Israel and the Palestinian Territories Attractions

Jerusalem

They don't come any holier than this. Jews, Muslims, Christians: all three hold Jerusalem sacred. Of course, most people come to Jerusalem to immerse themselves in the people and places of its holy history, but try to remember that Jerusalem is also a modern city, full of living, breathing people.

The city is divided into three parts: the walled Old City, where most of the sights are; the predominantly Arab East Jerusalem; and the rapidly expanding new city, known as West Jerusalem. The Old City is also divided, into Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters.

To get an idea of the Old City, it's worth strolling around the city walls. Rising over the city is the Haram-ash Sharif/Temple Mount. Mohammed rose to heaven here and God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son. The magnificent Dome of the Rock mosque dominates the Mount, with the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic Museum a little to its south.

The Western Wall is the most accessible of the four walls, making it a popular place for Jewish worship. To complete the holy sites trilogy, try the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter. It's built over the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Get here via the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus took as he carried his cross.

Tel Aviv

Less than a century old, Tel Aviv is about finance, business and fun - it's pretty hard to compete with Jerusalem's three millennia of history, so Tel Aviv doesn't even try. Nearly everyone who lives here came from somewhere else, a short walk through the city will uncover this diverse cultural mix.

From the spicy orientalism of the Yemenite Quarter, the seedy vodka cafes of Allenby St and the Miami chic of pastel pink beachfront condos, Tel Aviv isn't big on historical wonders, but if you've been to Jerusalem you've probably had a gutful anyway.

If you just can't get enough, visit the Diaspora Museum, which chronicles Jewish culture in exile, or the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. When you've finished, wander through the markets of the Yemenite Quarter, stop for a cappuccino and then pull up some sand on one of the best beaches in the Middle East.