Jerusalem in 2 days: four quarters, three religions, one city

Jerusalem is built in rings: at the centre, the Old City behind its fortress wall, divided into the Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Muslim quarters; around it, the hills on which stand the Mount of Olives, Mount Zion and the memorials. Two days is one day inside the walls and one outside. Dress modestly everywhere — shoulders and knees covered — that's the rule at every holy site without exception.

Day 1. The Old City — four quarters

Enter through the Jaffa Gate. Despite the common line that "the four quarters fan out from here" — they actually branch not from the gate but deeper in, roughly at the Muristan in the centre of the Old City; from the entrance itself, a road runs off to the right along the Armenian Quarter, and to the left lies the Christian Quarter. Immediately to the right of the entrance is the Citadel and Tower of David: the rooftop really does give a good view, so go up for the panorama and to fix the city's map in your head. The museum ticket office is on the right, before you even enter the city; the walk along the ramparts is a separate ticket. And about thirty metres to the left of the entrance, in the tourist office, hangs a large city map — check it before you dive into the lanes.

Drop down into the Jewish Quarter to the excavated Roman Cardo — the main street of the ancient city; nearby is the Hurva Synagogue, with its turbulent history. Important: the Cardo runs parallel to the Western Wall, and you can't reach the Wall directly along it. The convenient descent is through the "Herodian Quarter" museum (entrance off the same square, down a lane): you can tour it and descend through it right to the Wall. The plaza is alive around the clock, with separate men's and women's sections.

From the Wall, don't go back the way you came — it's a needless detour. Facing the Wall, head left: through the Muslim market you come out onto the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross with its fourteen stations, winding through the noisy bazaar, and it brings you to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter — try to get inside before the line for the Aedicule builds up. That way the day makes a through-route, with no doubling back along the same street.

If you still have energy, back at the Jaffa Gate take a ticket for the ramparts walk (ticket office on the right, by the gate) and walk above the rooftops. The Armenian Quarter you can only glimpse — the courtyard of St James's Cathedral (and, during services, the church itself) and the museum when it's open: beyond that the quarter is closed to outsiders — private.

Day 2. Hills of memory — Temple Mount, Mount of Olives, Yad Vashem

Start early — this matters: non-Muslims are admitted to the Temple Mount only via the Mughrabi Gate and only in narrow morning windows (Sunday–Thursday), and entry inside the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque is closed altogether. You admire the golden dome from outside — and that's enough to understand why this hill has been fought over for millennia. Then to the Mount of Olives — but don't climb it on foot: the ascent here is steep (gradients of 25–30%, worn steps), and in the heat it's punishing. Take a taxi to the viewpoint at the top — this is the city's most famous shot, the Old City and the golden dome in the palm of your hand — and from there walk down on foot, past the churches, into the Garden of Gethsemane with its thousand-year-old olives and the Church of All Nations. A good lunch spot is by the Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem, or back towards Mount Zion. After lunch, Mount Zion, for the Room of the Last Supper and the Tomb of David. Give the second half of the day to memory: Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, free to enter, needing several hours for a thoughtful visit; those who prefer antiquities have the Israel Museum nearby, with the Dead Sea Scrolls. Toilets along the way are scarce — count on cafés and churches (at Gethsemane, on Mount Zion); there are toilets at Yad Vashem and the museum.

And save the evening for the living city — the Mahane Yehuda market: by day a bazaar with mountains of spices, halva and pomegranate, and after dark the graffitied shutters roll down to reveal the bars behind them. The best way to finish Jerusalem is not in a museum but at a table, among the people who live here.