The Kotel (Western Wall)
Daven at any hour, vasikin and Kabbalat Shabbat with no car and no traffic. You walk there, and you walk home.
Jewish Quarter · Jerusalem · steps from the Kotel
The Jewish Quarter, all in one place
Guest apartments, guided tours, Shabbos meals, and shuttle rides
Everything for your visit: where to stay, who to tour with, what to eat on Shabbos, and how to get to the door.
Guest apartments
A home in the Jewish Quarter, a short walk from the Kotel
Each apartment has a character of its own. Choose one, and write to us.
- A green courtyard
- A rooftop facing the Kotel
- Stone arches
- A 5–7 minute walk from the Kotel
Shabbos meals and catering
Shabbat, ready at your door
Mehadrin meals, cooked by a frum family in the Old City, brought to your apartment.
- Mehadrin
- Badatz or Rubin meat, on request
- Cooked by a frum family
- To your apartment door
Guided tours
The Quarter, with someone who knows every lane
A private guide, in English, Hebrew, or French.
- English · עברית · Français
- Great with kids
- Starts at your door
- Families and groups
Shuttle in the Quarter
A ride through the lanes, for anyone who finds walking hard or arrives with luggage.
- Quarter and Old City
- Seniors and families
- Luggage too
- By arrangement
Questions and answers
Good to know before you come
How do I book an apartment?
Write to us on WhatsApp or by email with the apartment, your dates, and the number of guests. We'll get back to you with availability and a price.
How far is the walk to the Kotel?
A 5–7 minute walk, depending on the apartment. The penthouse faces the Kotel.
What's in the apartment for Shabbos?
Every apartment has a kosher kitchen, a Shabbat hot plate (plata), and a hot-water urn. The penthouse has a separate kosher kitchen with 2 refrigerators. At the Courtyard House, linens and towels are provided. The Kotel and the synagogues are a short walk away.
Can we order ready-made Shabbos meals?
Yes. A home-style kitchen in the Old City prepares Shabbos and Yom Tov meals, challah and baked goods, and kiddush platters, delivered to your apartment. All products are under Badatz Eidah HaChareidis supervision. Order on WhatsApp or by email.
The way to the Kotel
From your door to the Kotel, on foot
Out the door, past the Hurva, down the steps, and about five minutes later you're standing in the Kotel plaza. Here's what the walk looks like.
The walk was filmed from the Courtyard House.
Events in the Quarter
A family simcha, a short walk from the Kotel
We've lived in the Rova for forty years and we arrange family simchas here, a short walk from the Kotel: a place for the meal, ready-made food, apartments and a tour for the family. Tell us about the event and we'll work out the details with you.
- A Shabbat bar mitzvah
- An aufruf Shabbos
- Sheva brachot
- An engagement
- A marriage proposal
- An anniversary
- A silver or golden anniversary
- A bris or pidyon haben
- A siyum
- A family reunion
- Groups
Shabbat bar mitzvah
The aliyah at the Kotel, the whole Shabbos in the Rova
We arrange a baal koreh and a bima at the Kotel, or an aliyah in a shul in the Rova. The family sleeps in apartments here, and the seudos are in a hall or on a roof with mehadrin catering.
- 5–7 minutes from the Kotel
- Halls for up to 200
Around the Quarter
Step out the door, and it's all close by
On Shabbos and Yom Tov you won't need a car. The Kotel, the synagogues, and the sites of the Old City are all within walking distance.
Inside the Jewish Quarter
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The Hurva Synagogue
The heart of the Quarter. Climb to the lookout balcony at the top of the synagogue for a view over the whole Old City.
The Cardo
The ancient colonnaded street, right in the middle of the Quarter. In the covered part, a large painting shows how it once looked.
The Davidson Center Archaeological Park
The excavations at the foot of the Southern Wall: the steps the pilgrims climbed, and Robinson's Arch.
By Jaffa Gate
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The Tower of David and Jaffa Gate
The citadel by Jaffa Gate, with a museum of Jerusalem's history and an evening sound and light show.
The Ramparts Walk
A walk along the top of the Old City walls, with the lanes below and the new city across the way. The entrance is next to Jaffa Gate.
Walking times are approximate and vary a little by apartment. Some sites need tickets in advance, and it's worth checking opening hours. Photos: Unsplash.
Who we are
Behind My Old City is a resident of the Quarter for more than 40 years, who knows the apartments, the neighbors, and the shortest way to the Kotel.
Visitor information
- The Jewish Quarter is inside the walls of the Old City, and you get around it on foot.
- By light rail: get off at City Hall station, about a ten-minute walk from Jaffa Gate.
- By bus: some lines run all the way to the Kotel plaza, by the Dung Gate. Check a route-planning app for the right line.
- On foot: enter through Jaffa Gate, Zion Gate, or the Dung Gate.
- With luggage, or if walking is hard: you can book a ride with us in an electric cart.
- Driving in through Jaffa Gate: the barrier is closed to private cars every day from 9:00 to 18:00. On Fridays it opens at 13:00.
- While the barrier is closed you can still enter with a permit, arranged in advance with your host.
- Parking in the Quarter: on Shabbos your host can arrange a parking permit, subject to availability. This is not possible on Yom Tov.
- Car parks outside the walls: Karta (Mamilla) by Jaffa Gate, Mount Zion by Zion Gate, and Givati by the Dung Gate.
- On holidays and at large events some of the roads around the Old City are closed. On those days public transport is the better choice.
- Shacharit at the Hurva Synagogue: at sunrise (netz) every day, Shabbos too. A second minyan: 7:45 on weekdays; on Shabbos 8:00 in winter, and between 8:00 and 8:30 in summer.
- Shacharit at the Menachem Zion Synagogue: 6:15 and 8:20.
- Shacharit at the Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue, every weekday: 6:45.
- Shacharit at the Ramban Synagogue: 7:00. Mincha: mincha gedola, 13:30, and about 20 to 25 minutes before sunset. Maariv about 20 minutes after sunset.
- The Kotel is open for prayer around the clock, with minyanim throughout the day.
- Sunrise, sunset, and the start of Shabbat are shown at the top of the page.
- The website is in Hebrew and English, with one page each in Spanish and French.
- Guided tours: in Hebrew, English, or French.
This is general information. Hours, prices, and routes change, so please check them before you set out. Updated: 13.11.2026