The Old City of Jerusalem is one of the most intense places on Earth! At the heart of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian religions, this walled one kilometer area in the center of Jerusalem is beyond words and cannot be missed. The Old City is home to the Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall and in Hebrew Kotel). This is the last remaining wall of what was the Jewish Temple, and is today the holiest site in the world for Jews.

The Machane Yehuda Market, or shuk, is the largest market in Jerusalem with over 250 vendors selling everything from fruit and vegetables to specialty foods, and clothing to Judaica. The market is the main ‘traditional’ marketplace of Jerusalem contrasting with the supermarkets that are found across this city, just as any other advanced city. Machane Yehuda is, however, an experience for a tourist of a traditional Middle Eastern style shuk, a fascinating array of sounds, sights, and smells.

Nachlaot is one of Jerusalem’s most interesting areas. A cluster of neighborhoods in the center of the city, Nachlaot is characterized by its narrow, windy lanes, quaint, stone houses, and pretty, hidden-away courtyards, and was originally built in the 1870′s by Jews looking to escape the increasingly crowded and noisy Old City. In recent years, Nachlaot grown to become one of Jerusalem’s most popular neighborhoods since it was gentrified massively over the past thirty or so years, and taking an hour or two to stroll through the streets, you can understand why.

Emek Refaim Street is the heart of Jerusalem’s German Colony the city’s most fashionable neighborhood, just a few minutes from the heart of downtown modern and ancient Jerusalem. The street represents a segment of Jerusalem culture and society – modern in nature within an ultimately historic and religious city, and is lined with restaurants, cafes, and boutique stores within the German Templar style buildings characterizing the area. A unique neighborhood in a unique city.

Ein Kerem is a beautiful tranquil village and neighborhood in the west of Jerusalem. Surrounded by beautiful natural groves and the breathtaking landscape provided by the Jerusalem Hills, Ein Kerem is worlds away from the bustling center of Jerusalem which is just minutes away. The pretty houses made of local Jerusalem limestone, cobbled narrow streets, sit in the shadow of pretty churches whose bells sound down the streets. An important site for Christians as the birthplace of John the Baptist, the village is incredibly popular with Israelis seeking to escape the city.

Jerusalem is a city steeped with history, both ancient and modern. So much so, that almost every neighborhood, street, or even building has a fascinating story behind it. Here, the Jerusalem Post leads us on a tour of some of that hidden Jerusalem.

West Jerusalem, the area to the west of the Old City, where the new city has been built recently, is home to a number of interesting places including Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. …