Jerusalem City Gates Walking Tour (Self Guided), Jerusalem

Historians believe that the Old City of Jerusalem probably came into being more than 4,500 years ago. The defensive wall around it features a number of gates built on the order of the Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in the first half of the 16th century, each of which is an attraction in its own right. Until as recently as 1870, they were all closed from sunset to sunrise; nowadays, just the section between Lions’ Gate and the Dung Gate is closed to the public.

Begin your walk with Jaffa – the busiest of the seven Old City gates, and the main one for both traffic and pedestrians coming from modern West Jerusalem. The old road to the town started here, and today this large gate one is the best place for visitors to access the ramparts and walk along the city walls. After climbing the steps immediately inside and paying admission, the ramparts pass over the New Gate, added in the 1880s to allow pilgrims direct access to the Christian Quarter, and the Damascus Gate – the grandest of all the Old City gates, providing a sort of opening to a microcosm of the Palestinian world with all its flurry of daily activity.

Between the Damascus Gate and the Zion Gate, you’ll find the Christian and Armenian quarters, on the right, and on the left, the Muslim Quarter and then the Jewish Quarter. Occasional vantage points allow you to look out across the Hinnom Valley below to the red rooftops of the early Jewish settlement of Mishkenot Shaananim, while the final stretch affords wonderful views of the Arab village of Silwan.

Our self-guided walking tour will lead you gate to gate, revealing all the mysteries and curiosities along the way. Put on some good shoes, stay hydrated and take photos that will be much different from everyone’s usual travel photos!