Located in the Judean mountains, Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, is home to an overwhelming number of attractions and tourist destinations. Which ones are the can’t-miss sites to see? Well, there are certain sites a tourist shouldn’t miss in the Old City, but contemporary Jerusalem offers several new attractions that are also worth mention. These five are among the best to scope out on your Jerusalem trip.
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a great location to take in a bird’s eye view of Jerusalem. Sightseers will see the Old City, the Temple Mount and more in the foreground and the City of David, the Kidron Valley and West Jerusalem alongside it.
Yad Vashem
Established by the Israeli Parliament in 1953, Yad Vashem stands as a memorial for the near six million Jews that were brutally killed during the Holocaust. Yad Vashem is divided into a historical museum and an art museum and houses an academic research institute that hosts speakers conferences and seminars about the Holocaust and other related issues.
Tower of David Museum
In the medival citadel known as the Tower of David sits Jerusalem’s museum of history, which houses a permanent exhibition that illustrates Jerusalem’s multicultural history. Check out the museum’s Night Spectacular, a magnificent sound and light show that is projected on the citadel’s walls.
Chords Bridge
If you’re looking for something secular to round out the religious attractions, West Jerusalem is the place to go. It’s home to the Israel Museum, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum and the Chords Bridge–which serves Jerusalem’s Light Rail Red Line. Why see it? It was designed to add a defining element to the Jerusalem skyline and was dubbed “Jerusalem’s first shrine of modern design” by Time magazine.