Most visitors spend all their time inside the walls and never see what's just outside them. Here are the routes worth the walk.
1. Yemin Moshe and Mishkenot Sha'ananim
The Montefiore Windmill and the first Jewish neighbourhood built outside the walls, with genuinely beautiful views back toward the Old City. My full piece on Montefiore and the First Station covers the story behind this route in detail.
2. The German Colony and Emek Refaim
A different Jerusalem entirely, tree-lined streets, cafes, and a distinctly European architectural character from the neighbourhood's founding by German Templers in the 19th century. A relaxed, flat walk, good for an afternoon or a work team looking for something lighter than the Old City.
3. Mount Zion
Just outside the walls near the Jaffa Gate side, home to sites significant across multiple faiths, and a good add-on for a walk that starts or ends near the Old City's southern edge.
4. Mount of Olives
A steeper, more demanding walk, but one with some of the best views over the Old City and the Temple Mount anywhere in the city, along with genuine historical and religious weight of its own.
5. Alternative routes away from the classics
If you've already covered the above, or simply want a different angle on the city, my guide to alternative tours of Jerusalem goes further into routes that skip the well-worn path entirely.
The best way to walk this list: my Beyond the Walls tour combines the best of these routes into one guided day, so you're not stitching them together yourself.
Let's see the Jerusalem beyond the walls, properly.
Tell me how much time you've got, and I'll build the route.
See the Beyond the Walls tour
Written by Orit Kropp
Licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, Jerusalem-based, and endlessly enthusiastic about bringing the Tanach to life on the ground where it happened.