Israel’s Must Do’s.

Though roughly only the size of the state of New Jersey (or Wales for you non-North Americans), it boasts more tourist sites per square foot (or meter) than almost anywhere on earth.

As a private tour guide in Israel, many visitors ask: “If I have only a day or two, where do you recommend I go?” This is both a ridiculously easy question and, at the same time, very difficult one to answer.

Easy because one must go and visit Jerusalem. When one hears the name Jerusalem, different images are conjured up: the Western (Wailing) Wall; the Via Dolorosa and Calvary, the ancient walls and years of conflict.

However, Jerusalem is one of the easiest cities in the world to tour in due to the fact that most of the main tourist sites lie either in the Old City of Jerusalem itself, or just outside its walls.

Jerusalem today is the capital of the modern State of Israel. It is also Israel’s largest city with a population of more than eight hundred thousand. Jerusalem is big in size, too. At almost 50 square miles, Jerusalem well outweighs Tel Aviv (which can boast only 20 square miles and half the population).

So when visiting Jerusalem, start with a tour of the Old City.

Walls built by the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the fifteenth century today surround the Old City of Jerusalem. It took him more than four years to complete the job in 1541 CE. The wall still is roughly the same in Crusader times, which was about the same as in the Byzantine era.

Begin your tour at Jaffa Gate. If you have a car, there are two underground parking lots situated on Yitshak Kariv Street. The new light rail will take you to Zahal Square, and Jaffa Gate is just a short stroll south on the walls.

If possible, plan the tour for any day but Saturday, as many important sites are closed that day and photography and mobile phone use is not allowed at the Western Wall Plaza.

I’ll have more “Must Do’s” in following blogs.