What to wear in Israel, site by site

Site by site

The Western WallJerusalem

Shoulders and knees covered. Men are asked to cover their heads; paper kippot and shawls are lent at the entrance.

Photography: Fine on ordinary weekdays. Not on Shabbat or festivals. Keep praying individuals out of close-ups.

The Jewish Quarter, Old CityJerusalem

Shoulders and knees covered. It is a religious residential neighbourhood as much as a tourist route.

Photography: Streets and ruins yes. People, and above all children, only with permission.

The Temple Mount OverlookJerusalem

Arms and legs fully covered for everyone. Women are often asked to cover their heads at the gate.

Photography: Buildings generally accepted, worshippers not. Restrictions change without notice.

The City of DavidJerusalem

Ordinary clothes, plus something you do not mind soaking if you take the water tunnel.

Photography: Fine at the excavations. Residents and their homes only with permission.

The Mount of OlivesJerusalem

Shoulders and knees covered, and shoes with grip. Men usually cover their heads in the cemetery.

Photography: The view is the reason people come. Funerals and mourners are not photographed.

Machane Yehuda MarketJerusalem

Anything. The market is mixed secular and religious and nobody is checking.

Photography: Welcome, with the ordinary courtesy of asking people first.

Yad VashemJerusalem

No dress code. Much of the campus is outdoors, so dress for the weather and the walking.

Photography: Not inside the main museum. Permitted outdoors and in the memorial spaces where signs allow.

Old Jaffa and the PortTel Aviv-Yafo

Anything at the port and the market. Covered shoulders if you plan to enter a mosque or a church.

Photography: Fine throughout. Ask before photographing traders and worshippers.

Neve TzedekTel Aviv-Yafo

Anything. This is secular Tel Aviv.

Photography: Fine on the streets. It is residential, so keep lenses out of windows and courtyards.

Independence HallTel Aviv-Yafo

Anything.

Photography: Permitted in the hall. No flash during the talk.

Tzfat and Its SynagoguesTzfat

Modest throughout the old town: shoulders and knees covered, and a head covering for men in any synagogue.

Photography: Outdoors freely. Inside synagogues only where permitted, and not during prayer.

TiberiasTiberias

Covered shoulders and knees at the tombs and synagogues. Ordinary summer clothes everywhere else.

Photography: Free along the lake. Sparingly, if at all, at the tombs.

The Ancient Synagogue at Kfar BaramUpper Galilee

Sun-protective clothing and closed shoes. The ground is rough basalt and thistle.

Photography: Free, and the facade is the photograph. Tripods are fine because it is rarely crowded.

The Shore of the Sea of GalileeSea of Galilee

Swimwear at the beaches, covered shoulders at Capernaum and the other church sites.

Photography: Free. Baptism groups and worshippers deserve the usual courtesy.

MasadaJudean Desert

Sun-protective clothing, a hat and real walking shoes. Covered shoulders help more against the sun than anything else.

Photography: Free everywhere. The light is best in the first hour and the last.

The Dead SeaJordan Rift Valley

Swimwear plus sandals you can walk into the water in. Salt crystals on the bottom are sharp.

Photography: Fine everywhere. Keep the camera away from salted hands and out of the water.

Timna ValleyArava, near Eilat

Full sun protection, closed shoes and layers. Desert nights drop fast even after a hot day.

Photography: Free. Early and late light is what makes the sandstone red.

Hours, prices, access and security arrangements change: check official sources before you go, and follow the instructions of site and security staff. In an emergency, call the local emergency number (in Israel: police 100, ambulance 101, or 112 from a mobile).