When you come on an excursion to Jerusalem, do not forget to take with you a tourist card. The old town has a very complex and confusing network of narrow streets; it is quite easy to get lost here.
Tourist map of Jerusalem with reconstruction of buildings. The main walking route around the city is marked with a yellow marker
Before you go, first study the map of Jerusalem. Understanding the general structure of the city and its division into quarters, in the future it will be convenient and easy for you to walk around the city. We like the city map with historical reconstructions of buildings, but you can take a regular one with you. The yellow marker on the map marks the main routes along which you will have to walk around the city.
Map of the old city of Jerusalem indicating streets and main attractions
As a rule, all tourists enter Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate. Entering the city through them, the Christian quarter will be on the left, and the Armenian quarter on the right. Just go straight and after a while you will reach the intersection with Kardo Street (the ancient Roman main street of the city). Here, turning right, you will find yourself in the Jewish Quarter. After passing through this quarter, you can get to Temple Mount, Hurva Synagogue and Wailing Wall. Turning left, you can go to Church of the Holy Sepulcher (located in the Christian quarter), street the Way of the Cross Via Dolorosa and the Damascus Gate (located in the Muslim quarter).
The streets of the Muslim quarter along which you will walk are a continuous market. There are always a lot of people crowded here. There will also be a lot of people in the area of the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (by the way, it is located a little in the depths, and not on one of the central streets of the old city). The remaining streets are more deserted. We liked just walking along the old streets of the Armenian or Muslim quarters, where there are few people and you can calmly look at the ancient buildings.
General map of the city center. It shows the bus station and Yafo Street
In order to get to the old city, you may also need a more general map of Jerusalem, since the central bus station is located a little away from the historical part of the city, at the end of Jerusalem’s main street Yafo (Jaffa). It’s quite a long walk from the bus station to the Old Town; it’s better to take a few stops by tram (which goes right along Yafo Street). The tram stop is a 5-minute walk from the Jaffa Gate of the Old City.
