LA NOUVELLE VILLE

The new town lies to the west of the old city walls. The main street that runs through it and links it to the old town is Jaffa Road. Here you'll find most of the city's shops, hotels, restaurants and bars, as well as a number of picturesque neighborhoods that are very different from one another, and the country's major institutions. Here are the main neighborhoods, moving away from the Old City, from east to west:

Yemin Moshe. Immediately west of Mount Zion, Yemin Moshe is dominated by the Montefiore windmill. Sir Moses Montefiore, the famous English Zionist, built the Mishkenot Sha'ananim, the "dwellings of the blessed", which were the first dwellings outside the Old City walls, designed to provide a solution to the overcrowding and unsanitary conditions inside the walls. Now completely renovated, it's an upscale residential area with a beautiful view over the city.

Mamilla and Nahalat Shiv'a. Located just outside the Jaffa Gate, Mamilla was one of the first neighborhoods to be built outside the Old City walls, in the ^19th century. Long neglected, it underwent a major restoration in 2010 and is attracting a wealthy population to its new homes. The district boasts parks and gardens, as well as luxury hotels. Adjacent, the Nahalat Shiv'a district is organized around Midrahov, the name given to Ben Yehuda Street and the pedestrian streets that surround it, starting from Zion Square. Here you'll find numerous stores, bars and restaurants open late into the evening. The rest of the neighborhood is fairly residential, consisting of small stone houses typical of Jerusalem, built in 1870 by the first Western Zionist settlers.

Russian Compound. On the other side of Jaffa Road, the Russian enclave revolves around the Russian Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. The origins of this enclave date back to the 1860s, when the first Russian pilgrims settled here, close to the Old City and the Holy Sepulchre. When the State of Israel was created, the government bought most of the buildings. Today, in addition to the superb cathedral, the enclave houses the Palace of Justice, the Jerusalem Police Headquarters and the Underground Prisoners Museum. Jerusalem City Hall is also just a stone's throw away.

Mahane Yehuda and Nahalot. Continuing west on Jaffa Road, Jerusalem's largest market alone covers a small area around Agrippa Street. Mainly covered, it's a concentration of Jewish life, flavors and melting pot, with a predominantly Oriental feel: it's dominated by Mizrahim and Sephardic merchants. South of the Mahane Yehuda market, on the other side of Jaffa Road, nestles the charming Nahalot district. Built in the early ^20th century from Jerusalem stone, it's one of those Jewish neighborhoods from the founding era, when small colonies of European Jews came to settle in Jerusalem. At once popular, conservative and bohemian, and now undergoing gentrification, people come here for its architecture and authentic atmosphere.

Mea Shearim. North of the market, this is Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Jewish quarter. A veritable enclave out of time and out of this world, to come here you'd better cover your legs and shoulders, and avoid driving or carrying your cell phone on the Sabbath. Dressed in a black caftan, topped with a felt hat or fur cap (the schtreimel), often bearded, with their hair in bunches, the haredim who live here, mainly Hassidim, have preserved the dress code of ^19th-century European ghettos. They devote their lives to the study of Torah, and here you'll find numerous yeshivot (Talmudic schools) and midrash (houses of religious study).

First Station and German Colony. Accessed from the east via the former railway station, Jerusalem First Station was transformed into an entertainment and dining venue in 2014. Many of the establishments here are open every day, including Shabbat. An undeniable asset for those who want to go out that day in Jerusalem, outside the Arab and Christian quarters of East Jerusalem. Adjacent, the German Colony district, founded by members of the German Templar Society who were expelled in the 1930s for their Nazi sympathies, stretches along both sides of Emek Refa'im Street, not far from the Bethlehem road. A very pleasant spot.

Talbiyeh. To the west of the German colony, the residential area of Talbiyeh was built in the 1920s and 1930s on land purchased from the Greek Patriarchate, around the main street, David Marcus Street. Most of the original residents were wealthy Middle Eastern Christians who built elegant mansions surrounded by trees and flower gardens. The Jerusalem Theater, the Museum of Islamic Art, the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and the residences of the President and Prime Minister are also located here.

Givat Ram and Mount Herzl. The district is home to numerous museums, including the Israel Museum. It is also the city's institutional and administrative center, home to several ministries, the headquarters of the Bank of Israel, the Supreme Court and the Knesset. The south-west of Givat Ram is occupied by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, bordering on Mount Herzl, where you can visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum.