The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa
The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa
The Way of the Cross - Via Dolorosa
4.5
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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
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4.5
1,688 reviews
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15
John B
Phoenix, AZ108 contributions
Mar 2020
The Via Dolorosa is unlikely the way Jesus carried the cross. The route was determined during the Crusader Period in Jerusalem, and has little historical back-up. You can walk it if you want, but I suggest the Western Wall, and Dome of the Rock if you have limited time in the City
Written March 14, 2020
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.
brit933
Solbjerg, Denmark215 contributions
Mar 2020
We went on awalk led by a group of Franciscan munks. It takes place on Fridays at 3 pm and starts at the flagellation church. They go through all the 14 stages and tell us what happended in each of the. The prayer of the rosary is said and a lot of singing. It ends in the church of the Holy Sepulcre visiting the grave of Jesus, Golgatha, the place where his body was anointed and the stone that had covered the grave, really an experience beyond imagination
Written March 7, 2020
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 Zealand232 contributions
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 April 4, 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.
Terrence B
Monroe, MI23 contributions
Jan 2020
A group of us walked this at 4:00 am to avoid the crowds. It was a moving experience and full of faith. At the time it was heavy rain over uneven pavement but well worth it. There are many merchants along the way but we managed to avoid them.
Written January 14, 2020
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.
Giuseppe Cincindella
Rosyth, UK2,321 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We walked from the Western Wall up to the via Dolorosa, the route that Jesus walked carrying the cross, step by step. Touching, busy, interesting walk along these narrow streets full of little typical shops selling any gadget, spices, food, clothes. To do.
Written January 3, 2020
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.
Kim G
Pacific Grove, CA3,750 contributions
Dec 2019
In Latin, the "Way of Grief" or "Way of Suffering" is a humbling experience for the Christian Pilgrim. Definitely a must do experience, traveling this venerated Via, where Jesus was tried and carried His cross to His crucifiction. We unfortunately found several of the Stations closed when we walked the Via Dolorosa, but found it a moving experience none-the-less. Try not to get distracted by all of the bustling people and shops along the way; you may return to shop after completing the journey if you wish. I brought my Bible to read the Scriptural reference at each of the Stations along the way. TIP: We first toured "The Kotel", which leads through the Western Wall Tunnels, were we emerged at the end, onto the start of the Via Dolorosa. For the best experience on the Via Dolorosa, try to walk early, or after the tours of Christian pilgrims depart for the day, as it can get extremely congested, both on the processional route and at the conclusion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Written November 17, 2020
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.
ChrisJS51
Sevenoaks, UK482 contributions
Nov 2019
This is supposed to represent the route that Christ took from apbefore Pilate to Hs crucifixion. It was laid out by the Romans hundreds of years after the event so it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt,but it is nonetheless evocative and moving. You can't simply walk the route any more as the alleyways have moved - you may need a guide to find your way around and you will need to double back on yourself.
Written February 19, 2020
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.
DQShaw
York, ME1,317 contributions
Jan 2020
We went with a tour guide which gave us more insight as to where to go and the importance of the different stops along the way. You can't help but to be touched by the surroundings. After a lifetime of the stories and sermons it was amazing to walk the path.
Written March 19, 2020
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.
Bluebellplasnewydd
Cardiff, UK2,049 contributions
Nov 2022
This was somewhat different to what I was expecting. You are walking along thronging narrow streets packed with tourists and locals making a lot of noise. The Stations of the Cross are marked but easily missed so this trip is best done with a guide. There are also a number of shrines and small chapels on the way. Some are interesting but many are missable.
Written December 17, 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.
Barbara R
Erie, PA940 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
It was good, although very crowded and noisy with shops lining both sides of the road and service vehicles tooting their horns for people to move. It was not for me a very religious experience with all the noise and commotion. Each station is labeled. It's impossible to imagine Jesus walking along here carrying the cross. Very commercialized. I am glad I experienced it however It is marked by nine stations of the Cross; there have been 14 stations since the late 15th century, with the remaining five stations being inside the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Written January 25, 2020
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.
Hi, did you go with an organized tour? I want to go next year but don’t want to do the walk by myself, I’d love to have a priest as well.
Written April 21, 2019
Yes we went with a group organized by Educational Opportunities out of Lakeland Florida. There are many similar organizations internationally and I’m sure you could find one that would suit your preferences.
It’s the trip you’ll never forget!
Written April 26, 2019
When is the best time of year to visit Jerusalem?
Written January 21, 2019
Hi, as you write! I don´t know better than you. I would also go back when it is not to warm nor to could in the winter. More exact I can not be. Stefan
Written October 31, 2019
Is it best to do the walk at 3/4pm on Friday when the main walk is or it's the same as joining any group at another time do it?
Written October 12, 2017
You walk in your own experience with God anytime. He knows why you are doing this and pray ,cry, meditate and feel his presence there when you are walking and feel the cross too as he carried it for us.
I felt Jesus carrying the cross for our mistakes and sins. I felt he took all that from me and set me free. I will start a new life this coming year. He for sure answered my prayers too.I am a complete changed person for this experience has brought this out in me.
Everyone needs to experience this once in there lifetime.
Written October 12, 2017
I am going to Jerusalem in two weeks and would like to experience the Stations of the Cross with a local church there, any suggestions on how to go about this? Robert
Written March 3, 2017
hello. It is a definately must do and see and feel whilst in Jerusalem. can be achieved on you or get a guide. just be careful as a lot of guides will try and get a lot of euro dollars or sterling outta you and tend to take little breaks in their family shops where they sell souvenirs etc..... but enjoy the experience
Written March 3, 2017
Hi -
My husband and I are attending the Holy Week activities in Jerusalem this year, and concerned about entrance on Good Friday to participate in the processional as we are not part of a church or mission group. Can someone please advise with regard to access, is it difficult, best time to be at the Via Crucis and where to begin the processional? Also, does one need a ticket to attend Easter Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?
Any and all details suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Written February 1, 2017
You will be richly blessed by this pilgrimage. But know that the crowds will be enormous and that you will need to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves the whole time you are in Jerusalem. Though you are not going with a church group, I strongly advise that you link up with some group once you are there rather than going on your own. You will learn more and feel safer. To walk the Via Dolorosa/Via Crucis, you will want to enter the Via Dolorosa from Beit HaBad Street, NOT from the east. Walk west up to the Church of the Condemnation and Flagellation to begin your journey, but do not continue any further east. Then reverse directions downhill to the west; looking for signs along the way. You should get a printed guide before you go. If you have not found a group with which to walk, there will be groups everywhere once you get there, all doing the same thing. Stay with a group and be sure to dress modestly. You will pass through crowded alleys filled with aggressive vendors. As for worshiping at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, if your intention is to be there for Easter Sunday morning you should be there VERY early for the first mass of the day (6am or 6:30am) and know that even then you almost certainly will be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other worshipers and you may have to wait several hours to get in. This is true just about every Sunday of the year, but Easter will be the most challenging of all. No ticket is required. One more word of strong encouragement: do not just go to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre without also visiting the Garden Tomb next to the bus station. You will bless me for this suggestion. I hope that your pilgrimage will include time in Galilee, as you will be moved to tears again and again. Feel free to ask more questions.
Written February 2, 2017
Planning a Jerusalem jurney, looking for historical reading materials . What is the book mentioned in the review ( The novel, Sister of Zion ) ?
Written February 13, 2016
I am sorry. I can not help you with that. Although I wnrt to Jerusalem, I´m Atheist. Details of any religion... that´s asking too much :)
Written February 15, 2016
Voy a llevar a una persona mayor,por lo que me gustaría saber cuánto mide aproximadamente el recorrido de la Via Dolorosa...gracias
Written August 31, 2015
A Tripadvisor member
Barcelona, Spain
2 contributions
No llega a un kilómetro el recorrido, lo que ocurre es que si lo coges desde el comienzo, para seguir el recorrido que hizo Jesucristo, todo es en subida. Te recomiendo tranquilidad y una buenas botella de agua. Eso sí, lo disfrutareis. Feliz viaje
Written September 1, 2015
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