*Cue "Jerusalem" by Matisyahu*Jerusalem! It's kind of got a history, if you know what I mean. A holy city for Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and one of the oldest cities in the world. But you know all that. You're likely reading this because there are so many mind-blowing sites that you don't know where to begin. Can't you just have them all? Well, I mean, yeah, you can see it all if you're doing a study abroad there. For the rest of us poor unfortunate souls, we have to make some decisions. So here is some insight on a few places to help you decide what YOU want to see.For your time in Jerusalem proper, here are some sites you'll probably want to check out:The Old CityObviously you're going to want to explore the Old City. That's non-negotiable. It's .35 square miles of history, people, holy sites, and shops. Don't rush this experience because it's so. dang. cool. We stayed several days at New Imperial Hotel in the Old City right by Jaffa Gate. It is steps away from Church of the Holy Sepulcher and right by an awesome restaurant called Jacob's Pizza—one of the few places in the city you can get something besides kebabs and falafel if you're getting tired of that meal (mention us and Jacob will give you free hot cocoa). If you rented a car, you can park it for cheap at a parking garage right outside Jaffa Gate.Wailing WallThis place is all that's left of the former Jewish temple, and the place where Jews come to pray, cry, and commune with God—one side for women, one for men. They roll up little papers with their prayers on them and stick them in the wall. It is an incredible and humbling sight. If you happen to be there on a Friday evening, Jews dance at the wall to celebrate the coming Shabbat (Sabbath), so you may want to see it then.
Temple Mount/Dome of the RockWhere the temple used to be and where Muslims' iconic mosque, the Dome of the Rock, now sits. Yes, this is the giant gold dome you immediately notice in pictures of Jerusalem and yes, it's beautiful! This site takes a bit of planning because it's a sacred place and you can't just mosey on in whenever you want. Check the hours that the Temple Mount is open to visitors to make sure you don't miss the window. If you are a non-Muslim, you aren't allowed to go inside the Dome of the Rock, but the outside is ornate and gorgeous. Walking around Temple Mount can be a really spiritual experience. We went in the morning right when it opened and it was pretty quiet, which was perfect for imagining the events that occurred there and the temple that once stood there.These guys know how to build a mosque.
Church of the Holy SepulcherThis is in the Christian Quarter and, according to old tradition, contains two of the holiest sites in Christianity: where Jesus was crucified (Golgotha), and Jesus's empty tomb. Inside the church are the last four Stations of the Via Dolorosa (I'll get to that later). Now, this church is cool because every few steps you see some holy place where something holy happened—where Mary stood when she watched Christ on the cross, or where he was buried, or where ancient relics are kept. THAT SAID, all of these spots are kind of just "according to tradition" and it does seem a little random. If you are LDS, Golgotha and the empty tomb are believed to be in different spots, and you don't stand in a line to kiss each holy place after 8573941 other people just kissed it. This is one of the few Christian sites in the Old City, though, so it's neat to walk through (who doesn't love a good cathedral?) and to hear the traditions believed about every step you take. I just wouldn't spend more than an hour or two here is allllll I'm saying.
Garden of GethsemaneIf you're going to spend time somewhere, I'd plan more time here (especially if you're LDS). This garden has eight olive trees that are old enough to have been there when Christ performed the Atonement, bleeding at every pore and suffering for the sins of the world. There is something powerful and quite heavy to think of those trees and what they've seen. It is a quiet, peaceful place because most religions don't count this moment in the Bible to be very significant, so it is a wonderful spot to ponder. We read some scriptures and even watched a Truman G. Madsen video about this place, as well as some Bible videos depicting it. There's also a church nearby that commemorates his suffering that is cool to stop in and see.
The Garden TombOne of my favorite sites! This is where many LDS prophets have confirmed was the true place where Christ was laid in a tomb and resurrected! We went on a beautiful, sunny morning that just felt like an Easter morn the way it should be. There is such a feeling of happiness and peace there that you just want to skip. Or take pictures of everything in sight, in my case.He is risen!
GolgothaThe hill where Mormons believe Christ was crucified, Calvary or Golgotha, is just a jaunt around the corner from the garden tomb. You can't climb on it or anything, but you can stand at a great vantage point to see the sort of skull face in the rocky hill (hence the name Golgotha, or skull, as you learn in every church lesson about the crucifixion/resurrection). You won't need much time to see this, but it's definitely interesting to see to have the picture in your mind.I don't know if I see a skull face in there but whatevs.Other adventures:
Via DolorosaThis is a street in the Old City where Christ is believed to have carried the cross to be crucified. It begins at the Antonia Fortress and winds west to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, marked with nine stations of events that occurred on this walk (five are inside the Church, so fourteen altogether). Have you ever walked through a cathedral and noticed the 14 stations of the cross dotting along the walls? That is referring to this walk. I was astounded getting to walk through the city and stand at the different points where Christ fell, where he was judged by Pilate, when Simon took the cross for Christ, etc. It makes that entire section of the New Testament so real, and is a really neat activity if you have the time. If you are in Jerusalem during the busy season, this might be harder (the stations can be hard to spot in the busy alleyways) and if there are tons of people then I can imagine it wouldn't be quite as inspiring.
Ramparts WalkOkay this was COOL. If you buy a ticket, you can walk on top of the wall of the Old City and see all the different quarters, as well as some incredible views! We loved comparing the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian quarters and how different the styles, cleanliness, and noise levels were (we actually compared the school children in each quarter, TBH, and deduced that Muslim kids are easily the best soccer players). There are little signs explaining the history behind certain views and structures along the walk, which make it more than just a stroll with some views. Walking a section of the Ramparts Walk.Temple InstituteIf it is super rainy or hot and you want to be inside (or if you're an Old Testament scriptorian), check out the Temple Institute. It is a museum that the Jews put together to explain their plans to rebuild the temple on Temple Mount (when they someday take it back from Muslims...awkward) and also to recount the history of Biblical temples, with all of its fascinating symbolism. It's awesome because...well, we Mormons have similar temple plans and a significant interest in temple symbolism...
Hezekiah's TunnelWe ran out of time to do on this trip, but Zach went through Hezekiah's Tunnel on a previous trip and said it was awesome. Pretty cool to trudge through a tunnel you read about in the Bible. You might get your feet/legs wet, so pack accordingly.
Beyond Jerusalem:KibbutzA kibbutz is a Jewish community farm where everyone has to help with the work, and if you're interested in experiencing it, you can stay at one. There are comfortable rooms, absolutely delicious meals (all produced by the farm), and good people. If you really want to get into it, stay for a while and work on the kibbutz! Help in the garden or feed the animals, whatever strikes your fancy.GalileeEasily my favorite. There is a peaceful, inspiring feeling there because this was where so much of His teachings occurred. We loved it. You don't have to spend a ton of time here, but we just liked getting to have some quiet time looking at the sea and recounting some of His teachings and miracles in this area. Zach's an excellent rock-skipper. MasadaI was pleasantly surprised by this place. I was expecting hiking up a big hill to see some ruins. Which, technically, is what you do. But I was blown away by how interesting the history was. Usually I think that's kind of a snooze fest, but the story behind Masada is IN-SANE. And it's fun exploring it all because there is information around explaining what each ruin was. It was like a mini Jewish Pompeii because at every step you can see exactly how they lived.Just climb right up that side. Big thanks to the Romans for building the ramp up (they built it up over the course of months to get to the Jews to kill them, so kiiiind of a bad joke).Dead SeaYou HAVE TO GO. Just go. For some reason I pictured getting to the water, floating around for a minute and feeling how bizarre it was, and then heading out. No, no. We were full on doing synchronized swimming and swimming around and laughing hysterically for a long time. It's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience and a fun change from the loads of walking and site seeing you do on this trip. We went from Masada to Ein Gedi because it was kind of on the way back north. Ein Gedi is kind of like a mini resort where you can get towels and showers after your swim and everything. You'll have to pay a little bit to get in, but it's worth getting to wash the thick crust of salt from your body after your dip. One important piece of advice if you decide to go: bring water shoes! If you have some cheap flip flops or something, bring them. The beach at this section of the sea is just hardened rocks of salt and it is sharp!We had to try the magical Dead Sea minerals on our skin, obviously. That mud took 20 years off of me! I literally washed off and was 8 years old.BethlehemWe discovered that it's easier to just pay a taxi driver to drive you there and be your tour guide through it (if it's safe at the time...sometimes it can be dangerous because it's Palestinian territory). To be honest, if you have to skip a place, I'd skip Bethlehem. There are several places in Israel where they claim this spot to be where Jesus did such and such and this spot He did this, but there isn't proof—it's simply tradition. Bethlehem kind of feels like that. Everyone kisses one spot where he was supposedly born, which is kind of gross haha! It's all a little confusing and the area is fairly unsafe, so that might be a good place to skip if you aren't too passionate about seeing it.Valley of the DovesIf you are looking for something more unique, a hike we did and absolutely loved was the "Jesus Walk" through the Valley of the Doves, below Mount Arbel. There is one mountain pass between Nazareth and Galilee that Jesus would have walked many times traveling between the two cities. So you know for sure that Christ walked those steps! It's not touristy and you may have to do some asking around to find it, but we thought it was incredible. Also some really cool climbs up into the surrounding hills where you can walk around ancient caves and hideouts. If you like hiking, Mount Arbel is a great hike and affords magnificent views of Galilee. This is looking down on the "Jesus Walk" below from a series of caves in the hills.As Christians, the number one reason we loved Jerusalem is that we got to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and more accurately envision His life. When one of your ultimate goals in life is to come to know Him, this trip is pretty unforgettable.

Favorite Sites of the Holy Land

Travel Outside the Lines