In order to visit what is most dear to you, the tour will focus on historical, religious and archaeological places that are connected to Jerusalem's Jewish past and present.
Panoramic view (Haas Promenade or Mount of Olives)
To get an overall understanding of the city, it is vital to see it in the first place "from above". Besides taking life pleasure in one of the most famous postcard photographs, the panoramic view is an optimal starting point, giving you an overall idea of the sites you will visit during the day. You will comprehend how history, geography and politics have shaped the holy city.
Mount Zion – King David Tomb
According to the tradition, the King David Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper are both located on Mount Zion. The King David Tomb is an important pilgrimage destination for Jews and serves as prayer site. Not far from the tomb, there is the room where Jesus and the disciples shared the Last Supper. In a remarkable way, this specific site synthesizes Jerusalem's mixed character and history: the building used to be a church, it then became a mosque and nowadays it serves as a synagogue.
The Jewish Quarter
Jews have always lived in the Old city Jewish quarter. In 1967 the Old city was liberated and the Jewish quarter reconstructed in a modern yet traditional style. Jews have since returned to the quarter and have restored the thousand year old tradition inside the Old City walls. In this quarter extensive excavations have taken place. There are wells allowing visitors to see down the levels beneath the street. As you walk through the ruins and by the newly built houses you will enjoy the contrast of ancient and new that is so typical of Jerusalem. Numerous archeological sites and excavations reveal ancient layers of Jerusalem's history, among them: the Broad Wall, the Cardo Street, the Herodian Quarter, the Burnt House and more.
The Cardo Street
The Cardo Street used to be the main street of Roman and Byzantine Jerusalem. At one point in time it would have run the whole breadth of the city, connecting Mount Zion to what is now Damascus Gate. This once colonnaded avenue, serves nowadays as the main entrance to the Jewish quarter. It has been partly reconstructed and partly it houses gift shops and galleries of Judaica art and jewelry.
The Herodian quarter displays evidence of the lavish lifestyle and the high socioeconomic status of the Jewish neighborhood during the late Second Temple period. It used to house six large villas, each two to three stories high. Inside the villas you will find mosaic floors, furniture of the period, Mikves (ritual bath), large store rooms and water cisterns.
The Burnt House is restored upon the remains of a priest family home. An audiovisual show is presented depicting the history of the priest family during the Great Revolt time (70 A.D).The story exposes the social, political and economical situation of the period and the tragedy that fell upon the people of Israel when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed.
The four Sephardic synagogues
During the Ottoman period, the Jewish Sephardic community built four synagogues in the heart of the Jewish quarter. These synagogues served during hundreds of years the Jewish Sephardic community in the Old city. They managed to survive the 1948 bombardments and were restored after the Six Day war. Nowadays they proudly yet modestly stand between other houses.
The Western Wall
The Western Wall is historically and religiously the most important site in the whole world for the Jewish people. Being the only remaining part of the Temple Mount compound, it is the closest a believer can get to the site where the Temple once stood. Since the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70AD, when Jews were expelled from Jerusalem, they have dreamt to mourn and pray at this holy place. Many families celebrate here their boys' Bar Mitzvah. The Western Wall is one of the most captivating places in the whole of Israel. You can feel its spiritual atmosphere, especially on Fridays at sunset when large crowds gather to celebrate the commencement of Shabbat.
The Western Wall Tunnel
Several layers of the Western Wall were discovered under Old City homes. Nowadays there is a tunnel open for visitors running all along the length of the Western Wall.
This underground visit will evince the 2000 year old construction of the Temple, one of Herod's most powerful and sizeable projects.
The Southern Wall – archaeological garden
Excavations that took place after 1967 uncovered a large area of ruins dating back to different periods in history and revealing Jerusalem's ancient character. The excavation site has been turned into an archaeological garden. A path borders the Western and the Southern Walls of the Temple compound, making the visitor feel tiny next to the size of each stone and the height of the wall. The path meanders through dwellings, shops, and mikves until it reaches the highlight by excellence: the staircase leading to the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount
At this site King Solomon built the First Temple in the 10th century BC. The building of the Second Temple was initiated at the end of the 6th century BC and remodeled by Herod the Great. Jerusalem has since been the spiritual center of the Jewish nation. In the 7th century, the Moslems built the El Aksa Mosque and Dome of the rock on the mount, nowadays the Temple Mount is also Islam's third holiest place. The site astonishes the visitor by its beauty, grandness, majestic architecture and tranquility.