Jerusalem/West

West Jerusalem (also known as "New Jerusalem") represents the modern commercial heart of the city, which was the focus for development in the capital from the time of Israeli independence in 1948 to the reunification of the city with the Six Day War in 1967. However, many of the districts of West Jerusalem date back to the late 19th century when the Old City became no longer able to contain the city's increasing population.

Understand
The city center of West Jerusalem is a triangle formed by three streets: Ben Yehuda (a pedestrian mall), Jaffa (Hebrew: Yafo) on which the light rail runs, and King George (Hebrew: King George or HaMelech George) which runs perpendicular to Jaffa and carries many bus routes. The three corners of this triangle are Zion Square (see below), the light rail stop, and the  (Hebrew: Gan HaSus, after a whimsical sculpture of a horse there). West Jerusalem's shopping, hotels, nightlife, and some museums are concentrated here. This area is a 5-minute walk west of the Old City, along the light rail tracks.

Get in
See Jerusalem. When coming from the airport or other places in Israel, West Jerusalem is the first part of the city you will encounter.

Get around
The light rail line runs east-west on a single line through West Jerusalem, visiting many of the main attractions.

If you need to go somewhere far from the light rail line, buses or taxis are your best bet (depending on your budget).

Parking is in relatively short supply throughout West Jerusalem. In the city center, driving is difficult too, since streets are narrow. Within Jerusalem, taxis are a better option than a private car.

West Jerusalem is generally relatively flat (much more so than East Jerusalem), so walking is comfortable throughout it.

Drink
There is plenty of nightlife in Jerusalem. Mostly it is in the city center or the Talpiyot district. For clubs, the best way is to have a "proteksya", or connection with someone. This way of knowing someone who works at the door or a friend is the easiest and best way to have a great time in Jerusalem. In the way of a more laid-back alternative bar scene, crawl around the closely nestled joints centered around the corner of Heleni HaMaika and Monbaz.



Splurge