Via Dolorosa: No Holds Barred

The Dungeons of the Via Dolorosa, or From the New Gate to the Lions’ Gate and Back

A route through eastern Jerusalem and the Old City, featuring underground sites and little-known museums along the “Way of Sorrows.”

We will walk: seven kilometers, or half of Jerusalem from east to west.

We will see: the New, Damascus, Flower, and Lions’ Gates, and explore the Via Dolorosa—the traditional route of the Stations of the Cross. Important: this is a secular tour.

We will visit: two remarkable archaeological museum complexes:

1. Bethesda—huge 2,000-year-old pools inside the Muslim Quarter, the ancient Temple of Asclepius, the best-preserved 12th-century Romanesque Church of Saint Anne, a paradise garden, and a museum with… a hippopotamus jaw!

2. The underground chambers at the Convent and Hospice of the Sisters of Zion—excavated streets of Jerusalem dating back 2,000 years, and even a pool through which an English officer wanted to enter beneath the Temple Mount.

3. The observation deck at the Austrian Hospice (5 shekels).

4. We will examine: all the myths and traditions surrounding the “Way of Sorrows.”

The route is VERY intensive, requires no physical limitations and a willingness to go up and down stairs, is unsuitable for people with claustrophobia, and covers almost 7 km in total.

Cost: 150 shekels plus admission fees, paid independently and in cash only. I will collect the money before the tour begins.

Bethesda admission: adults—12 shekels; students—10 shekels; children—free.

Sisters of Zion admission: adults—10 shekels; students—6 shekels; children—free.

To register, send the participants’ full names via WhatsApp to +972508143001 or call Olga Andreyeva. Marking “I’m going” on Facebook or simply intending to attend does not constitute registration for the tour.