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Mount of Olives, Jerusalem - Things to Do at Mount of Olives

Things to Do at Mount of Olives

Complete Guide to Mount of Olives in Jerusalem

About Mount of Olives

The Mount of Olives lifts above Jerusalem's Old City like a natural amphitheater. The ridge view stops you cold. The gilded Dome of the Rock gleams in front, limestone rooftops of the Jewish Quarter stretch beyond, and the pale hills of the Judean Desert fade into the horizon. This panorama has lured pilgrims, conquerors, and wanderers for three millennia, and it still earns the hype. The air carries a dry scent of cypress and old stone dust. In early spring the hillside sparkles with small white blossoms of real olive trees, the same ones that named the ridge and have gripped this slope for centuries. The mountain sits at the crossroads of three major faiths. Jewish tradition says the resurrection of the dead will start here. The ancient cemetery tumbling down the slope, one of the oldest and largest Jewish burial grounds on earth, holds roughly 150,000 graves pressed shoulder to shoulder. Christian pilgrims follow the paths Jesus walked during his final days, and the Garden of Gethsemane at the base still shelters olive trees old enough that some scholars claim they could have been witnesses. For Muslims, the mountain's nearness to Al-Aqsa Mosque folds it into Jerusalem's sacred landscape. Time on the Mount of Olives rewards patience. Tour groups that roll in mid-morning cluster at the main lookout, snap photos, and roll away. Arrive early, when the muezzin's call drifts across from the Old City and the light is soft and golden, and you will meet a quieter, more contemplative ridge. The descent through the cemetery toward Gethsemane threads past weathered Hebrew inscriptions and graves that feel ancient underfoot, the path uneven and cool even in summer heat.

What to See & Do

Viewpoint at the Summit

The main observation terrace near the Seven Arches Hotel delivers the most photographed skyline in Jerusalem, and honestly the photos fall short. Stand here and you sense the depth of the valley between you and the Old City walls, hear the faint hum of the city below, and watch light slide across the Dome of the Rock all day. Early morning is when the gold glows. By midday it can look flat and bleached. Worth coming twice if you can.

Church of All Nations (Basilica of the Agony)

At the base of the Mount of Olives, this Catholic basilica stands shoulder to shoulder with the Garden of Gethsemane. The interior is deliberately dim; violet-blue stained glass filters light into something hushed and somber, matching the building's role as a prayer space for suffering. The rock at the altar is traditionally identified as the site where Jesus prayed before his arrest. Whether you are religious or not, the atmosphere grips you: cool air, incense traces, and the kind of silence that feels earned.

Garden of Gethsemane

The gnarled olive trees here are the detail that sticks in memory. Scientists have dated some to at least the 12th century, and carbon dating hints that certain root systems may be far older. In spring the garden smells of earth and new growth. In summer it's dusty and hot but still shaded under the heavy canopy. The garden is small, easily crossed in a few minutes. Yet that compression gives it an intimacy at odds with its enormous symbolic weight.

Dominus Flevit Chapel

Shaped like a teardrop to recall Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, this small Franciscan chapel perches midway down the slope. The window behind the altar is well framed to show the Old City through an ornate wrought-iron cross, one of the more deliberately composed views in all of Jerusalem. It sees fewer visitors than the summit or Gethsemane, so it feels more contemplative. The floor mosaic incorporates mosaics from the 5th-7th centuries discovered during construction.

Jewish Cemetery

One of the oldest continuously used burial grounds on earth blankets most of the western slope of the Mount of Olives in a dense, descending field of pale stone. Some graves date back more than 2,000 years. The Hebrew inscriptions worn smooth by centuries of wind and sun, the occasional fresh grave with stones placed on top, the whole hillside leaning toward the valley, it's arresting in a way that feels different from any other cemetery you are likely to visit.

Practical Information

Opening Hours

The Mount of Olives itself is open at all hours as a hillside. The Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations typically open early morning through early evening, with a midday closure for several hours. The schedule shifts seasonally, so arriving before noon is the safest approach. Dominus Flevit follows similar hours. The Jewish Cemetery is generally accessible during daylight.

Tickets & Pricing

Access to the hilltop viewpoint and the cemetery is free. Entry to most of the churches, including the Church of All Nations and the Chapel of the Ascension, involves a modest fee in the budget-friendly range. The Chapel of the Ascension, now a mosque, charges a small entry fee. Guided tours of the full ridge are mid-range and worth considering if it is your first time, given how much context the place rewards.

Best Time to Visit

Early morning before 9am is the clear winner: softer light, far fewer tour groups, and the call to prayer from the mosques creating an atmospheric soundtrack. Late afternoon is a decent second choice for light quality, though you will share it with more visitors. Midday in summer is relentlessly hot. The exposed sections of the ridge have no shade at all. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons overall.

Suggested Duration

Two to three hours for the main sites, summit viewpoint, Dominus Flevit, Gethsemane, and Church of All Nations, is realistic without rushing. A half-day allows you to also explore the cemetery properly, walk more of the descent paths, and sit quietly in the churches rather than passing through.

Getting There

The most atmospheric approach is also the most practical: walk from the Old City via the Lions' Gate, cross the Kidron Valley, and climb the slope. The whole ascent takes about 20 minutes. It gives you a sense of the topography that's easy to miss if you arrive by vehicle. Taxis from the Old City or central Jerusalem reach the summit quickly and are mid-range in cost. The Arab bus serving the route from the Damascus Gate area is much cheaper and runs frequently, though with less predictable timing. There's a road to the top used by tour buses. If you're physically able, arriving on foot, even just descending from the summit toward Gethsemane, gives the Mount of Olives something closer to the experience it was built for.

Things to Do Nearby

Old City of Jerusalem
The eastern walls of the Old City are visible directly across the Kidron Valley from the Mount of Olives. It's one of those rare sites where proximity is part of the point. The Muslim Quarter and Jewish Quarter are both easily reachable on foot once you descend. Most visitors pair the ridge with a walk through the Old City on the same day.
City of David
Just south of the Old City walls and a short walk from the base of the Mount of Olives, the archaeological site of ancient Jerusalem occupies the ridge above the Gihon Spring. The tunnels cut through solid rock. Hezekiah's Tunnel, carved in the 8th century BCE, requires wading through ankle-to-knee-deep water in absolute darkness. It makes for an unexpected contrast with the sunlit hilltop you've just left.
Kidron Valley
The narrow valley between the Mount of Olives and the Old City contains some of the oldest funerary monuments in Jerusalem. These include ancient rock-cut tombs attributed by tradition to figures like Absalom and Zechariah. Walking the valley floor provides a different perspective on the hillside you've just descended.
Church of Mary Magdalene
The Russian Orthodox church on the slope of the Mount of Olives, with its distinctive onion-shaped golden domes, is one of the more visually arresting buildings in Jerusalem's skyline. The interior, if open, is ornate and incense-thick. Even from outside, the domes against the pale sky make it worth passing on your descent.
Augusta Victoria Hospital and Compound
The German-built compound near the summit, now a hospital, includes a tower with views that rival the main viewpoint and sees a fraction of the foot traffic. Worth noting if the main terrace feels crowded. The tower is occasionally open to visitors.

Tips & Advice

Wear proper shoes. The descent paths through the Jewish Cemetery are on uneven, ancient stone that is treacherous in sandals or anything without grip. More than a few people have turned an ankle here.
The main viewpoint gets completely overrun by tour groups between 10am and 3pm. If you can only do one timing adjustment, this is the one to make. Arrive at 7:30am or 8am and you'll have the panorama largely to yourself.
Dress conservatively if you plan to enter the churches. Covered shoulders and knees are expected. Some sites will turn you away or offer wraps at the door. Easier to come prepared.
The descent from the summit to Gethsemane takes roughly 20-30 minutes walking. It's one of the better ways to connect the sites. You pass Dominus Flevit midway, which tends to be overlooked by visitors who arrive by car or tour bus directly to the bottom.
Friday and Saturday mornings have the thinnest crowds on the Mount of Olives itself, counterintuitively. The tour group schedules tend to focus those days elsewhere. Sunday mornings, by contrast, often bring organized Christian pilgrimages and can be significantly busier.

Tours & Activities at Mount of Olives

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