Old and New Jerusalem Day Trip from Tel Aviv
Overview
- Full-day tour of Old and New Jerusalem from Tel Aviv
- View key Christian and Jewish sites of Old Jerusalem such as the Western Wall, Via Dolorosa (no. 5-14) and Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- Absorb spectacular views over the Old City from the Mount of Olives
- See the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations in the Kidron Valle
- Learn about the suffering of Jews during WWII at the Holocaust Museum in New Jerusalem
- Enjoy a convenient hotel pickup and drop-off by coach
From $92.00 USD
Lowest Price GuaranteeOn route, listen as your guide charts Jerusalem’s tangled past. Hear about its 3,000-year-old history, and how the city has been held sacred by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths since the biblical era.
Visit the Mount of Olives for splendid views over the walled Old City, including the golden Dome of the Rock at the Temple of the Mount. Then, drive along the Kidron Valley past the Garden of Gethsemane, Dormition Abbey and other sites before entering the Old City through the Zion Gate.
Follow the twisting alleyways of the Armenian Quarter to the Jewish Quarter, and pass the Byzantine Cardo, the city’s main thoroughfare during Byzantine times. See the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), where thousands of Jewish worshippers gather, and enter the Christian quarter to trace some of the route taken by Jesus to his crucifixion along the Via Dolorosa.
View some of the Stations of Cross (no. 5-14) on route to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site of Calvary, the place of Jesus' crucifixion. Then, pass through the Jewish Marketplace and Jaffa Gate and drive to New Jerusalem to the Holocaust Museum, a striking building dedicated to the six million and more victims of the Holocaust of WWII.
Head inside to take in the artifacts and testimonies set out in the galleries, and end your explorations at the deeply poignant Hall of Names, where biographies of the victims are held.
Afterward, your tour finishes with a drop-off at your Tel Aviv hotel.
Please note: the Holocaust Museum is closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Jewish holidays. On these days, your visit here will be replaced by a visit to Mount Zion and the Gethsemane church.
Reviews
Viator Traveler's Reviews
I understand it is summertime and crowds are expected. I did not expect such a slow start to this tour. I was picked up at my hotel in Tel Aviv which was very convenient at 7:30 in the morning but did not start viewing Old Jerusalem until 1030. There was much wasted time while we picked up other people at their hotels, a rendezvous Point where other people join the tour bus, and a bathroom stop at an Elvis Presley themed coffee shop where people could buy coffee and keep their Elvis Presley cup. While this was fun for some I wished I had booked my own personal tour. The tour is called Old and New Jerusalem with a visit to the Holocaust Museum. The tour to new Jerusalem was a bus drive through from old Jerusalem to the museum. I felt that the title of the tour is misleading. I thought perhaps after visiting the museum we will continue on with a tour of new Jerusalem but I was mistaken. I was very disappointed by this tour and realize I would be better off with a small group. Our guide was terrific and unfortunately for her as well as the group she had to spend some of her time and effort rounding up people who strayed from the group. More wasted time.
As an atheist I was a bit worried that this trip would be too religious for me but I was pleasantly surprised. With an excellent guide, we got all the historical as well as the religious information. We strolled through the souks around the four quarters of old Jerusalem, visited the dome of the rock, the church of the sepulchre and the wailing wall. After a lunch of local fare we visited the beautifully designed and very peaceful Holocaust Memorial Museum. Its haunting displays and soft ambiance are a perfect setting to pay our respects to the millions who perished at the hands of the Nazis, lest we forget. All in all a highly recommended day for all ages and whatever your beliefs.
I have no idea why this tour cost so much money, having taken other tours. I specifically chose this tour because I wanted more time in Jerusalem, rather than cramming it in with the Dead Sea on the same day, for instance. However, it is exactly the same tour as the Half-Day Tour of Old Jerusalem, meaning only 4 hours in the Old City - well over an hour of which was wasted in my opinion. Our tour guide did not seem adept at switching back and forth between Spanish and English quickly when giving his presentations, which wasted time. We had only 15 minutes at the Wailing Wall, but 30 minutes at a souvenir shop, and another 30 for lunch at a pre-determined restaurant. You never have enough time on these tours, but I felt like we REALLY did not make the most of our time. Also, be sure to really read the full description of the tour... it can be quite misleading: Absorb spectacular views over the Old City from the Mount of Olives See the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations in the Kidron Valley... You do not go to any of these places. You drive by them. So, after paying far more than the half-day tour people and getting basically the same thing not nearly enough time at Yad Vashem - and the admission is free, it sort of felt like signing up for something and then having to sit through a time-share presentation. Disappointed. There are free tours! Find them!
A good tour overall. Excellent tour guide. However, I really dislike the fact that tourists are always taken to a shop or restaurant. I know there is no obligation to buy etc but maybe the guides could just let us find our own way. Just a thought even though we all know there are people who do actually need a guide's input.
The tour was AWESOME, AWESOME, totally AWESOME. My husband and I toured Old and New Jerusalem on December 1, 2017. The tour was full of exciting, memorable and historical sites and our tour guides made our tours even better. They were very knowledge and brought life to the historical site that we visited. I would absolutely recommend this tour sponsored by Bein Harim to anyone planning on visiting Israel.