Jerusalem Old City TourThe Mount of Olives: Viewing the Old City and Walking Down
The Mount of Olives is the hill overlooking Jerusalem's Old City, with a viewpoint over the walled city. This guide covers the visit you can do on your own: the 826 m summit, the Jewish cemetery with about 150,000 graves, and each church going down the hill, with the hours and fees taken from the Christian Information Center's published list and from site pages. You finish on foot at Lions' Gate, where the Via Dolorosa begins. For the Old City itself, the comparison of Jerusalem Old City tours covers the guided walks from Jaffa Gate and the day tours from Tel Aviv. This page stays on the mountain.
The Dome of the Rock and the Old City rooftops at sunset, seen from the Mount of Olives. Photo: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer The short answer
The Mount of Olives is an 826 m hill with a viewpoint over the Old City of Jerusalem. The classic visit is simple: take in the view from the summit, then walk down past the Chapel of the Ascension, Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, and finish at the Tomb of the Virgin near Lions' Gate. In the table below, the Chapel of the Ascension charges ₪5 and Pater Noster ₪12 or ₪10 for students. Check the opening hours first, because several sites close at midday.
Key takeaways
- The summit viewpoint near the Seven Arches Hotel looks over the Old City.
- Short on time? The Jerusalem Boutique Tour from Tel Aviv includes a Mount of Olives stop with a licensed guide, and the Footsteps of Jesus Walking Tour walks the Christian sites on the slope.
- The downhill site-by-site hours and fees are in the churches table, from the Chapel of the Ascension at ₪5 down to the Tomb of the Virgin, reached by 47 steps.
- Several sites, including Pater Noster and St Mary Magdalene, open only on set weekdays and shut at midday, so plan the order of your walk around the opening hours.
The View Over the Old City
One hill, one famous look back at the city.
What the Height Gives You
The Mount of Olives rises to 826 m. That height is the point of coming here, because the Old City is in view from the top. The Chapel of the Ascension stands at about 818 m near the summit.
Wikipedia's article on the mountain describes the Seven Arches Hotel on the summit as an observation point over the Old City, which makes it the easiest landmark to aim for.
- Summit height: 826 m above sea level
- Chapel of the Ascension elevation: about 818 m
- Jewish cemetery: about 150,000 graves
The Jewish Cemetery
The Mount of Olives Jewish cemetery holds about 150,000 graves, according to Wikipedia. Treat it as an active cemetery.
The Seven Arches Hotel viewpoint and the Chapel of the Ascension are near the summit. Gethsemane is next to the Church of All Nations.
Seeing It With a Guide
The mountain works fine on your own, but several of the tours on this site include it. The Jerusalem Boutique Tour from Tel Aviv costs $180 per person, runs 9 hours, and lists a walk down the Mount of Olives among its stops, with a licensed guide and pickup in Tel Aviv. The City of David and Underground Jerusalem Day Tour costs $89 per person over 9 hours and opens with a panorama from the Mount of Olives or Mount Scopus before the City of David.
If your interest is the churches rather than the view, the Footsteps of Jesus Walking Tour costs $89 per person and runs 9 hours, entering Dominus Flevit and the Church of All Nations before continuing to the Via Dolorosa. Note what it does not include: entrance fees are not covered and you pay for them yourself on the day, and there is no lunch.
Down the Hill, Site by Site
The opening hours decide your order.
The Sites at a Glance
The table below lists the sites on the Mount of Olives. Hours and fees come from the Christian Information Center's published opening hours list for Jerusalem and from the site articles. Where the list shows no fee, the site is entered without a published charge, not that entry is guaranteed.
Check the days column against your own dates before you set out, because Pater Noster, St Mary Magdalene and the Russian Church of the Ascension all close on several weekdays.
| Site | Open | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Chapel of the Ascension | 8:00 to 17:00 | ₪5 |
| Pater Noster | Tue, Thu, Sat 8:00 to 12:00, temporary Tue and Thu 9:00 to 12:00 | ₪12, ₪10 students |
| Russian Church of the Ascension | Mon to Sat 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:00, closed Sunday | not stated |
| Church of St Mary Magdalene | Tue, Thu, Sat 10:00 to 12:00 | not stated |
| Dominus Flevit | Mon to Thu and Sat 8:30 to 17:00, Fri and Sun 8:30 to 11:50 and 14:00 to 17:00 | not stated |
| Church of All Nations | 7:30 to 18:00 April to September, 7:30 to 17:00 October to March | not stated |
| Gethsemane Grotto of the Apostles | 7:30 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 18:00, until 17:00 October to March | not stated |
| Tomb of the Virgin Mary | 8:00 to 18:00 | not stated |
Chapel of the Ascension
The Chapel of the Ascension sits near the top of the mountain at about 818 m, and it is the traditional spot associated with the ascent of Jesus. It opens 8:00 to 17:00 and charges ₪5.
Pater Noster, next on the list, opens only on set weekdays, so check the day before you plan the order.
Church of the Pater Noster
The Church of the Pater Noster stands on the Eleona site of a 4th-century basilica ordered by Constantine. Its cloister was built in 1868 by Princess Aurelia de Bossi and displays the Lord's Prayer in well over 100 languages.
The hours here are the most restrictive on the mountain: the Christian Information Center lists Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 8:00 to 12:00, with temporary Tuesday and Thursday hours of 9:00 to 12:00, and the site is closed on Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Entry costs ₪12, or ₪10 for students. If your day on the mountain is a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, this church will be shut, and you should walk on to Dominus Flevit, which keeps far longer hours.
Russian Church of the Ascension and St Mary Magdalene
Two more churches are on the list. The Russian Church of the Ascension opens Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:00 and closes on Sunday. Its monastery does not change its clocks for daylight saving. No entry fee is stated in the Christian Information Center list.
The Church of St Mary Magdalene, opens only Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10:00 to 12:00. That two-hour window is the only time all week you can walk in, and it overlaps with Pater Noster's own morning hours, so a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday visit lets you cover both on one pass. Neither fee is published in the source list.
Dominus Flevit
Dominus Flevit, built in 1953 to 1955 by Antonio Barluzzi in the shape of a teardrop.
Excavations here found a necropolis in use from 136 BC to AD 300 and a 7th-century floor mosaic. Hours are generous by Mount of Olives standards: Monday to Thursday and Saturday 8:30 to 17:00, and Friday and Sunday 8:30 to 11:50 and 14:00 to 17:00, meaning it closes for a midday break on Fridays and Sundays only. No entry fee is stated in the published list.
Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations
The Garden of Gethsemane has been owned by the Franciscans since 1681, and a 2012 study dated three of its olive trees to about AD 1092, 1166 and 1198. The garden is beside the Church of All Nations.
The church was built between 1919 and 1924 to a design by Antonio Barluzzi, with the coats of arms of twelve countries in its domes, which gives the building its name. It stands on the site of a 4th-century basilica destroyed by an earthquake in 746 and a 12th-century Crusader chapel abandoned in 1345, and it was consecrated in June 1924 as a minor basilica. Opening hours run 7:30 to 18:00 from April to September and 7:30 to 17:00 from October to March, with no stated fee, and the neighbouring Gethsemane Grotto of the Apostles opens 7:30 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 18:00 in summer, closing an hour earlier in winter. Of the Google questions about this mountain, whether the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane are the same is the common one: Gethsemane is the garden, not the mountain itself.
Tomb of the Virgin Mary and the Walk Out
The last stop on the descent is the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, reached by a staircase of 47 steps. The site is held by the Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches, with the Syriacs, Copts and Ethiopians holding minor rights, and it opens 8:00 to 18:00 with no stated fee.
Lions' Gate is in the north-eastern wall, built in 1538 and 1539 and about 13.7 m tall. Christians call it St Stephen's Gate, and it is the traditional entrance to the Via Dolorosa, the route through the Muslim Quarter that has its own guide on this site. Walking down the Mount of Olives and finishing at Lions' Gate leaves you perfectly placed to continue into the Old City. The Jerusalem Old City tours on the homepage compare the bookable tours.
Sources: Christian Information Center opening hours, Wikipedia: Mount of Olives
Gethsemane and Its Olive Trees
Gethsemane sits next to the Church of All Nations.
The Franciscan Garden
The Franciscans have owned the Garden of Gethsemane since 1681. The walled garden holds old olive trees beside the Church of All Nations. A 2012 study dated three of those trees to about AD 1092, 1166 and 1198.
The Grotto of the Apostles is open 7:30 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 18:00 from April to September and until 17:00 from October to March.
The Church of All Nations
The Church of All Nations, was built between 1919 and 1924 to a design by Antonio Barluzzi. Twelve countries' coats of arms appear in its domes, which is where the name comes from. It was consecrated in June 1924 as a minor basilica. It stands on earlier buildings: a 4th-century basilica destroyed by an earthquake in 746 and a 12th-century Crusader chapel abandoned in 1345.
Opening hours are 7:30 to 18:00 from April to September and 7:30 to 17:00 from October to March. No entry fee is stated.
Are Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives the Same?
No. The Mount of Olives is the whole hill, rising to 826 m. Gethsemane is a garden next to the Church of All Nations. When people search for the garden of gethsemane, they usually mean the garden and the church together, but you reach both from the same walk down the mountain.
Sources: Garden of Gethsemane, Church of All Nations, Christian Information Center hours
The mosaic facade of the Church of All Nations at Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. Photo: NataliaSil, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting Up and Walking Down
The classic way is to ride to the top and walk down the hill through the churches, ending at Lions' Gate.
Getting to the Summit
No public transport route to the summit is listed here. Ask a taxi for the Seven Arches Hotel area, which the Mount of Olives article describes as an observation point over the Old City. The Chapel of the Ascension stands at about 818 m above sea level, close to the 826 m summit.
The Downhill Route
The standard route starts at the Chapel of the Ascension, open 8:00 to 17:00 with a ₪5 entrance fee. From there it passes the Church of the Pater Noster, open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 8:00 to 12:00 with temporary Tuesday and Thursday hours of 9:00 to 12:00, entry ₪12 or ₪10 for students. Note Pater Noster is closed on Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Continue past the Russian Church of the Ascension, open Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:00 and closed Sunday, and the Church of St Mary Magdalene, open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10:00 to 12:00. Dominus Flevit is open Monday to Thursday and Saturday 8:30 to 17:00 and Friday and Sunday 8:30 to 11:50 and 14:00 to 17:00. The route continues down to Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, and finally to the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, reached by a staircase of 47 steps and open 8:00 to 18:00. From there the road leads to Lions' Gate, built in 1538 and 1539 and about 13.7 m tall, with four carved animals that historians read as leopards of the Mamluk sultan Baibars even though everyone calls them lions.
Ending at Lions' Gate
Lions' Gate is on the north-eastern wall, and Christians also call it St Stephen's Gate. Step through it and you are inside the Muslim Quarter. If you plan to continue, the Via Dolorosa tradition starts from this gate, and the Via Dolorosa guide covers that route in full.
Sources: Christian Information Center opening hours, Lions' Gate
The Tours That Start Here
Several Jerusalem Old City tours include a Mount of Olives overlook or walk before entering the Old City. Here is what each one actually covers.
Day Tours That Include the Mount
The Jerusalem Boutique Tour from Tel Aviv costs $180 per person, lasts 9 hours and lists a walk down the Mount of Olives among its stops, along with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount when open. Groups are capped at 18 and it meets on Rothschild Boulevard 22 in Tel Aviv.
The Jerusalem Old City Tour from Tel Aviv costs $90 per person for 10.5 hours with round-trip transport. It lists a Mount of Olives stop, all four quarters and an hour of free time for lunch, but entry fees are not included and lunch is not provided. The City of David Underground Tour costs $89 per person and includes a Mount of Olives overlook plus entry fees, a coach and hotel pickup and drop-off.
The Christian Route Down the Hill
The Footsteps of Jesus Walking Tour is the only listed tour that enters churches on the mountain itself. For $89 per person over 9 hours it stops at the Dominus Flevit Church, the Church of All Nations, the Pool of Bethesda, St Anne Church and the Via Dolorosa, with hotel pickup and drop-off included. Be clear on the price: entrance fees, gratuities and food are not included, so budget for anything that charges.
Do and Don't on the Mount of Olives
Nine practical rules drawn from the published hours, fees and layout of the sites.
Do
- Do start at the top and walk down, because the route from the Chapel of the Ascension at about 818 m to Gethsemane follows the slope and the sites in order.
- Do check the day of the week before you set out, because Pater Noster opens only Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and St Mary Magdalene opens only those same three days from 10:00 to 12:00.
- Do budget for the fees, because the Chapel of the Ascension charges ₪5 and Pater Noster charges ₪12 or ₪10 for students.
- Do plan the church visits around the published hours, because the Church of All Nations closes at 17:00 from October to March and Dominus Flevit takes a midday break on Fridays and Sundays.
- Do keep going down to the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, because it is open 8:00 to 18:00 and it is reached by a 47-step staircase.
Don't
- Don't turn up at Pater Noster on a Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or Friday, because the site is closed those days as well as on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
- Don't assume every tour with a Mount of Olives stop walks the churches, because the $89 City of David tour lists only an overlook and the Tel Aviv boutique tour covers the hill without naming a single church on it.
- Don't leave the Church of All Nations for late afternoon in winter, because it shuts at 17:00 from October to March.
- Don't count on any tour to include the site's entry fees, because the Footsteps of Jesus tour lists entrance fees as not included and the Tel Aviv boutique and Old City tours do not list them as included.
Mount of Olives Questions
What is the Mount of Olives in the Bible?
This page covers the physical facts: it is a hill rising to 826 m, and Gethsemane, the Chapel of the Ascension and Dominus Flevit all stand on it. This guide walks through the sites in the order you meet them going down the hill.
What is currently on the Mount of Olives?
A Jewish cemetery of about 150,000 graves, the Chapel of the Ascension, the Church of the Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit, the Church of All Nations with the Garden of Gethsemane, the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, a Russian church and a Lutheran bell tower about 50 m high at Augusta Victoria that costs ₪5. The Seven Arches Hotel on the summit serves as an observation point over the Old City.
Why did Jesus like the Mount of Olives?
This page sticks to what is built and dated there: churches at Gethsemane and the Ascension, with the basilica layers under the Church of All Nations going back to the 4th century. See the garden of gethsemane section for the site details.
Are the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane the same?
No. The Mount of Olives is the whole ridge, and Gethsemane is the Franciscan-owned garden, held since 1681, next to the Church of All Nations. Compare the Jerusalem Old City tours to see which routes reach it.
How much does it cost to visit the Mount of Olives?
No fee is stated for the Church of All Nations, the Chapel of the Ascension costs ₪5 and Pater Noster costs ₪12 or ₪10 for students. Guided options that include the mountain start at $89 per person, such as the Footsteps of Jesus Walking Tour.
Can you see the Old City from the Mount of Olives?
Yes. The Seven Arches Hotel on the summit is described as an observation point over the Old City. The Jerusalem Old City map shows the Old City walls and gates.