Jerusalem

Is Jerusalem safe to visit?

For most visitors, yes, but the risk here is political violence, not ordinary crime. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary names no scams or street-crime hot spots for visitors in Jerusalem. What has killed people in Jerusalem in recent years is terrorism: a shooting in northern Jerusalem killed six people and wounded eight in September 2025, and in 2023 a shooting in Neve Yaakov, which the FCDO places in East Jerusalem, killed seven. In March 2026, during the war with Iran, a missile struck inside the Old City.

This page covers the whole city, West and East Jerusalem, and takes no position on its disputed status. The FCDO describes Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem as built on land considered occupied under international law. For Bethlehem, Ramallah and other West Bank towns, see our Palestine page. We score Jerusalem 60, the same as Israel and Tel Aviv, with low confidence because the situation can change within days.

Attacks, clashes and the Old City

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Israel and Palestine, and lists the Old City of Jerusalem first among possible targets, along with transport networks, security forces and crowded places. It also warns of violent incidents in Jerusalem, including stabbings, shootings and vehicle rammings, particularly at and around Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, Lion's Gate and the Chain Gate.

Demonstrations are frequent in the parts of the Old City that tourists visit, especially after Friday prayers, and some have led to violent clashes. Across Israel and Palestine, the FCDO says tension also rises on Thursday and Saturday evenings, during Ramadan, on Jewish high holidays and on anniversaries such as 7 October, Jerusalem Day, Land Day and Nakba Day. The FCDO says Israeli authorities restrict access to Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, with age and gender limits and searches, and the atmosphere in the Old City is tense then.

How to visit sensibly:

• Go to the Old City in daylight, and check the news the same morning.
• Keep away from crowds, protests and police operations; if shops in the souqs suddenly pull down their shutters, leave.
• Expect extra checks at the gates, which can also close at short notice.
• Take extra care on public transport, where the FCDO says there have been violent incidents on and near the lines.

Missiles and sirens

Iranian missiles reached Jerusalem during the 2026 war. On 20 March a blast left a crater on a hillside in the Jewish Quarter, a few hundred metres from Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; police said a missile caused it and one person had minor injuries, AFP reported. Earlier that week, police said shrapnel from another Iranian missile attack had fallen in the area.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says a ceasefire with Iran was agreed on 8 April 2026 and missile and drone attacks have become less frequent, but rockets, Houthi missiles and falling shrapnel remain a risk anywhere in Israel and Palestine. Install the Home Front Command app, ask your hotel where its protected room (mamad) or shelter is, and when a siren sounds, get inside and stay until the all-clear. Never touch fragments.

Crime, dress and Shabbat

Ordinary crime is not the main worry. Israel's homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary was 1.6 per 100,000 in 2022 according to UNODC and rose to about 3 in 2025, when police counted at least 288 killings, mostly linked to crime in Arab communities. Visitors are rarely involved. Watch your bag in the Old City's crowded lanes and markets, as anywhere busy.

Jerusalem is more conservative than Tel Aviv. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary asks visitors to cover shoulders, upper arms and legs above the knee, and warns that residents of ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods can react strongly to people, especially women, dressed less modestly. On Shabbat, from sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday, do not drive into ultra-Orthodox areas, where residents may throw stones at cars.

Roads, air and getting help

Roads are a steady risk across Israel: the National Road Safety Authority counted 443 deaths in 2025 by mid-December, the most in two decades, including 118 pedestrians. We found no full 2025 total for Jerusalem; CBS data show five people aged 15 to 24 died on its roads. Cross at lights.

Air is cleaner than in Cairo or the Gulf capitals: IQAir measured 15.0 µg/m³ of PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary in Jerusalem in 2024, three times the WHO guideline. Call 100 for police, 101 for an ambulance and 104 for the Home Front Command. Care is not free, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that hospitals may take legal action to stop you leaving until bills are paid, so travel insurance that covers conflict matters. For a calmer base in the region, compare Amman.

How we scored it

Violent crime (50) is the weakest factor because we fold terrorism, Old City clashes and the 2026 missile strike into it. Health and environment (83) is the strongest. Walking at night (72) sits below Tel Aviv's 78, on the same Gallup share of 71%, because of the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's warnings about the Old City gates. The weighted average of the factors is 71, but the overall score is capped at 60 (Israel's conflict score of 25 + 35): missiles and attacks do not stop at city limits, so a city cannot score above its country's conflict ceiling.