Drive through · Jerusalem
Driving through Jerusalem
The Anglo neighbourhoods filmed end to end at normal speed — the German Colony and Emek Refaim, Baka, Old Katamon and San Simon, Rehavia and Talbiya, then south to Arnona and Talpiot. Filmed street by street, because in Jerusalem the stone all looks the same in photographs and the buildings behind it do not.
What a Jerusalem drive actually shows you
Every building in Jerusalem is clad in the same stone, which is exactly why photographs of this city are so unhelpful. A restored Mandate villa and an unrenewed 1950s walk-up photograph almost identically from across a street, and they are separated by a factor of two.
So the camera runs slowly, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, close enough to see what is actually behind the stone.
Behind the stone
Which buildings are period, which are 1950s and 1960s, and which have been through renewal — invisible in a photograph, obvious on film.
The walk between neighbourhoods
How close Baka, the Colony and Katamon actually are to each other on foot, which decides more than the neighbourhood name does.
Parking, and the gradients
Two things Jerusalem buyers underestimate from abroad, and the two most consistently visible on film.
Out of season
Filmed in a normal month rather than around chagim, because a high share of ownership in these streets is overseas.
The run through Anglo Jerusalem
The full drive starts in the German Colony and finishes in Arnona. Times are from the start of the film.
Emek Refaim and the German Colony 00:00
The Templer houses, the cafes and the garden streets behind them — the most expensive stock in south Jerusalem.
Baka 04:20
South along Derech Beit Lechem: stone houses, 1950s blocks in renewal, and the Mesila park alongside.
The Mesila 08:00
The railway park that reshaped this side of the city, filmed along its length.
Old Katamon and San Simon 10:40
Rachel Imenu, the park and the streets where young Anglo Jerusalem lives.
Rehavia and Talbiya 14:30
Bauhaus blocks, embassy streets and the grandest houses in the city, minutes from the centre.
Talpiot 18:00
The commercial and industrial zone being progressively redeveloped, and the residential streets beside it.
Arnona 20:40
South along Hebron Road: larger apartments, newer projects and the growing Anglo community around them.
The view from the ridge 23:30
East Talpiot and the promenade, for the panorama and the price difference that comes with the distance.
Every Jerusalem film we have
The full drive, the neighbourhoods worth seeing on their own, and the timed commute tests.
Anglo Jerusalem, end to end
German Colony, Baka, Old Katamon, Rehavia, Talpiot, Arnona and the promenade.
Baka and the German Colony, on foot
The two neighbourhoods at walking pace, which is how residents actually use them.
Old Katamon and San Simon
The centre of young English-speaking Jerusalem, filmed as its own run.
Arnona and East Talpiot
The value side of south Jerusalem, with the newer projects and the ridge views.
Jerusalem to Tel Aviv
Yitzhak Navon to Tel Aviv on the fast line at the morning peak, platform to platform.
Parking in Baka, 21:00
The single most underestimated issue in these neighbourhoods, filmed when the cars are back.
The one thing a drive through Jerusalem will not answer
The camera cannot see a renewal agreement. In Baka, Katamon and Rehavia a great many buildings are in some stage of a TAMA or pinui-binui scheme, and the difference between an approved scheme, a signed one and a rumour is the difference between three prices for the same apartment.
So use the drive to choose the street, then have a lawyer establish exactly where the specific building stands. That is the single highest-value hour of professional time you will buy in this city.
Jerusalem: questions from the footage
Which Jerusalem neighbourhoods are most popular with English speakers?
The German Colony, Baka, Talbiya, Rehavia and Old Katamon are the traditional Anglo centre. Arnona and Talpiot draw families wanting more space, and Har Nof, Bayit VeGan and Ramot carry large English-speaking religious communities.
Why does renewal matter so much in Jerusalem?
Land is constrained by topography and heritage rules, so most new supply comes from renewal rather than new neighbourhoods. A building's scheme status is often the biggest single factor in its value.
How long is the train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv?
About half an hour on the fast line from Yitzhak Navon, with Ben Gurion Airport roughly twenty minutes out on the same line.
Is Arnona cheaper than Baka?
Meaningfully, for larger and generally newer apartments, which is the argument for the neighbourhood. The drive films both so the comparison can be made directly.
Are these neighbourhoods quiet out of season?
Parts of the German Colony and Baka noticeably so — a high share of ownership is overseas. The drive is filmed in a normal month rather than around chagim for that reason.
Can I buy in Jerusalem from abroad?
Very commonly. The work that cannot be done remotely is establishing the renewal position of the specific building and getting someone inside it who is acting for you.
The neighbouring drives
Most Jerusalem budgets end up looking at what is around the city. These are filmed to the same standard.
Efrat
Twenty minutes south in Gush Etzion, with one of the highest Anglo concentrations in Israel.
Drive throughBeit Shemesh
Half an hour by train, and where families priced out of Jerusalem have been moving for thirty years.
Drive throughMevaseret Zion
The hill suburb ten minutes west, house-heavy and affluent.
Drive throughMa'ale Adumim
A full-sized town fifteen minutes east, at prices well below the city.
Seen the streets. Now the numbers.
The drive is one part of the Jerusalem file. The area profile, the quarterly market analysis, the current projects and the remote purchase guide are all filmed and written to the same standard.