City of David and Underground Jerusalem tour from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem

From the elevated position on the Mount of Olives, you have a panoramic view of the Holy City of Jerusalem.

The drive along the Kidron Valley takes you past an ancient cemetery and at the foot of the mount you see the burial tombs of Absalom, King David's 3rd son; Zechariah, a First Temple priest and the tomb of the sons of Hezir. You reach Mount Zion where you visit the Tomb of King David.

You continue the tour into the Old City through the Zion Gate and into the Jewish Quarter where you see a complex of four Sephardic synagogues which date back to the 17th and 18th century. The Yochanan ben Zakai Synagogue, Istanbuli Synagogue, Emtsai Synagogue and the EliahuHa'Navi Synagogue were found desecrates, burnt and in disrepair when the Israelis reclaimed Jerusalem following the Six Day War.

Your next stop is at the Byzantine Cardo, once the main thoroughfare of the city, today we can see the findings of ongoing archaeological excavations and in part of the restored Cardo, ancient Crusader stores are used for modern shops. Through the Jewish Quarter we pass the excavated foundations of an ancient wall which stood 2,700 years ago during the reign of King Hezekiah.

You'll arrive at the Kotel, the 2000-year-old Western Wall, once part of the outer walls of the Second Temple which stood on Temple Mount. Here you'll have a chance to place a prayer note between the stones of this ancient wall. You'll then exit the Old City through the Dung Gate where you can explore the excavation site of the City of David which dates back 3000 years.