A great way to see the city, literally, is to go on the Ramparts Walk. The Ramparts Walk is exactly what it sounds like: The ancient city's ramparts (the walkway atop the city walls) are available to be walked on. Just be aware, the entrance to is ridiculously difficult to find, and the walk has very limited hours. But the view is something else. And sometimes it's really, really something else... and sometimes is smells like something else. (Yuck!) But it's a great experience that shouldn't be missed, if you're so inclined.
The details:
-Distance: ~2.5 miles.
-The walk does not circumnavigate the city. It stops on either side of the Western Wall.
-Wear Sunscreen and bring water. There is no shade for the entire walk. And you have to go from one end to the other, or go back to the entrance to get out. It's all fenced in.
-If you have balance issues, skip this feature. The walkway is extremely uneven and narrow. The iron railings that line the interior of the wall are, at times, very rickety.
-If you are traveling with small children, skip this walk. The whole time I was on the ramparts I kept having visions of my (then) two-year-old nephew (who was NOT with me on this trip) slipping through the iron grating, falling into random holes in the stone turrets and plummeting to his death a million other ways. It's NOT for children. Don't take them.
-The walk spans the entire perimeter of the old city, so you'll see very different walks of life: extreme poverty to very nice places.
-Just as often as you look below you at the people and their lives, they'll be looking at you, so be nice and considerate and don't stare.
Cost: 9 Shekels (Cash only, exact change)
Start: Look for signs by the money changing booth at the Lion Gate. End at the Dung Gate, in the Muslim Quarter (on the Via Dolorosa).
Hours: Daytime. Generally, 9am to 4pm. No Holidays. Fridays until noon only. Closed Saturdays (Shabbat). Closed for any other number of reasons, too. Good luck.
Above the Dung Gate. Muslim Quarter.
The details:
-Distance: ~2.5 miles.
-The walk does not circumnavigate the city. It stops on either side of the Western Wall.
-Wear Sunscreen and bring water. There is no shade for the entire walk. And you have to go from one end to the other, or go back to the entrance to get out. It's all fenced in.
-If you have balance issues, skip this feature. The walkway is extremely uneven and narrow. The iron railings that line the interior of the wall are, at times, very rickety.
-If you are traveling with small children, skip this walk. The whole time I was on the ramparts I kept having visions of my (then) two-year-old nephew (who was NOT with me on this trip) slipping through the iron grating, falling into random holes in the stone turrets and plummeting to his death a million other ways. It's NOT for children. Don't take them.
-The walk spans the entire perimeter of the old city, so you'll see very different walks of life: extreme poverty to very nice places.
-Just as often as you look below you at the people and their lives, they'll be looking at you, so be nice and considerate and don't stare.
Cost: 9 Shekels (Cash only, exact change)
Start: Look for signs by the money changing booth at the Lion Gate. End at the Dung Gate, in the Muslim Quarter (on the Via Dolorosa).
Hours: Daytime. Generally, 9am to 4pm. No Holidays. Fridays until noon only. Closed Saturdays (Shabbat). Closed for any other number of reasons, too. Good luck.
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