Despite recent events in Israel, Jerusalem’s enduring appeal lies in its buildings, landmarks and archaeological sites that span centuries and millennia. Between 2020 and 2022, Israeli tech companies and cultural institutions added high-tech features to Old City walking tours, making these sacred sites more accessible, sustainable and engaging—valuable both for first-time visitors and those returning when travel resumes. Other guided experiences highlight how small businesses contribute to Jerusalem’s evolving, modern lifestyle.
The East Jerusalem Development Company has enriched the Ramparts Walk/Walls Promenade with a layered historical narrative using a smartphone app, QR codes and 3-D-printed bronze-style statues. Along the elevated trail, visitors can point their phones at QR codes on signage to see historical figures come to life, offering first-person accounts of events from biblical and Roman eras through the Ottoman period and the British mandate after World War I. Newly constructed ramps and accessibility features enable visitors with physical disabilities to experience the walls, while additional apps provide interactive experiences tailored to visually impaired travelers.
© Elyse Glickman
Tour operators such as Israel-2Go offer routes that combine famous landmarks with important restoration projects in the Jewish Quarter, including work at the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue, the Herodian Mansion and the Davidson Centre. These tours illuminate lesser-known sites and make them safer and easier to explore. Near the Western Wall, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation runs the Bridge Route and Great Stone Route Western Wall Tunnel Tours, taking visitors below ground through successive layers of ancient civilizations.
“I always tell my students that you need a developed imagination—what we’re seeing is more than just a pile of rocks,” said Nachum Applebaum, a guide for Western Wall Tunnel Tours, historian and academic. He explains that each level encountered below ground corresponds to an earlier historical era, descending through periods associated with King Herod and the Romans.
Outside the Old City, food tours by Yallah Basta and Delicious Israel showcase Machane Yehuda Market, where visitors can enjoy timeless local favorites like hummus and falafel alongside regional specialties such as Yemenite laffa wraps, Georgian-style breakfasts and the famous rugelach from Marzipan Bakery. These tours present Jerusalem’s culinary diversity and the artisans behind it.
© Elyse Glickman
A short walk from Machane Yehuda, Thinkers Distillery blends traditional distillation techniques with sustainable innovations to introduce its spirits to cocktail enthusiasts. Founded in 2021 by Bennett and Yael Kaplan with partner Avi Ingber, the distillery welcomes guests to tours and tasting flights where they can sample signature spirits and cocktails while learning about the craft and the technology behind production.
Fashion-focused experiences, such as Fashionating by Liri, connect participants with emerging Jerusalem designers and can be customized to individual tastes. These tours spotlight a creative scene that is both rooted in local tradition and oriented toward contemporary design.
Although the ongoing conflict in the region has affected tourism to Jerusalem and Israel more broadly, the tours and businesses described here continue to operate. Travelers should exercise personal discretion and consult official travel advisories when considering a visit at this time.