A hillside village at Jerusalem's western edge, technically within the city limits but feeling entirely separate from it. Ein Kerem (meaning "Spring of the Vineyard") is one of the most beautiful places in the Jerusalem area — narrow stone lanes, terraced gardens, churches, monasteries, and a scatter of cafés and artists' studios. The village is traditionally identified as the birthplace of John the Baptist, and the Franciscan Church of St John and the Church of the Visitation both draw pilgrims, but the atmosphere is quiet and contemplative rather than touristic.
The village makes an excellent afternoon escape from the intensity of the Old City. Take bus 28 from the city centre (one of the few bus routes still running into the village) or grab a cab. The Ein Kerem Spring, which gives the village its name, still flows. Several good cafés overlook the valley, and the Hadassah Hospital complex nearby contains Marc Chagall's famous stained glass windows of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, open to visitors at set times.