Jerusalem & Dead Sea Tour: Walk Old City, Float Salt Sea

Walk Jerusalem's sacred quarters, then float weightless in the Dead Sea

A private full-day tour combines Jerusalem's Old City (Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Western Wall and the restored Cardo) with a Dead Sea stop where you float on mineral-rich water and cover yourself in therapeutic mud. Hotel pickup, air-conditioned vehicle and a licensed guide in English or Spanish are included. The tour runs 8 to 11 hours and suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Garden of Gethsemane30m
2. Cardo30m
3. Western Wall30m

Jerusalem sightseeing and Dead Sea relaxation

• Drive to Mount of Olives viewpoint
• Visit Garden of Gethsemane
• Stop at Mount Zion, see King David's Tomb and Last Supper Room
• Walk Via Dolorosa in Christian Quarter
• Visit Church of the Holy Sepulcher
• Walk through Armenian and Jewish Quarters to Cardo
• See the Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
• Drive to Dead Sea resort
• Float in Dead Sea and enjoy mud bath
• Return to pick up point

The experience

The day starts at Mount of Olives, where a panoramic view frames the Old City and the Temple Mount beyond. From there you descend to the Garden of Gethsemane, the olive grove at the foot of the mount where Jesus underwent the agony in the garden before his arrest. The route then moves through Mount Zion to visit King David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper, two of the holiest sites in Judaism and Christianity. This sequence sets the spiritual geography before you enter the Old City proper.

Inside the Old City walls, you walk the Via Dolorosa (the narrow stone path believed to be the route Jesus took to his crucifixion), and reach the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built at Calvary where the crucifixion, burial and resurrection are said to have occurred. You then move through the Armenian and Jewish quarters to the Cardo, a Roman road uncovered and restored in the Jewish Quarter, and finish at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews are permitted to pray. The walk covers ground layered with centuries of religious history, each stop marked by the operator's licensed guide.

After Jerusalem, the tour heads to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth and the site of a singular physical experience: the high salt density lets you float on the aquamarine surface without effort. You stop at one of the resorts on the shore to spend time in the water and cover yourself with the mineral-rich mud, which has therapeutic qualities. The return journey takes you back to your hotel, completing the full arc from the city's heights to the sea's depths.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• government-licensed professional tour guide in your chosen language.
• air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.

Options for this experience

2 options

Private tour led by an English-speaking guideNo fixed timePickup is included

Private tour led by a Spanish-speaking guideNo fixed timePickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 12 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Compass Travel Israel

Is this one for you?Choose the English guide if that's your working language, or Spanish if you prefer. The private format means the guide's pace and explanations stay matched to your group alone, and the full-day structure fits all the major sites (from the Mount of Olives down through the Old City quarters and out to the Dead Sea) into a single journey without backtracking.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

31 verified traveler reviews

5 ★31

4 ★0

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What is the Western Wall and why do people visit it on this tour?

The Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall, is an ancient limestone wall in the Old City and the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray. Its sanctity comes from its proximity to the Temple Mount, and the tour includes a stop here as one of the final Old City sites before heading to the Dead Sea.

What happens at the Dead Sea part of the tour?

At the Dead Sea, you stop at one of the resorts on the shore to float on the water (the high salt density makes floating effortless), and to cover yourself with the mineral-rich mud. The mud is known for its therapeutic qualities, and the experience is one of the defining moments of the day.

Does this tour include meals or drinks?

Food and drinks are not included in the tour price. You'll want to bring water and snacks, especially given the full-day length and the time spent walking through the Old City and at the Dead Sea.

What should I wear and bring for this tour?

Comfortable walking shoes are essential, along with a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen for the outdoor sections. Modest dress and a head covering are required when visiting the holy sites in Jerusalem. A towel is useful for the Dead Sea portion, and you may want to bring a change of clothes.

Is there a guide with the group the whole time?

Yes, a government-licensed professional guide in English or Spanish (your choice at checkout) travels with you throughout the full day in an air-conditioned vehicle, providing context at each stop from Mount of Olives through the Old City and to the Dead Sea.