most of Israel. The card can be obtained for free at the offices or for 5ILS from any bus driver. The card can then be recharged with as much credit as you wish, and you can even pre-load it with day passes which cost 13.50ILS per day or 64ILS for an entire week. Make sure to remember to wave it in front of the scanner every time you enter and leave a bus.
Learn about the rich religious history of the Jerusalem city during this walking tour which will show you the main sites of the three intersecting religions. Jewish, Islamic, and Christian monuments are included during the tour, which will take four hours and will be guided by a local English-speaking guide.
This three-hour tour of Jerusalem will show you the City of David archeological site, which is still being explored to this day. You will be able to see for yourself the dig sites, ancient tunnels and old monuments as you learn about the history of the city from a professional guide.
Providing a unique and unusual experience, this tour will show you some of the underground portion of Jerusalem. The journey will begin in the City of David and proceed through the underground tunnels all the way to the Western Wall, allowing you to see the ancient underground to its fullest.
This online ticket allows you to enter the Israel Museum without having to wait for hours in long lines. You will be provided with an audio guide and headset to help you find your way through the museum, which has some of the oldest relics in the world.
Take a break from the bustling city of Jerusalem and visit some of the gorgeous countryside of Israel on this full-day trip along the coast. You will visit some of the historic sites outside of Jerusalem, along with some breathtaking views, all with a convenient pickup and drop-off at your place of accommodation.
This tour will take a whole day to carefully show you in detail both the Old and New districts of Jerusalem. A local guide will show you along both the most popular and the lesser known landmarks, including the Holy Sepulchre Church, the Wailing Wall, Yad Vashem, and more.
Enjoy three hours of exploring the religious past of the city of Jerusalem with a knowledgeable, professional guide who will provide commentary in English. All of the sites are located on the hillside of the Mount of Olives and include important landmarks of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike.
This admission ticket will allow you to unwind after a long day of sightseeing with a comfortable seat during an outdoor light show. The show will teach you some of the ancient history of the city, which began after the return from exile, all presented with modern projection mapping technology.
This unique trip will begin early in the morning and takes you from Jerusalem to Masada in order to show you the unforgettable sunrise that you can see to the fullest on the top of the mountain. Later on, you will be taken by a local guide on a trip to Ein Gedi and through some of the highlights of the Dead Sea.
Visit the highly controversial area of West Bank with a ride from Jerusalem in an air-conditioned coach. The area is known to have been a place of conflict for years, where Israeli and Palestinian people struggled for years for control. You will be even able to sample some of the unique Palestinian cuisine.
There are a lot of places to visit in the Old City, most of which are ancient holy sites. You are probably not going to visit all of them in a single day, so do not even try, and instead keep visiting the Old City every day to see its beauty and important historical and religious heritage.
Known more widely as the Wailing Wall, the Western Wall is an ancient wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Western Wall is a small part of a long defensive wall, and it was originally a part of the Second Jewish Temple. Nowadays it is used as a traditional place used by Jews for prayer.
The hill of Temple Mount is truly a unique place to visit. The top of the hill has been regarded as a holy site not only by Jews but also by Christians and Muslims alike. There is a flat plaza at the hilltop, which is surrounded by ancient walls, and there are three monumental structures dating as far back as the 6th century.
Even if you are not into buying anything, visiting the Machane Yehuda Market is a unique experience. The place is an exciting spot to visit, filled not only with fruits and vegetables, but also with traditionally made sweets, exotic spices, local beverages, pastries, and even some souvenirs and dishes.
The three promenades of Jerusalem connect to create a long line of pathways, perfect for an afternoon walk around nature. The promenades also provide some of the best views of the cityscape and the landscape beyond the city, and they start at the Jabal Mukabaar Park and end at Abu Tor.
Take a free guided tour of the building of the Israeli’s Parliament and see the workplace of the controversial Israeli politicians. With a local guide who provides commentary in English, you will learn not only about the building itself but also about the inner workings of the Parliament and its importance.
Similarly to the Parliament building, the Supreme Court of Israel is a gorgeous piece of architecture and has even been named the finest public building of Israel by The New York Times. The building is made in a modern style and was opened in 1992, offering a mixture of Herodian, Hellenistic, Crusader, and British flavours.
If you are a nature enthusiast, you will surely love to spend time at the Wohl Rose Park in Jerusalem, which is located at the foot of the Supreme Court and not far off the Parliament. The park is filled with a plethora of flower beds, creating a breathtaking combination of vivid colors and enticing aromas.
Located not far from the Jaffa Gate, the Teddy Park has its own unique attraction, apart from being in general a beautiful place to walk through. Every day at 8 p.m. a sound and light water show begins in the middle of the park, and there is even a small fountain for kids to play in and cool down during hot weather.
Quite unlike a visit to a zoo, the Jerusalem Bird Observatory grants you a chance to see some of the migrating birds which travel every year through Israel. The observatory has plenty of strategically placed locations along the route, providing ample places to spot the birds.
Visit the living memorial to the millions of casualties of the Holocaust during the Second World War. The exhibits inside of the unique museum include authentic footage and videos of people who survived the Holocaust, along with their historical documents, journals, and even some of their personal items.
Visit one of the tallest windmills in entire Israel, which has been restored not long ago. The windmill was constructed in 1857 as a way to power a large flour mill, and is located in the Mishkenot Sha’ananim district of the city, which is the first Jewish neighbourhood outside of the Old City.
Ein Karem is one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, making it a place certainly worth visiting. The area is filled with old churches, most of which can be visited for free during mass, and the whole district is a frequent destination for Christian pilgrimage, as it is supposedly a place where the mother of John the Baptist became pregnant.
This district of the city is filled with very narrow alleyways, surrounded with tall buildings and hidden courtyards with gardens, giving you the ability to explore the area on your own. There are also a lot of small synagogues placed around the district, providing a lot of places and monuments to see.
The Old Train Station of Israel is over a hundred and thirty years old, but is still a cultural hub to this day. The building of the train station is filled with high-class restaurants and hipster pubs and cafés, and there are even a couple of old-fashioned locomotives on display.
Being one of the busiest streets of Jerusalem, the Emek Refaim Street is located in the German Colony neighbourhood. The whole street is filled with small shops managed by the locals, offering handmade jewellery, traditional fashion, and there are even a couple of small bakeries and cafés.
Located right in the centre of the city, the Liberty Bell Park is a fine place to choose for a jogging session or a tranquil walk. The main attraction of the park is a replica of the Liberty Bell, which is the symbol of independence - and the original one is placed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States of America.
Take a walk through the mysterious hallways of this Mormon university, which is going to be quite a sight even if you are not a Mormon yourself. The university provides free walking tours to the visitors with an English-speaking guide, and the tour even includes a live classical music performance by the students.
Every Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. the Bezalel Street fills up with hundreds of local artists and craftsmen who show off their homemade products. The tradition of the fair started in 2009 and has become a huge part of the lives of locals, who take the opportunity to present their work to tourists.
Being one of the best maintained gardens in the entire city, The Garden Tomb is located near the Damascus Gate and proves a great place to escape the bustling city. The garden is usually quite empty, allowing you to relax in tranquillity on the stone benches among lush greenery.
Our list of the best hotels in Jerusalem are: Leonardo Hotel Jerusalem, Mamilla Hotel - The Leading Hotels of the World, Dan Boutique Hotel Jerusalem, Harmony Hotel - an Atlas Boutique Hotel and The David Citadel Hotel. Discover the full list of best hotels in Jerusalem.
The finest examples of luxury hotels in Jerusalem include Dan Panorama Jerusalem Hotel, Mount Zion Boutique Hotel, Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem, Inbal Jerusalem Hotel, The American Colony Hotel - The Leading Hotels of the World, Grand Court Hotel Jerusalem and Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem. Discover the full list of luxury hotels in Jerusalem.
Those trying to visit Jerusalem on a tight budget will find everything they need in hotels such as YMCA Three Arches Hotel, City Center Jerusalem, Jerusalem Gardens Hotel and Spa, Palatin Hotel, King Solomon Hotel Jerusalem, The Sephardic House Hotel In The Jewish Quarter and The Little House In Bakah. Discover the full list of Cheap hotels in Jerusalem.
Taking factors such as weather, crowds and prices, the best months to visit Jerusalem for a city break are April, June, September and November.
Jerusalem offers plenty of exciting attractions and things to do. Must-sees in Jerusalem include: Jerusalem Three Religions Walking Tour, The Biblical City of David Tour, Underground Tour, The Israel Museum and Caeserea and Rosh Hanikra Day Trip.
A city pass in Jerusalem costs around €39.
24-hour ticket for public transport in Jerusalem costs around €7.50.
The best night clubs in Jerusalem include: Bass Club, Oliver Twist, Haoman 17 Club, Justice and WildCat Bar.
Judging on the reviews and customer opinions, the best bars in Jerusalem are: Yellow Submarine, Gatsby, Birman, Toy Bar and Mirror Bar.
Your choice of the best restaurants in Jerusalem may vary depending on your taste, however, Machneyuda, Satya, Adom and Anna are some of the most popular choices.
Top 5 restaurants in Jerusalem include: The Eucalyptus, Anna Italian Cafe, Machneyuda, Azzahra Restaurant and Jacko’s Street.
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