The Old City surrounded by a wall built in the first half of the 16th century by the Ottoman Turk, Suleyman the Magnificent. The 4 km 2.5 mile circuit is accessed by eight gates, of which seven remain in current use. The gates are, in clockwise order:
Jaffa Gate
on the western side of the city access from West Jerusalem, next to the Citadel. The busiest of the seven Old City gates, Jaffa Gate has a large taxi rank for easy access in and out of the Old City. The Jaffa Gate has access staircases for the Ramparts Walk see below. Inside Jaffa GateNew Gate
on the northwestern edge of the Old City, the closest gate to West Jerusalem and convenient for entry to the Christian Quarter. It was the last gate cut into the city wall, in 1889. The New Gate has access to a hospital and some parking just outside the walls. New GateDamascus Gate
on the northern side of the city access from East Jerusalem, it is the most monumental of all the gates. The Damascus Gate has access staircases for the Ramparts Walk see below via the Roman Square Excavations. A taxi rank and some parking are available just outside the walls. A bus station is located 2 blocks north east of the gate.Herod's Gate
on the northern side of the city, faces Arab East Jerusalem. Its name originates from the the 1500's when Christian pilgrims wrongly thought that the house inside the gate was the palace of Herod the Great's son.St Stephen's Gate
also known as Sheep Gate, or in Hebrew, Lions' Gate - on the eastern side of the city, it faces the Mount of Olives and is the start of the Via Dolorosa. Its name was adopted in the Middle Ages by Christians who believed that the first Christian martyr, St Stephen, was executed here. Prior to that, however, it had been generally accepted that St Stephen had been stoned to death outside Damascus Gate.Golden Gate
on the east wall of the Temple Mount, was long ago sealed shut by the Muslims in the 7th century. According to tradition the Messiah will arrive in the Temple via this gate.Dung Gate
on the southern side of the city, it provides direct access to the Jewish quarter and the Western Wall. This is the terminal of buses 1 and 2. Parking is available outside of the city walls near the City of David.Zion Gate
on the southern side of the city, it provides direct access to the Armenian quarter from Mount Zion. The outside of the gate is pockmarked by bullet-holes due to fierce fighting here in 1948 between the Israelis and the Jordanians. The Arabic name of the gate is Bab el-Nabi Daud Gate of the Prophet David, because of its proximity to the traditional location of King David's Tomb. Parking is available just outside the gate.
By bus
38: Jewish Quarter Parking lot - Yafo Street - Davidka Square - Yafo Street - Jewish Quarter Parking lot.
1: CBS - Sarei Yisrael - Malchei Yisrael Geulah - Meah Shearim - Shaar Shechem Damascus Gate - Kotel HaMa'aravi Western Wall
2: Har Nof - Givat Shaul North - Hamag - Kiryat Mattersdorf - Sorotzkin - Kiryat Tzanz - Ezrat Torah - Golda Meir - Shmuel HaNavi - Shaar Shechem Damascus Gate - Kotel HaMa'aravi Western Wall
3: CBS Center One - Kiryat Mattersdorf - Sorotzkin - Kiryat Tzanz - Ezrat Torah - Golda Meir - Shmuel HaNavi - Yecheskel Street Geula - Shaar Shechem Damascus Gate - Kotel HaMa'aravi Western Wall
21: Bethlehem/Beit Jala - Talpiot - Jaffa Gate - Damascus Gate
18: Ramallah/Al-Bireh - Qalandia - Beit Hanina - almost Herod's Gate
Other East Jerusalem - busses with blue stripes all terminate near the Damascus Gate; busses with green stripes all terminate 2 minutes walk from Herod's Gate.
20: coming out of Jaffa gate and a little walk through the new market and taking the lift took me to the street, there i took bus no. 20 which took me to Jerusalem CBS.
By car
If you arrive by car, be aware of the limited parking space. The streets ouside the Old City walls are usually reserved for buses and taxicabs, parking of private cars is prohibited. The simplest option is the recently constructed multi-level parking of Mamilla district near the Jaffa gate entrance to the parking from Yitshak Kariv street.