The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa

The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa

The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa
4.5
Historic SitesPoints of Interest & Landmarks
About
Starting at St. Stephen's (Lions') Gate in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, this is the route Jesus is said to have followed as he carried the Cross to his crucifixion.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa
The area

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,687 reviews
Excellent
970
Very good
469
Average
192
Poor
41
Terrible
15

Jeffry b
Essendon, Australia14,153 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Friends
The Via Dolorosa means the Way of Suffering. The Via Dolorosa follows the way of Jesus to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, around 600 meters (2000 feet). There are 14 Stations of the Cross, which trace's Jesus Way of Suffering. which can be followed quite easily. The Stations of the Cross are a place of veneration for Christians, in particular Roman Catholics.
Written 28 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mumsgurl
Calgary, Canada21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022 • Friends
One of the best experiences I’ve had. Highly recommend it. Thoroughly enjoyed my time in Israel and Jordan.
Written 6 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

WVTravelGirl
Newberry, FL183 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Friends
It was hard to feel the significance of the place with all of the shopping that was happening left, right, and center. Pair that with trying not to get run over by the occasional little vehicle coming through.
Written 29 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Noraatc
Sudbury, MA35,558 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
We were on Vis Dolorosa by accident, didn’t plan on it. The exit from the Kotel underground tour is located on Via Dolorosa and that how we ended up being there. We walked on Via Dolorosa up to the Muslim Quarter market, took photos of very atmospheric passageways, visited a couple of churches, walked by the Church of Holy Sepulchre, and returned to the Jaffa Gate. Undoubtedly, Via Dolorosa is a sacred site for Christians, but for us it wasn’t an important attraction.
Written 10 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

arvind1000
Pune, India2,266 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
The Via Dolorosa (Sorrowful Way) is processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem. It represents the path that Jesus would have taken, forced by the Roman soldiers, on the way to his crucifixion.
Written 7 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brenda S
Auckland Central, New Zealand42 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
All day every day the via Dolorosa is packed with tourist, traders and people going in all directions. If you wish to meditate along the path follow the plaques that appear along the walls at various places and go early in the morning 6-7am or in the evening with a few friends after six. But be aware if you plan to cut through the Muslim Quarter they have curfews and you will be turned away after about 4ish?
Written 4 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SmartTraveler
Muar, Malaysia658 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
Via Dolorosa is the processional route that Jesus suffered. He wore a crown of thorns, was whipped, was humiliated, and carried a heavy cross to Calvary.

The route started from the House of Pontius Pilate. There are 14 stations marked with Roman numerals. Each has a sorrowful story to tell.

We walked Via Dolorosa. At station  4, Mary wept for the suffering of her son. Simon of Cyrene helped to lift the heavy cross at station 5. Jesus' handprint on a wall was marked in station 9. He had to support himself after the third fall. The next 5 stations are located indoors.

Via Dolorosa unveiled epic human evil and cruelty to Divine Passion and Humility. It is spiritually touching amid a busy bazaar selling cheap tourist souvenirs. We continue walking to the Church of Holy Sculpture.
Written 14 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JrnyJunkie
Cleveland, OH963 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
Narrow passageways, stone steps and alleyways are interesting to see, unfortunately the crowds of devotees make it difficult to even think about the history.
Written 10 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

StotheN
Stockholm, Sweden547 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
So historic. I am not even a Christian or Muslim or Jewish but went through with this tour regardless. It is so eye opening. There are clear markings of the different stations of the journey. Well recommended.
Written 5 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brun066
Florence, Italy12,580 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Together with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the culmination of this itinerary, the path believed to have been walked by Jesus in the hours of his sacrifice, is the element for which the city of Jerusalem is most sacred for Christians . The theological value of this path is very high, alluding to a qualifying element of Christianity, which is the belief that Jesus, divine being, became man and knowingly faced death to redeem humanity.
This path is repeated in countless places in the Christian world, both within churches and in the open air (among the latter I recall the paths in north-western Italy, and in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil).
In my opinion, even those who are not believers, but have lived in a Christian cultural way, will be impressed by the experience of this journey in Jerusalem.
The journey takes place almost entirely in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem, and we had a Jewish theologian as our guide for the path, extremely knowledgeable and with a captivating speech. What better proof of the syncretism of this city?
The path generally starts from the courtyard of the Arab college of Al-Omariyeh (stage 1), then passes to the Franciscan convent of the Flagellation (stage 2), to the entrance of the Armenian Patriarchate (stage 3), to the church of Our Lady of the Pain (stage 4), at the door (generally closed) of a building where Simon of Cyrene helped Christ carry the cross (stage 5).
Other doors that are generally closed are the one at stage 6 (where Veronica is said to have wiped Jesus' face) and the one at stage 7 (where Jesus fell for the second time). After stage 7, the route leaves the supposed walls of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus (not the current ones). This, incidentally, explains why Golgotha could be not a hill, but a minimal prominence, today enclosed in the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.
The place marked as stage 8 follows, where Jesus met the weeping women, and the Coptic monastery of Deir as Sultan, at which a column marks stage 9 (Jesus falls the third time).
The next five stages are located in the premises of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, in a crescendo of solemnity.
I believe that this brief description has already rendered the hieratic atmosphere of the journey. Actually walking it, however, is another thing.
Written 20 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 934
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

THE WAY OF THE CROSS - VIA DOLOROSA: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa

According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa:


Restaurants near The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa: View all restaurants near The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa on Tripadvisor