HERE ARE SOME TRAVEL TIPS
JERUSALEM, DAYS 1–3
You could spend a lifetime in Jerusalem, but three days is probably a good minimum to get a feel for the city and environs. First, spend a day getting an overview of the holy sites of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Start with the Western Wall, then go up to the Temple Mount (morning hours) to view the Muslim shrines. Follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Stop for a Middle Eastern–style lunch in the Christian Quarter before walking down into the Jewish Quarter. (Note: The Temple Mount is closed Friday and Saturday, and some Jewish Quarter sites close early Friday and only reopen Sunday.) Explore the remarkable underworld of biblical (Old Testament) Jerusalem, or if you have a car, pick up one or two of the panoramic views.
On your second day, you can venture farther afield: many consider the Israel Museum and Yad Vashem, including the Holocaust History Museum, essential if you're visiting Jerusalem. Mt. Herzl National Memorial Park is also a meaningful excursion. A good plan is to avoid burnout by doing one of the big museums on Day 2, the other on Day 3. (Note: Yad Vashem and Mt. Herzl are closed Saturday.) Add the Machaneh Yehuda produce market (closed Saturday) and the Knesset menorah.
Your third day can be devoted to the second of the above museums, and sites within an hour of Jerusalem: perhaps a wine tour in the Judean Hills. Or join a dig at Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park with Archaeological Seminars—and on your way back, visit Mini Israel, with its hundreds of models of Israeli sites.