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City in the West Bank, Palestine
Photo: Ralf Lotys (Sicherlich), CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ramallah or Ram Allah (Arabic رام الله Rāmallāh) is a small city in the West Bank region of the Palestinian Territories, located 15 km (10 miles) north of Jerusalem. Since the inception of the Palestinian National Authority, Ramallah has acted as the de facto capital city of the Palestinian administration. The neighboring town of Al-Bireh has over the years fused together with Ramallah and is covered in this article too.
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While not resembling any 'Medina'-style old city, several churches and mosques can be found that may be of interest to visitors.
One of the oldest schools in the region, are also a must visit as there is one near the old city, and another in the entrance of the downtown coming from Jerusalem.
A protected and family-owned building and a Historical Museum. One of the top sights in Ramallah, displaying the history and art of Ramallah's past and present. A nice and helpful host takes care of the place with over 250 years of history. Also, you can buy special souvenirs.
A fortress from the 12th century.
مسجد جمال عبد الناصر
The largest mosque within Ramallah.
كنيسة تجلي الرب للروم الأرثوذكس
Greek Orthodox church dating back to 1852.
كنيسة العائلة المقدسة
Evangelical Lutheran Church, built in 1954.
تل النصبة
Believed to the site of the biblical city of Mizpah. There are ongoing archaeological excavations but it's possible to hike around the tell.
Hosts rotating exhibitions on Palestinian history, society and culture.
Museum and mausoleum dedicated to Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008), considered Palestine's national poet.
The museum is in the building where Arafat was held under siege by the Israeli Army in 2002. The museum is interesting in a way that it displays the Palestinian, sometimes a little questionable but interesting view of the difficult past.
The mausoleum is the only part of the Mukata'a two-block complex tourists can visit. You will be asked by the armed guards at the gate to leave any bags (large or small) with them but they will allow you to take your camera with you to visit the tomb. Inside you will find a couple of soldiers standing guard over the tomb. This seems to be a ceremonial guard and they will not object to your taking photos inside there, even of yourself or others next to the marble gravestone.
The Mukata'a is a two-block compound with a white tower that is lit up at night and visible from most parts of the city. It contains some government offices and conference rooms, as well as the above mentioned Yasser Arafat's mausoleum.
The main venue for performances and concerts within the city.
Many international visitors to Ramallah come to get taxi rides to see the protests in the neighboring villages (like Nabi Saleh and the world famous Bil'in protests) against Israel's separation barrier. Hostel in Ramallah has different tours, twice per week they organize trip to one of the protests and Hebron city. Keep in mind that you would protest at your own risk.
A good destination for foreigners wanting to relax for the day.
Popular for locals and serves really great (but hummousey) falafel.
Falafel.
Another delicious Falafel.
You can have a delicious dish of fresh fish or other seafood dishes. You can choose your favourite fresh fish from Palestine Fishery and ask the chef to prepare that fish for you in the way you like. They also prepare very delicious fish sandwiches at reasonable prices.
Another place to eat. Their menu includes sandwich with turkey, stuffed pigeon and pizzas.
For a nice pizza dine-in or take-out.
For those who want more American/Western food, this place is a fast-food joint in the mini-mall and on the main street.
American/Western
American/Western
Ziryab is great in winter with a large open fireplace and good food. The prices are average. Alcohol is available.
Restaurant, coffee shop and bakery. Extensive range of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Palestinian dishes, home products, quality food. Homemade pastries, manakeesh, salads, sandwiches, desserts, cakes, fresh juices, hot and soft drinks, and shisha.
This juice shop is the most famous and has been around for decades. Silwadi's something of a purist, serving only pure juice.
This one also serves a cocktail which includes ice cream, nuts and dried fruit as well as chocolate sauce.
Serving one of the best sahlabs in town.
A cheap coffee shop with an unwritten men-only rule. It is packed every day for most of the evening.
A midrange coffee shop which accepts men and women.
Silwadi juice shop is the most famous juice shop in Ramallah. It has been in the same place for decades. They only serve fresh juice. Choose from a variety of seasonal fruits (and vegetables).
Snobar is an open-air summer bar about 5 minutes in a taxi from the centre of the city. Snobar means pine tree in Arabic and the area is enclosed by tall pines. There is an outdoor swimming pool which is open in the afternoons. Food and alcohol available.
Beit Anisa was the name now it is radio is Ramallah's latest addition to the nightlife and feels more like a bar in London's Soho. It attracts a mixture of locals, foreigners and others. Alcohol available.
Orjwan is Ramallah's premium nightspot attracting the higher echelons. Holiday-snaps from Orjwan might not look out of place with those from New York or London.
Run and operated by the Palestinian-American Khoury family, this is one of only a handful of micro-breweries in the Middle East. It creates the famous Palestinian beer called "Taybeh" and gets its name from the village that it is made in (the only 100% Palestinian Christian village in Palestine). They offer a tour of their factory and have a gift shop and fresh and very, very, very cheap beer on sale. The village of Taybeh also hosts its very own Oktoberfest-style festival on the first week of October in Taybeh village
An upscale and very cosy place in an old city building, with great lights, a warming fireplace for cold winter nights, friendly staff and excellent drinks.
Made from recycled pallets, has live music, beer, and Palestinian food, such as grape leaves, manaqish, musakhan, maqloubeh.
The first youth hostel in Ramallah. They make available breakfast, city tours, political tours and an introduction to Palestine, and they have a roof terrace and bar with local beers, Palestinian cooking and a great city view. Close to night life in a safe zone in the city at night. Hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and many other activities can be organised. If you stay here you can collect a stamp for the AubergInn in Jericho for a discounted dorm bed of ₪60 there. Also, the Nablus Youth Hostel offers a discount of ₪10 (from ₪70 to ₪60) if you say you got recommended by Hostel in Ramallah.
Area D focuses on the political situation, with lots of information and tours. A place to relax for a few days, get to know the city and its people, and learn more about this fascinating part of the world.
Great Hotel, but a little run down but the cheapest in town..
The most common destination in the city for businessmen and government officials.
An all-suites hotel where every room has a kitchenette and A/C. Daily and monthly rates in a tourist area close to restaurants and bars.
Formerly the Mövenpick Ramallah
It is the only five-star hotel in Ramallah.
Souq
A great place to visit. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be found at reasonable prices. Produce is a mixture of Palestinian, Israeli and imported goods.
Traditional Palestinian handcraft can be found here.
By bus
There is one bus station on Al-Nahder St. that serves buses from Nablus, and probably other destinations north.
By taxi
From Jerusalem's Damascus Gate you can find taxis to Ramallah for approximately ₪80-100 depending on your bargaining skills.
By car
Heading north from Jerusalem on road #60, you will arrive to Ramallah very quickly. You will have to pass one Israeli checkpoint on the way: Kalandia.
By plane
There is no airport with scheduled passenger flights in the West Bank, so the only nearby passenger airports are Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, then heading towards Jerusalem or Queen Alia in Amman then…
It is easy to find a taxi to get around Ramallah (for ₪10 fixed charge, or the amount specified by the fare-meter). Car rentals are also available, but seldom needed.
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Articles and travel topics about Ramallah and Palestine.
ItinerariesFrom Istanbul to Cairo is a route in the Middle East. Countries visited are Turkey, Syria, Jordan, possibly Israel (and the disputed territory of the West Bank), and Egypt.
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Culture & historyChristianity is the world's most prolific religion, with more than 2.38 billion followers, and churches, cathedrals and chapels on every continent including Antarctica. Many of those are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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Culture & historyAn archaeological site (or archeological site) is any place with physical evidence of past human activity. Such sites might be from pre-history as well as history, and the oldest sites can be considered paleontology.
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Travel tipsThis page is about problems that may arise from evidence of travel to or visa for certain territories. For the issue of visas in general, see Visa.
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