Top Reasons to Go

The Old City: For an astonishing montage of religions and cultures, the heart of Jerusalem—with the Holy Sepulcher, Arab bazaar, and Western Wall—has few equals anywhere in the world.

Mount of Olives: This classic panorama puts the entire Old City, with the golden Dome of the Rock, squarely within your lens. The view is best with the morning sun behind you.

Machaneh Yehuda: You can munch a falafel as you watch shoppers swirl and eddy through West Jerusalem's outstanding produce market.

Israel Museum: Renewed and revitalized, this museum is a winner, with the Dead Sea Scrolls, a huge outdoor model, and a stunning collection of fine art, archaeology, and Judaica.

City of David: Plunge underground to explore Jerusalem's most ancient remains, and wade the 2,700-year-old water tunnel that once saved the besieged city—or exit dry.