Tours of the City
Walking Tours
Leaflets and information on the many government and private tours of the city and surrounding area can be found at the Visitors Centre, Jaffa Gate, Old City (tel: (03) 627 1422), and Christian Information Centre, Jaffa Gate, Old City (tel: (02) 627 2692; website: www.cicts.org). City tours start at 1000 every Saturday from the entrance to the Russian Compound, Cheshin Street, west Jerusalem. No booking is necessary and the tours are free. Zion Walking Tours (tel: (02) 628 7866) provides a three-hour tour of the city (fee). The tourist office also hires out cassettes, for self-guided walking tours. For an overview of the city, there is the Ramparts Walk. Built by Suleiman the Magnificent, the ramparts of the Old City are the most complete of any medieval walls standing today. Entrance is from Jaffa Gate, Damascus Gate and from the Moat Fort. The walk can be completed Saturday to Thursday 0900-1600 and Friday 0900-1400, tickets are valid for two days. Ramparts Walk is subject to tight security and is often closed – check first with the tourist office.
Bus Tours
The Egged National Bus Co-operative (tel: (03) 694 8888; website: www.egged.co.il/Eng/), and United Tours, 9 Coresh Street (tel: (02) 625 2187; website: www.inisrael.com/united/index3.html), are the main operators of coach tours in and around Jerusalem. Similar tours can be arranged (sometimes more cheaply) through numerous smaller private companies. A useful 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 starts at the Jaffa Gate and stops at 26 of Jerusalem’s tourist sites. One-day hop-on-hop-off tickets are available on the bus or in advance (tel: (02) 530 4704). The excursion is available between 1000-1600, departing every two hours.
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