Set in north Israel, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) is the country’s biggest freshwater lake. Bordered by lush countryside and fed by the Jordan River, it’s there that you’ll find farming villages and bustling towns among ancient ruins and biblical sites where Jesus lived, ministered, and is said to have performed miracles.
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City is a raised stone plateau that’s home to some of the most significant religious structures in the world, including the Dome of the Rock, the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Western Wall. The Temple Mount covers a 35-acre area known as al-Haram al-Sharif, and is considered to be a sacred place in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
Located where the Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea, Yardenit (Jordan River Baptismal Site) is one of the world’s most important places of Christian pilgrimage. It's believed to be where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ.
Home to religious landmarks such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Dolorosa, the Christian Quarter—one of four districts in the Old City of Jerusalem—is popular with pilgrims and tourists alike. You’ll find about 40 important sights in this neighborhood, including archaeological attractions, shrines, and monasteries, plus vendors selling everything from fragrant spices to rosary beads.
Some consider King David’s Tomb, on the holy site of Jerusalem’s Mount Zion, to be the burial place of King David of Israel, but whether he was actually buried there is debated. Regardless of the tomb’s existence, the place has deep significance for Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and many pilgrims journey to pay their respects each year.
According to the Christian faith, the night before his crucifixion Jesus prayed in anguish on a rock in the Garden of Gethsemane. Today, the Church of All Nations (Basilica of the Agony enshrines the sacred stone. Completed in 1924, the basilica stands on the remains of two older churches, with Crusader ruins still visible as you enter.
In Christian doctrine, the angel Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth and told her she was going to give birth to Jesus. Built over the Grotto of the Annunciation, where some believe Gabriel appeared, the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation celebrates this miracle. Don’t confuse it with the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation.
With a huge Roman-era theater, an ancient aqueduct framing a golden beach, and more, Caesarea is home to some of Israel’s most striking ruins. Built by Herod the Great around the time of Christ, the remains of this once-thriving port extend beneath the ocean, while waterfront restaurants and bars let you soak up the views in style.
The smallest of the Old City’s four quarters in Jerusalem, the Armenian Quarter has roots dating back to the 4th century. That makes the tiny, 2,000-strong neighborhood the oldest Armenian diaspora in the world. Travelers come to soak up the old-world atmosphere and visit 12th-century landmarks such as St. Mark’s Chapel and the Cathedral of St. James.
This quaint Church of St. Joseph in Nazareth was built in 1914—but don’t let this relatively recent date fool you. It’s constructed atop the remains of a crusader-era chapel and the underground crypt contains an ancient basin, mosaics, and cisterns from Roman times. Christians have long believed that this church also sits on the site of the carpentry workshop of Jesus’s father, Joseph.
During the twentieth century ancient church ruins in Tabgha were excavated, uncovering a stunning mosaic basilica floor from a Byzantine era church, hidden for some 1,300 years. In 1936 a replica of the Byzantine basilica was built on the same site, believed to be the ‘solitary place’ where Jesus miraculously multiplied five loaves and bread and two fish to feed 5,000 listeners. These loaves and fish, which give the Church of the Multiplication its full name (the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes), are depicted in the mosaic just in front of the altar. Other parts of the tile mosaic show a variety of birds and plants from the Galilee region. A 2015 arson attack badly damaged parts of the church, but luckily the fifth century mosaics remained unharmed.
The Western Wall Tunnels in Jerusalem offer a behind-the-scenes exploration of one of the most significant holy sites in Judaism: the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall or Kotel). An underground continuation of the sacred prayer site, the Western Wall Tunnels provide worshipers and visitors a unique perspective on the history of the ancient limestone wall.
Perched 210 feet (64 meters) over the Mediterranean Sea in northwestern Israel, the Rosh Hanikra kibbutz is part of the Achziv Natural Reserve. The area is known for its interesting geological formations—namely sea caves and limestone grottoes made over millennia by the sea washing over rocks and creating tunnels and caverns in the cliffside.
For a slice of Jerusalem life in all its chaotic glory, look no further than Machane Yehuda Market, a bustling bazaar with a history dating back to Ottoman times. By day, shop fresh produce, pastries, flowers, and more; by night, enjoy the buzzing bar and restaurant scene. On Saturdays, the shutters reveal hundreds of vibrant murals.
Just east of the Old City, the Mount of Olives is one of Jerusalem’s top scriptural sites—a major pilgrimage spot for Christians that was used as a Jewish cemetery for more than 3,000 years. The Acts of the Apostles describe the Mount of Olives as the place from where Jesus ascended to heaven.
The City of David National Park is known as the birthplace of Jerusalem, and it holds some of the oldest and most historically significant sites in Israel, predating the adjacent Old City of Jerusalem. Get swept back in time as you explore archeological exhibits, underground tunnels, and biblical sites dating back more than 3,000 years.
During the sixteenth century the Ottoman Turkish sultan Suleiman rebuilt the Old City walls of Jerusalem and included six different gates into the Old City. Jaffa Gate (Bab al-Khalil) is one of the originals, named after its orientation, pointing toward the harbor of Jaffa in Tel Aviv. This gate on the western wall comprises the original dog-legged pedestrian tunnel leading into the Old City, as well as a car-friendly passage constructed in 1898 to allow German Kaiser Wilhelm II to ride into the city. As the main entrance into the Old City, the gate makes a perfect starting point for modern-day explorations. Just inside the gate sits a lively souk which leads into the Christian and Jewish quarters.
The Gospel of John tells that Jesus healed a paralysed man at the Pool of Bethesda. Many Christians and some archaeologists believe these ancient baths, on the grounds of the 12th-century Church of St. Anne, are the biblical Bethesda pools. Topped by the remains of a Byzantine basilica, the ruins are atmospheric but no water remains.
Built in the seventh century, the Dome of the Rock is one of the most famous Muslim shrines in the world. The iconic gilded wooden dome and ornate octagonal base marks the location where the Prophet Muhammad was believed to have ascended to heaven. Located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, the shrine is also home to the Foundation Stone and is an important holy site.
The Golan Heights, a lush, rocky region on the Syria-Israel border, has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, and is a site of political and territorial conflict. It is also a popular tourist destination, thanks to its desirable wine region, Israel’s only ski resort, nature areas with abundant wildlife and outdoor activities, and more.
The Room of the Last Supper—aka the Cenacle, based on the Latin word for dining room, Coenaculum—is a sacred religious site visited by many pilgrims each year. In the Christian tradition, believers say that in this very room, on the holy Mount Zion in Jerusalem, Jesus shared his last Passover supper with his apostles on the night before his death.
Atop Temple Mount, within Old Jerusalem’s al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, the al-Aqsa Mosque has the distinction of being the third-holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Its name translates to “the farthest mosque,” in reference to the journey Muhammad made on his way to heaven to receive instructions from Allah.
Tel Aviv’s original neighborhood, Neve Tzedek (also written Neve Tsedek) was the first Jewish settlement outside the ancient port of Jaffa when it was created in 1887. After a period of decline, it’s now roared back to life as a bohemian district replete with boutiques, galleries, craft stores, and cafés, all focused around its epicenter, Shabazi Street.
One of the nation’s top museums, the Israel Museum Jerusalem hosts thousands of exhibits spanning 5,000 years of history. Highlights include archaeological treasures, the Dead Sea Scrolls, four reconstructed synagogues, a huge scale model of Temple-era Jerusalem, and artworks by Claude Monet, Egon Schiele, Pablo Picasso, and more.
The Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery is one of the oldest and most significant burial grounds in all of Jerusalem. The more than 70,000 tombs that cover the hillsides at the base of the Mount of Olives create a dynamic visual that dates back more than 3,000 years and holds the remains of some of Judaism's most important historical figures.
Despite the name, the Tower of David (Museum of the History of Jerusalem was actually built as a palace for Herod—and may even have been where Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death. Rebuilt over centuries, the citadel hosts Jerusalem history displays, jail cells used by Jewish freedom fighters, temporary exhibitions, and regular shows.
Renowned for its historical, religious, and architectural significance, the Church of St. Anne is recognized as the best-preserved Crusader church in Jerusalem and the birthplace of the Virgin Mary. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem near the Temple Mount, the fortress attracts religious pilgrims along with visitors intrigued by the building’s unique acoustics and adjacent Bethesda Pools.
Dominus Flevit Church is a small Franciscan church located halfway up the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. While the building only dates back to 1955, the site contains the ruins of a 5th-century Byzantine church and necropolis (you can still see the ancient structure’s mosaic floor and tombs.) The church is also known for its panoramic view overlooking the Temple Mount.
Located at the peak of the Mount of Olives, this panoramic landmark commemorates the spot where Christians believe that Jesus ascended to heaven after his death. The star attraction is an imprint in a stone slab considered to be the footprint of Jesus. The site also contains a centuries-old mosque built after the Crusader era and is regularly visited by pilgrims and tourists.
When Ottoman Turkish Sultan Suleiman was rebuilding the Old City walls of Jerusalem during the sixteenth century, the architects neglected to consider a Franciscan monastery just outside the walls. What is today the Zion Gate (Bab an-Nawi Dawud) was punched through the wall to provide the monastery access to the Old City. During the 1948 War of Independence the gate was the site of fierce fighting between Jordanians and Palmach forces; the facade still bears bullet holes. One of eight gates in the wall, Zion Gate is situated on the south side of the city, looking out toward Mount Zion. For modern day visitors, the gate serves as one of the primary entrances into the Jewish and Armenian quarters.
