The old city is very much a pedestrian zone. Its narrow streets and alleys do not allow for vehicles. This makes it a wonderful area to explore. Flat-soled footwear is essential, as many of the ancient streets are either cobbled or unevenly paved. There are some areas of the New City that are also easy and rewarding to get around on foot, notably Yemin Moshe and Nakhalat Shiva, but elsewhere wide roads and aggressive traffic can make walking very unpleasant.

Finding your way around poses little problem as street signs are in at least two languages (either Hebrew and English, or Arabic and English). In the Old City, they are in the scripts of all three.

It is easy to find a taxi in Jerusalem. You can either book one by phone, hail one on the street, or find one at an official rank. Restaurant and hotel staff will always phone a cab for you.

Taxis are white if they are Israeli and yellow if they are Arab. There is little difference between them. Occasionally an Israeli driver may refuse to drive to an address in Arab East Jerusalem, while an Arab driver may balk at venturing into parts of West Jerusalem. Arab or Israeli, Jerusalem taxi drivers have a bad, but very well-deserved, reputation for overcharging. Although the taxis have modern meters (which can print out a receipt on request), drivers are not in the habit of using them. They will often claim that the meter is not working. You should insist that it is used. If it is not, you will pay a variable fare, which will be dependent on your haggling skills, but which will almost certainly be substantially more than the meter would have indicated. Note also that taxi fares are officially higher between 9:30pm and 5:30am.

One slightly unusual means of transport in Jerusalem (and throughout the Holy Land region) is the shared taxi. Known to the Israelis as a sherut  and to the Arabs as a “service” (pronounced “servees”), shared taxis are a cross between a bus and a taxi. They operate fixed routes like a bus, but they run far more frequently and, like a taxi, they can be hailed on the street. At the start of the route drivers wait until every seat is taken before setting off. Points of origin and final destinations are displayed in the front window (although in the case of “services”, this will be in Arabic only). There are no set stops; passengers indicate to the driver when they wish to be let off. Fares are a little more expensive than the equivalent bus ride but much cheaper than a taxi.

Israeli shared taxis are often white vans, while the Arabs favour large sedans, usually Mercedes or Peugeots.

Jerusalem’s city bus system is run by Egged, the national carrier, which claims to be the world’s largest bus company after Greyhound in the United States. Tickets are bought from the driver on boarding. The fare is the same for all destinations – the equivalent of just over one US dollar.

Buses are identified only by a number displayed in the front window, and destinations are not usually written. Major bus routes include: bus No. 1 from Egged Central Bus Station  to Jaffa Gate and on to Mount Zion and the Western Wall bus station in the Old City’s Jewish Quarter; bus No. 20, which runs between Jaffa Gate and Yad Vashem, passing along Jaffa Road; and bus No. 27, which runs between the Hadassah Hospital, along Jaffa Road past the central bus station, terminating at Nablus Road Bus Station in East Jerusalem near Damascus Gate.

Most buses run between about 5:30am and midnight. There are no night buses and no services on Shabbat.

East Jerusalem is served by Arab-run buses, which are not nearly so efficient as their Israeli counterparts. It is unlikely that many visitors to the city will find it necessary to use these buses.

One of the best things the first-time visitor to Jerusalem can do is to take a ride on the No. 99 bus. This bus follows a circular route that in just under two hours takes in most of the important sites outside the Old City. It departs four times per day from Egged Central Bus Station on Jaffa Road: 9am, 11am, 1:30pm and 3:45pm (the last bus does not run on Friday, and there are no buses on Saturday). Tickets can be bought on the bus, but it is wise to book in advance as it is often full. Bookings can be made at Central Bus Station, or at the city tourist information office.

A ticket is valid for a whole day and you can hop on and off wherever you like. It is also possible to get a two-day ticket. A guided tour is available on a personal listening device available in eight languages.