Snow falls in only parts of Israel, but when it snows in the hilly north -- usually between zero and three times per winter -- it's likely to snow in Jerusalem as well. Rare is a multi-day, multi-centimeter snowstorm like the one that blanketed our city in white this week.

Click here for more... 

It can be rough on Shabbat for the Jerusalem tourist. The city grinds to a halt to observe the day of rest, leaving the streets mostly empty and all save a few restaurants and bars shuttered. Family activities are especially limited, and visitors with children may not relish the idea of staying cooped up inside all day.

Fortunately, the Municipality offers at least one option: Shabbat walking tours of the city's major sights, conducted by trained guides, absolutely free of charge.

The full schedule of this year's tours can be found on the Municipality's website. Tours depart from 32 Jaffa, in front of the Russian Compound and across from the Finegold Court, are Shabbat-observant, and take a maximum of three hours.

The Jewish High Holidays are coming up. It's a time of increased activity in Jerusalem, when thousands of visitors descend on the city from abroad to celebrate the New Year and atone for the past year's transgressions in a place of purportedly greater holiness. And even if you're not a religious tourist, if you come to Jerusalem during the High Holidays, you're in for a once-a-year treat unlike any other.

That treat? Yom Kippur.

On the surface, Yom Kippur doesn't have much to recommend it, especially in Israel. Nearly every business establishment in the country closes, even those run by secular Israelis. People stay indoors. And everyone is grumpier than normal because they're not eating. But nightfall brings with it one of the most bizarre spectacles one can hope to see in Israel: the invasion of the streets by armies of Israeli children armed with all manner of wheeled contraptions.

You see, because almost nobody drives on Yom Kippur, the streets are utterly desolate, which suddenly gives bikers, skateboarders, rollerskaters and scooter riders miles and miles of expansive paved surfaces to ride on like they own them. Regiments of two-wheeled marauders swoop in unison down the hills of Jerusalem on roads that on any other day would be jammed thick with cars. On the most solemn day of the year, the streets are filled with laughter and whoops of joy.

And once the kids have gone to bed, you can enjoy the rare opportunity to go for an evening stroll smack dab in the middle of a highway. Where else can you safely do that?

Certain cities are built around a certain mode of transportation. Los Angeles is a car city. Amsterdam is a bike city. Hanoi is a scooter city. And Jerusalem? Well, the best way to experience the charms of the Holy City is with those two appendages your deity (or lack thereof) of choice bestowed upon you. That's right, your legs.

Jerusalem has always been a place meant to be navigated on foot. The Hebrew term for "pilgrimage," of which Judaism required three every year to Jerusalem, is aliyah l'regel, which translates roughly to "ascent by foot." Every year during the Sukkot, Shavu'ot and Passover festivals thousands of Jews from as far afield as Egypt and Babylon would hoof it up to the Holy City to atone for their sins by offering a sacrificial dove at the Temple. Modern day pilgrims can achieve similar results by offering a sacrificial 15 shekels for a stale falafel in the Jewish Quarter.

But back to the point. There's no part of Jerusalem that can't be accessed by foot, and a determined walker can get from one end of the city to the other in a few hours' time. And the city is bursting with interesting landmarks, elegant and vibrant neighborhoods, historical sites, architectural marvels and much more to greet the casual stroller. So Jerusalemite is here to present to you Jerusalem Strolls, a multi-part blog series on the very best walking tours of this most walking-friendly of cities. So stretch out your movin' legs and polish off your sightseein' eyes, because you're about to learn how to see the City of Gold the way you were meant to.