Hotels near Mount of Olives

The Mount of Olives is a 826-metre ridge running north-south east of the Old City - holy to Judaism (the largest Jewish cemetery in the world has 150000 graves dating back 3000 years) and Christianity (Jesus ascended to heaven from here, Acts 1:9-12). The Western slope offers the most photographed view of Jerusalem - the Dome of the Rock and Old City walls fill the foreground with the desert beyond.

Standout sights along the descent walk: Church of the Pater Noster (Lord's Prayer in 140 languages on plaques), the Dominus Flevit chapel (tear-shaped, marking where Jesus wept over Jerusalem), the Garden of Gethsemane with 2000-year-old olive trees, and the Church of All Nations covering the rock where Jesus prayed before his arrest. Free to visit; small donations welcomed at churches. Modest dress at churches. Allow 3 hours for the full descent walk.

Pro Tip: Take a taxi or bus 75 to the top, then walk the 1.5 km descent to Gethsemane via the Palm Sunday Road - the gravity helps and you walk into the iconic Jerusalem panorama. Stop at the viewpoint terrace just above the Jewish cemetery for the standard postcard photo.