The Western Wall

The journey in one line

One place in Israel. Arriving is the journey.

Ask someone where they would go, once, and this is usually the answer. The Western Wall is the surviving retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and it has been the focus of Jewish prayer and longing for nearly two thousand years. It stands on its own here because for many people it is the whole trip. There is nothing to collect around it.

The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. What is left is the platform it stood on, and this wall holds up its western side. Jews prayed at it through Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman, British and Jordanian rule, and for nineteen years after 1948 could not reach it at all. People write notes and press them into the joints between the stones. The wall is also the western edge of the Haram al-Sharif, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The same stones carry more than one history.

The plaza is open at all hours and free. Security screening at every entrance. The Western Wall Tunnels, which run north along the same wall underground, are a separate booked tour. Old City access can change at short notice. Check current guidance close to your date.

Where it goes

The stops, in order

What a visit means here. One place. A recorded visit means standing at the wall itself, in the plaza or a prayer section. The tunnel tour counts as the same place.

1. 1

   The Western Wall

   הַכֹּתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי

   Jerusalem, Israel

   

   The Western Wall is a retaining wall of the Temple Mount, built up under Herod and left standing after the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. It is the place Jewish travellers name first. People pray at it around the clock and leave written notes in its joints.

   What counts as a visit

   The Western Wall plaza and the prayer sections at the stones. The tunnels beside it are a separate booked visit.

   Access

   Open at all hours and free. The prayer area is divided into men's and women's sections and heads are covered. Photography and phones are not used on the Sabbath and on Jewish holidays. Security screening at every entrance, and access to the Old City can change at short notice. Checked 16 September 2026.

   A place of reflectionGender restrictedTravel advisory

   Check access · last checked September 16, 2026

Respect and access

The prayer area is divided into men's and women's sections. Men cover their heads, and head coverings are provided at the entrance. Shoulders and knees are covered. On the Sabbath and on Jewish holidays cameras and phones are not used at the wall, by anyone. People here are praying. Stand back from those who are.

Gender restricted

Parts of this place are open to some visitors and not others, or are separated. The custodian sets the rule and publishes it.

Travel advisory

A government advisory currently applies to this area. Read the current advisory before planning anything.

A place of reflection

This is a memorial or a site of atrocity. Visitors are asked to be quiet, to follow the custodian's guidance on photography, and to treat it as somewhere people grieve.

Opening times, prices, permits and eligibility change. Nothing on this page is a statement about today. Follow the Check access link on a place before you plan around it.

Sources

• english.thekotel.orghttps://english.thekotel.org/ · checked September 16, 2026

TravelDay selected and grouped these places. Naming a custodian, a government agency or UNESCO as a source is not a claim that any of them endorsed this journey.