The living may be easy in the summertime, but it can still be a challenge to leave the cool embrace of air conditioning and find something to do outside the hotel room or apartment. That's where GoJerusalem.com comes in - with our list of 50 indispensable ways to spend your summer in Jerusalem, you'll never be without a plan for making the Holy City your oyster. Get planning:
1. Dance
for hours with Jerusalem's youth at a 2. Head over to the Billy Rose sculpture
garden at the Israel
Museum and enjoy the silence in James Turrell’s Space that Sees.
3. Cool
off with an uber-large fresh glass of mint-infused lemonade blended
with ice at Bolinat.
Also available with vodka if you're feeling adventurous.
5. Enjoy
the many festivals on tap for this summer, including the Wine Festival,
the rooftop concert series at Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the
Jerusalem Film
Festival, the International Puppetry Festival, and the Beer Festival, with details available
for your perusal in our events section.
6. Walk along the mighty ramparts of the Old City (pictured).
9. Skip
the long lines of people waiting to get their tickets to see the Israel
Museum’s grand reopening by booking your tickets online.
13. A day of pampering at the Inbal Hotel's spa.
14. A day excursion to the Dead Sea and its healing salts.
15. Hike the trails of Ein Kerem and enjoy unforgettable views of the Jerusalem Hills.
16. Check out guest chefs and breezy cocktails on the roof of the Mamilla Hotel at their Rooftop restaurant (pictured).
17. Climb the Mount of Olives at dawn and watch as the rising sun hits the Old City before you.
18. Take a jog or join a pickup game of soccer or basketball at Gan Sacher.
19. Drink arak, talk politics and peruse the latest in international alt-comics late into the night at Uganda.
20. Swing by the Marzipan bakery after a day shopping in the Machane Yehuda market for a 5 NIS coffee slushy, the best ice cafe deal in town.
21. Observe the goings-on and take in the best of Jerusalem arts, crafts and more at the Chutzot HaYotzer artists' fair (pictured).
22. Eat the ultimate Israeli summer food: chunks of juicy watermelon topped with cubes of briny bulgarit cheese (sounds weird, tastes good).
23. Have a cool drink outside in the lovely and historic courtyard of the American Colony Hotel.
24. Rub (at least) elbows with the young, beautiful and energetic set by dancing the night away at Gag or the other megaclubs of Talpiot.
25. Knock back a beer while watching an art flick at the uber-cool Smadar Theater in the German Colony.
26. Boost your energy with a schpritz of qat (a leaf with mild stimulant properties) and etrog (citron) extracts at the shuk’s witch doctor (pictured).
27. Taste the summer with local, seasonal gourmet fare at Eucalyptus.
28. Splash through the cool, wet underground of Hezekiah's Tunnel - and learn about Jerusalem's history as you do.
29. Catch one of the nightly small-group jazz, Balkan or something-else shows at Birman, a downtown bistro owned by a former Jerusalem mayoral candidate for the Green Leaf party.
30. Take a stroll through the verdant Valley of the Cross in the Rechavia neighborhood, then cool off at one of the many cafes and restaurants on Azza Street.
31. Hop on the double-decker 99 Egged Bus Line and enjoy the most affordable - and convenient - audio tour of Jerusalem history available on four wheels.
32. Eat at each of Jerusalem's four favorite hummus restaurants and decide for yourself: Ta'ami, Pinati, Abu Shukri and Lina (pictured).
33. Drink and dance at HaTza'atzua, a downtown bar occupying a former toy factory.
34. Catch whatever sport strikes your fancy on the big screen with other fans at Stardust. 35. Score some deals at the weekly flea market in the German Colony.
36. Take
the kids to a Jerusalem children's landmark: the Mifletzet
slide/sculpture in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood (pictured).
37. Take a guided tour of the Old City, the Mount of Olives and more.
38. Sample the region's finest varietals at Winery, Jerusalem's only wine bar, which specializes in local wines.
39. For a unique experience, try a session in the venerable Ottoman-era hammam (steam bath) at the Mount Zion Hotel.
40. Take a walking tour of Jerusalem's historic neighborhoods on Fridays with Beit Avi Chai.
41. Tour the excavations in the City of David if you can stand the heat, or the exhibits in the nearby, underground, air-conditioned Davidson Center if you can't.
42. Check out the boards or just hang out at Jerusalem counterculture landmark Gili's Skateshop on Shammai Street.
43. Roll down the tayelet (pedestrian promenade) on a Segway (pictured).
44. Try an eyebrow-raising favorite Jerusalem dish - meorav yerushalmi - at Agrippas Street landmark Chatzot.
45. Enjoy one of a handful of barad (slushy) flavor options
(including green apple and passion fruit) on tap
at the midrachov’s Fresh Juice Bar (pictured).
46. Experience the history of Jerusalem like you never have before - with interactive film, chairs with six axes of motion, lights, sound, fury and more at the Jerusalem Time Elevator.
47. Have a sold-by-the-weight slice of Roman-style pizza al taglio at Pizza Italia and eat at the counter or al fresco.
48. Stop by the newly rebuilt and quite impressive Hurva
Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter.
49. Enjoy a mojito and glassed-in 360 degree views of Jerusalem at the trendy Shakuf club.
50. Escape the bustle of the Old City and have a piece of traditional apple strudel at the cafe at the Austrian Hospice
(pictured).
Main photo courtesy of Shmuel Cohen for The Front Stage. Chutzot HaYotzer photo courtesy of Jerusalem Municipality.
4. Experience
a different side of Machane
Yehuda at night. Sit down, take a load off and enjoy a drink while
listening live music at Cafe
Mizrachi.
5. Enjoy
the many festivals on tap for this summer, including the Wine Festival,
the rooftop concert series at Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the
Jerusalem Film
Festival, the International Puppetry Festival, and the Beer Festival, with details available
for your perusal in our events section.
6. Walk along the mighty ramparts of the Old City (pictured).
7. Eat a massive helping of knafeh, a delicious Arab dessert
consisting of shreds of phyllo dough drenched in syrupy sugar water and
filled with gooey, salty, warm goat cheese, at Jaffar’s in the Old City.
9. Skip
the long lines of people waiting to get their tickets to see the Israel
Museum’s grand reopening by booking your tickets online.
10. Browse
local crafts and live performances amid the swanky shopping hoopla of
the Mamilla Mall at their Thursday night "Summer Nights" series.
11. Check out the best that local museums have to offer, including deep-sea life forms at the Bloomfield Science Museum, clocks with plenty of baggage at the Museum of Islamic Art, and curious Jewish superstition amulets (pictured) at the Bible Lands Museum.
12. Blow your mind a little at the trippy Night Spectacular show, projected onto the Old City's walls (no Pink Floyd, though).11. Check out the best that local museums have to offer, including deep-sea life forms at the Bloomfield Science Museum, clocks with plenty of baggage at the Museum of Islamic Art, and curious Jewish superstition amulets (pictured) at the Bible Lands Museum.
13. A day of pampering at the Inbal Hotel's spa.
14. A day excursion to the Dead Sea and its healing salts.
15. Hike the trails of Ein Kerem and enjoy unforgettable views of the Jerusalem Hills.
16. Check out guest chefs and breezy cocktails on the roof of the Mamilla Hotel at their Rooftop restaurant (pictured).
17. Climb the Mount of Olives at dawn and watch as the rising sun hits the Old City before you.
18. Take a jog or join a pickup game of soccer or basketball at Gan Sacher.
19. Drink arak, talk politics and peruse the latest in international alt-comics late into the night at Uganda.
20. Swing by the Marzipan bakery after a day shopping in the Machane Yehuda market for a 5 NIS coffee slushy, the best ice cafe deal in town.
21. Observe the goings-on and take in the best of Jerusalem arts, crafts and more at the Chutzot HaYotzer artists' fair (pictured).
22. Eat the ultimate Israeli summer food: chunks of juicy watermelon topped with cubes of briny bulgarit cheese (sounds weird, tastes good).
23. Have a cool drink outside in the lovely and historic courtyard of the American Colony Hotel.
24. Rub (at least) elbows with the young, beautiful and energetic set by dancing the night away at Gag or the other megaclubs of Talpiot.
25. Knock back a beer while watching an art flick at the uber-cool Smadar Theater in the German Colony.
26. Boost your energy with a schpritz of qat (a leaf with mild stimulant properties) and etrog (citron) extracts at the shuk’s witch doctor (pictured).
27. Taste the summer with local, seasonal gourmet fare at Eucalyptus.
28. Splash through the cool, wet underground of Hezekiah's Tunnel - and learn about Jerusalem's history as you do.
29. Catch one of the nightly small-group jazz, Balkan or something-else shows at Birman, a downtown bistro owned by a former Jerusalem mayoral candidate for the Green Leaf party.
30. Take a stroll through the verdant Valley of the Cross in the Rechavia neighborhood, then cool off at one of the many cafes and restaurants on Azza Street.
31. Hop on the double-decker 99 Egged Bus Line and enjoy the most affordable - and convenient - audio tour of Jerusalem history available on four wheels.
32. Eat at each of Jerusalem's four favorite hummus restaurants and decide for yourself: Ta'ami, Pinati, Abu Shukri and Lina (pictured).
33. Drink and dance at HaTza'atzua, a downtown bar occupying a former toy factory.
34. Catch whatever sport strikes your fancy on the big screen with other fans at Stardust. 35. Score some deals at the weekly flea market in the German Colony.
36. Take
the kids to a Jerusalem children's landmark: the Mifletzet
slide/sculpture in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood (pictured).
37. Take a guided tour of the Old City, the Mount of Olives and more.
38. Sample the region's finest varietals at Winery, Jerusalem's only wine bar, which specializes in local wines.
39. For a unique experience, try a session in the venerable Ottoman-era hammam (steam bath) at the Mount Zion Hotel.
40. Take a walking tour of Jerusalem's historic neighborhoods on Fridays with Beit Avi Chai.
41. Tour the excavations in the City of David if you can stand the heat, or the exhibits in the nearby, underground, air-conditioned Davidson Center if you can't.
42. Check out the boards or just hang out at Jerusalem counterculture landmark Gili's Skateshop on Shammai Street.
43. Roll down the tayelet (pedestrian promenade) on a Segway (pictured).
44. Try an eyebrow-raising favorite Jerusalem dish - meorav yerushalmi - at Agrippas Street landmark Chatzot.
45. Enjoy one of a handful of barad (slushy) flavor options
(including green apple and passion fruit) on tap
at the midrachov’s Fresh Juice Bar (pictured).
46. Experience the history of Jerusalem like you never have before - with interactive film, chairs with six axes of motion, lights, sound, fury and more at the Jerusalem Time Elevator.
47. Have a sold-by-the-weight slice of Roman-style pizza al taglio at Pizza Italia and eat at the counter or al fresco.
48. Stop by the newly rebuilt and quite impressive Hurva
Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter.
49. Enjoy a mojito and glassed-in 360 degree views of Jerusalem at the trendy Shakuf club.
50. Escape the bustle of the Old City and have a piece of traditional apple strudel at the cafe at the Austrian Hospice
(pictured).
Main photo courtesy of Shmuel Cohen for The Front Stage. Chutzot HaYotzer photo courtesy of Jerusalem Municipality.
RSS Feed
15:46 
JERUSALEM