Walking
tours
Leaflets and information
on the several government and private tours of the city and surrounding
area can be found at the Visitors Centre and the Christian Information
Centre:
Visitors Centre
Address: Jaffa Gate, Old City
Telephone: (03) 627 1422
Christian Information Centre
Address: Jaffa Gate, Old City
Telephone: (02) 627 2692
Website address: www.cicts.org
City tours start at 10.00 am every Saturday
from the entrance to the Russian Compound, Cheshin Street, west
Jerusalem. No booking is required and the tours are free. Zion Walking
Tours (telephone: (02) 628 7866) provides a 3 hour tour of the city
(fee).
The tourist office also rents out cassettes, for
self guided walking tours. For an overview of Jerusalem, there is
the Ramparts Walk. Built by Suleiman the wonderful, the ramparts
of the Old City are the most complete of any medieval walls standing
today. Entrance is from Moat Fort, Jaffa Gate and Damascus Gate.
The walk can be completed Saturday to Thursday from 9.00 am to 4.00
pm and Fridays 9.00 am to 2.00 pm, tickets are valid for 2 days.
Ramparts Walk is subject to tight security and is often closed,
please check 1st with the tourist office.
Bus
Tours
The
Egged National Bus Co-operative (telephone: (03) 694 8888),
and United
Tours, 9 Coresh Street (telephone: (02) 625 2187), are the main
operators of coach tours in and around Jerusalem. Similar tours
can be arranged (sometimes more economically) through many smaller
private companies.
A helpful introduction to the city is the bus route 99, which is
operated by Egged and known as the circle line because it takes
passengers on a circular tour of the city. It begins at the Jaffa
Gate and stops at 26 of Jerusalem’s tourist sites. 1 day hop
on hop off tickets are available on the bus or in advance (telephone:
(02) 530 4704). The excursion is available between 10.00 am to 4.00
pm, departing every 2 hours.
Excursions
for half day
Bethlehem
Situated just 12 kilometres (7 miles) south of central Jerusalem,
the ancient biblical town of Bethlehem, which lies
just across the ‘Green Line’ in the West Bank, is an
obvious, satisfying excursion from the city. Unfortunately, security
considerations have made it difficult and sometimes dangerous to
visit during the last 2 years. It is essential to check the current
situation before travelling to the town. Visitors should keep up
to date through English language daily newspapers, such as The
Jerusalem Post, however it is advised to check with locals before
planning a trip.
Bethlehem is known internationally as the birth place
of Jesus Christ, born, according to the New Testament,
in a food trough in a cattle shed. However, Bethlehem also appears
in the scriptures nearly 2,000 years before Jesus, as the burial
place of Rachel, the wife of Jacob. The events of the Book of Ruth
took place here, too, and this was also the birth place of King
David. The town is therefore of great significance to Christians
and Jews alike, and several Arabs living here are Christians rather
than Muslim.
In the 4th century, a cave was selected as the exact place where
Jesus was born and the Church of the Nativity erected
over the site. The elaborate and atmospheric medieval church, standing
along 1 side of Manger Square is the focal point for any visit.
The Cave of the Nativity is reached by going down some steps inside
the church and a star on the floor shows where Jesus was thought
to have been born.
Other sites in and around Bethlehem include the Shepherds’
Field and Grotto. Another well known site which is on the Jerusalem
side of town is Rachel’s Tomb, however, this and Grotto are
both particularly dangerous spots at present. Away from the rather
tawdry tourist sights, Bethlehem is a delightful small Arab town.
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA)
tourist information centre (telephone: (02) 074 1581) is situated
on the southern side of Manger Square, but is currently closed.
The PNA also have official website's (www.bethlehem2000.org
and www.visit-palestine.com),
which give some information about the town, but neither has been
updated since they were 1st put up in 1999, before the start of
the intifada.
If Bethlehem can be safely visited, it can be simply
reached by sherut (shared taxi) from Jerusalem. Sheruts leave from
opposite the Old City’s Damascus Gate and follow the Hebron
Road. A passport is needed to show at checkpoints.
Excursions
for a whole day
Masada
Located on an isolated flat mountain top in the
Judean Desert and overlooking the Dead Sea, Masada (pronounced ‘matzada’
in Hebrew which means ‘fortress’) was the scene of the
final heroic Jewish resistance against the Romans. The group of
Jewish zealots who had fled with their families to Masada realised
that they faced forthcoming defeat and, rather than surrender to
the Romans, all 967 men, women and children committed suicide. The
extensive ruins include Herod’s Palace (telephone: (08) 658
4207), the fortress, the synagogue, an elaborate bathhouse and much
more. Guided tours are possible.
Masada
(telephone: (07) 658 4117/8;) is run as a national park. It is open
Saturday to Thursday 8.00 am to 5.00 pm (until 4.00 pm from October
to March) and Fridays from 5.00 pm to 3.00 pm (the cable car operates
from 8.00 am). There is an admission charge and the cable car costs
extra.
Masada lies on Route 90 close to the Dead Sea,
22 kilometres (14 miles) east of the desert town of Arad, and 20
kilometres (12 miles) south of Ein-Gedi. Approaching from the east,
the road ends at the parking lot at the bottom of the mountain.
From there the ascent is either by the cable car, or by walking
up the Snake Path, a demanding climb taking just under 1 hour. From
the west, the road ends at the western parking lot, from which there
is a 15 to 20 minute simple climb to the top. Masada can be reached
by bus 487, 444, 486 or from west Jerusalem.
Ein Gedi Spa, Dead Sea
Situated on the western shore, the Ein
Gedi Spa (telephone: (08) 659 4760 or 4813) offers a chance
to float in the Dead Sea, relax in its sulphur pools and enjoy its
brilliant restaurant. Bathers can be covered in black mud before
going for a dunking in the sea, which, at some 400 metres (1,320ft)
below sea level, is the lowest point on earth. Famous for its curative
powers, the Dead Sea is the saltiest and most mineral
loaded body of water in the world. The Ein Gedi Spa is open Saturday
to Thursday from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm, and Friday 7.00 am to 5.00
pm (admission charge). It can be reached by bus 421, 444 or 486
from west Jerusalem.
It is possible to merge the Masada and Ein Gedi Spa in a day with
1 of the tours run by the Egged
National Bus Co-operative (telephone: (03) 694 8888).
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