Jerusalem - Yerushalayim in Hebrew - is located on Israel's eastern boundary, in the region historically called Judaea.
  The city dates back at least to the construction in about 1000BC of the First Temple where the Jewish priesthood made sacrifices, and which was the focal point for all Jewish religious observance. It stood on Temple Mount and dominated the city. The Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in about 586BC, but just 70 years later was rebuilt as the vast gold-clad Second Temple. It was reconstructed, enlarged and adorned under the Romans by King Herod in about 19BC. However, because the Jewish people resisted Roman rule, the Temple was again destroyed in 70AD, along with most of Jerusalem (135AD).
  Another part of Emperor Hadrian's 'final solution'  to the problem of Jewish rebellions was to  change the name of Judaea to Palaestina and bring in measures to humiliate the population. Most fled from Judaea and scattered throughout the Roman empire, beginning the Jewish exile which lasted until the decline of Rome and the Arab conquest (638AD), after which Jews began to return to Jerusalem. However, most remained scattered in different countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
  Under the impetus of extreme anti-semitism in 19th-century Europe and the consequent emergence of Zionism as the Jewish national liberation movement, Jews began a more organised return to Jerusalem and Judaea in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  Zionism triumphed over Arab and British colonialism in 1948, and the liberated Jewish land was renamed Israel. Jerusalem was finally fully re-conquered by Jewish forces in 1967, and once more became the Jewish capital.

The main tourist office is just inside the Jaffa Gate into the Old City.

The Old City lies on Jerusalem's eastern edge. East Jerusalem is a small but densely populated Arab district north of the Old City. West Jerusalem extends westward from the Old City walls. The vibrant heart of Jerusalem is around King George V Street and Zion Square, in West Jerusalem.

As you cross the city boundary into Jerusalem, there's a frisson of excitement about its long history and immense religious and political importance. However, the busy central area (in West Jerusalem) with its traffic, crowds of shoppers and lively, upbeat atmosphere, is surprisingly like any other modern city, albeit with more abstract, weightier concerns than most.
  Pass through the mighty gates into the Old City - the original Jerusalem, where most of the historic and religious sights are located - and you come face to face with an awesome heritage and complex cultural diversity.

West Jerusalem (which is almost the whole city) is easy, pleasant and safe to walk around at all times. Take more care when walking in the Arab districts of the Old City and East Jerusalem. There's an extensive and inexpensive bus system, passing through the various colourful and diverse neighbourhoods. To get out to the Knesset and Yad Vashem, which lie on the western edge of the city, you may prefer to use a taxi.

There are masses of cafés, scores of outdoor tables, open-fronted snack stalls and smarter eating places in and around Zion Square and Ben Yehuda Street and on all the busier streets. Try the Israelis' favourites, "falafel in pitta" (falafels, houmous, salads, tahina all in a pitta wrap) or shwarma (same as kebab). Most of the 4/5-star hotels have good quality restaurants open to the public.
  Almost all eating places in Jerusalem, other than Arab establishments, are kosher, meaning that meat and milk cannot be served together and all ingredients conform to Jewish religious law.
  The wines of Israel range from light white to dry red and sweet rosé. The best come from the Israel's Golan and Carmel regions.
  The main avenues of the city centre (West Jerusalem) are packed with hotels in every price bracket. An interesting alternative away from the centre is the quiet, civilised and modestly priced hotel at Kibbutz Ramat Rahel (or Rachel), 3 miles from Jerusalem on the Bethlehem road. The tourist office can assist with hotel bookings.

By air - Flights to Israel arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport, on the Jerusalem highway about 30km (18 miles) from Jerusalem. The flight time from London is around 5 hours. Easyjet operate low-cost flights from London to Jerusalem. Other airlines include British Airways and El Al.

Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival
Shavuot (May/June) and Sukkot (October)
The hosts are Muslim, most guests Jews, and the venues Christian churches for four days of superb Baroque and Renaissance liturgical choral music at this village just west of Jerusalem.
www.agfestival.co.il

Israel Festival
May-June 2012 (dates tbc)
Two-week nationwide festival focused mainly on Jerusalem, celebrating Israeli and foreign contemporary performing arts as well as music from pop to classical.
www.israel-festival.org.il

Opera Festival
7-11 June 2012 (tbc)
This year, Carmen is to be performed by leading international opera singers at Masada, among a programme of events at the Dead Sea and in Jerusalem.
www.carmen-at-masada.com/

      In the Old City     

 David’s Tower 
As you enter Jerusalem’s Old City through impressively fortified Jaffa Gate, David’s Tower (History of Jerusalem Museum), rises imposingly on the right. Inside, its brilliant displays vividly tell the long and complex history of the city. The rooftop gives a stirring vista towards Temple Mount.
www.towerofdavid.org.il

 Temple Mount / Dome of the Rock 
The glorious Dome of the Rock, a shining landmark of gold in an intricately beautiful setting, dominates Temple Mount (Har HaBayit in Hebrew, Haram esh-Sharif in Arabic), site of the ancient Temple, centre of Jewish worship. The Israeli government allows the site to be run by the Islamic trust or waqf.  Non-Muslim visitors may enter the site at certain times on payment of a fee.

 Western Wall 
Every kind of Jew from around the world - Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Ethiopian, religious, secular - crowds the huge plaza in front of this awesome wall of mighty stone blocks, the most revered site in Judaism. Although this was in fact only the outer retaining wall of the site, it is the last remnant still standing of the great Temple itself. This is one of the few holy sites whose importance is based on historical reality rather than myth or legend. Extending all along one side of the animated plaza, which lies below Temple Mount, the wall is 20.2m (67ft) high and 27.7m (91ft) long.

 Jerusalem Archaeological Park 
and The Davidson Center
One of the most impressive and rewarding sights in the Old City is this immense archaeological site along the south side of Temple Mount. It can be approached via Western Wall Plaza or Dung Gate. Years of excavation have yielded amazing discoveries at this site. Highlights are the underground ruins of a Byzantine House, and the huge Hulda Stairway (partly reconstructed) that gave direct access to the Temple via the Hulda Gates. These stairs were the main access to the Temple. The steps are all different widths to ensure that anyone going up to the Temple had to approach slowly and carefully.
  The Davidson Center, close to the park entrance, uses these archaeological discoveries as the basis for an imaginative high-tech showcase of life in Second Temple times and other periods. A film of a pilgrim visiting the Temple is among the highly effective attractions. The high-tech Virtual Reality Reconstruction (available only to groups, but it may be possible to join a group) is similar, but enables a guide to give you a tour around the Temple exterior, though not inside, as no excavation of the Temple itself has been possible
www.archpark.org.il

 Wohl Archaeological Museum 
Go below ground level to visit genuine 2000-year-old villas and a mansion in this exceptional museum/archaeological site in the Jewish Quarter. Each has a ritual bath decorated in ceramic tiles and collections of household objects from the period.

 Church of the Holy Sepulchre 
Enclosing what Catholic and Orthodox churches accept as the site of the Crucifixion, this ornate Byzantine church at the heart of the Christian Quarter is a fascinating complex of different shrines in the hands of different denominations.

      In the New City     

 Yad Vashem 
On the western edge of the city, this remarkable and deeply affecting museum and documentation centre is Israel's principal monument to the millions of Jewish people - approximately half the world's Jewish population of the time - murdered in the Holocaust. The extensive site contains many separate memorials, such as the Children's Memorial. All are deeply moving.
www.yadvashem.org

 Israel Museum 
The Israel Museum is the country’s foremost collection of its archaeology and ancient art, with some of the world’s most impressive archaeological discoveries on display. Among them, the Dead Sea Scrolls, housed in their own building, the Shrine of the Book.
www.imj.org.il

Jerusalem's main shopping experiences are the bazaar-like Street of the Chain, in the Old City; smarter Old City shopping  on the Cardo; in the city centre (in West Jerusalem), the vibrant and colourful Mahaneh Yehuda daily produce market and enjoyable pedestrianised Nahalat Shiva lanes; Malka shopping mall – the city's largest, with hundreds of stores, located in the Malka district at the the end of the Rabin highway.
  Note that haggling or bargaining is not usual in Israel (other than in Arab markets and Arab stores).
  Judaica - It's no surprise that city centre Jerusalem shops and stalls in the Old City Jewish Quarter sell a wide variety of Judaica (hanukkiot, mezuzot, kippot, dreidels, etc) from classic silverware to innovative designs and materials.
 Jewellery - Fine silverwork, gold, jewellery set with diamonds, are all locally made by talented craft workers, often with imaginative designs and very reasonable prices. .
 Designer fashions - Israel is fashion conscious, with a stylish informality all its own. Casual clothes and beachwear are specialities.
 Arts and crafts - Stroll Nahalat Shiva for artworks and handmade jewelry by local artists. 
 Shuk bargains - Along the narrow alleyways of the Old City, open-fronted stores in the Arab Quarter offer hand-blown glass, wood-carved souvenirs and interesting jewellery.

- Book well ahead if you want to stay near the Old City.
- Private guided tours in English are available at short notice from the tourist office guide service.
- Modest dress is required at all places of worship, and men should cover their heads at Jewish religious sites (paper kippah usually available free if required).
- Shabbat shutdown: from Friday late afternoon to Saturday evening, almost everything is closed and there is no public transport.