IT IS hot in Jerusalem, but there is a cool refreshing breeze thanks to its altitude. You can imagine similar winds were gratefully welcomed by the sweating, tired and often ill pilgrims and Crusaders who, for hundreds of years, took lengthy and inhospitable journeys to get to one of the most famous cities in the world.

Now it is only a plane-ride away from London or Manchester.

If ever there was a city you know much about even if you have never visited, it is Jerusalem. On the basis of you can't have too much of a good thing, it is of course a holy city for the three great monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. All have iconic images of Jerusalem - Jews praying at the Western Wall, the remaining outer wall of the Second Temple which was destroyed by the Romans; the golden Dome of the Rock covering the spot from which Muslims say Mohammed ascended to Heaven; and the chaotic Church of the Holy Sepulchre covering the sites where Jesus was crucified and buried. Different Christian sects, who rarely agree on how things should be run, control different sections of the Church, and little has changed in the 150 or so years since Mark Twain wrote in Innocents Abroad about the "place being scandalised by trumpery, gewgaws and tawdry ornamentation." What a great word, trumpery.

I watched as people bought, then lit, candles at one part of the church. Minutes later the still-lit candles were swept unceremoniously into a bucket by a priest, presumably to make room for the next lot. Tourists cram in to touch, photograph and even kiss the venerated spots inside the gloom of the multi-chambered church.

For Christians who want a sense of calm and a desire to be able to reflect away from the hubbub, can I humbly suggest a visit to the nearby Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, a beautiful edifice which is untroubled by the press and clamour of its more famous neighbour.

Just don't ask me for directions. The Old City of Jerusalem is simply a warren of streets and alleys where any sense of direction is lost within minutes as streets turn myriads of corners. Best just to plunge in, and you will eventually stumble across what you are looking for, even though it will not be in the order you wish to visit them, and you will constantly scratch your head as you once again puzzle over a map to get your bearings. I spot a tall chap whom I guess to be American from his well-fed and confident demeanour who is carrying a hefty six-foot wooden cross. He is presumably following the final route of Jesus on his way to his crucifixion and I admire his willingness to burden himself with the cross. Then I notice a little caster on its base. My admiration dims.

Religion, as you can imagine, is omnipresent in the Old City, which is a walled area covering less than a sixth of modern-day Jerusalem. I remember BBC reporter Martin Patience telling me about religious visitors to Jerusalem so overcome by the experience that they believe they are the reincarnation of Christ. Martin went to a hotel where he had been told someone had booked in as Jesus Christ but was informed he had just left. As Martin despondently left, the receptionist called out: "But we do have a John the Baptist if that's any use."

But Jerusalem is not just a city of pilgrimage. Its forward-thinking mayor, Nir Barkat, who made his fortune in computer software companies, strives to make it also a city of culture which will attract visitors who are not religiously obsessed. I'm told he only takes a salary of one shekel a year - about 20p - which presumably is a path Tony Blair is unlikely to go down any time soon.

Barkat's popularity soared this year when he saw someone being stabbed in the street, and he jumped out of his official car to grab the attacker. Mind you it helps when you know you've got a security detail running hard just inches behind you. But good on him.

This year he wholeheartedly backed Jerusalem's first opera festival which had at its pinnacle an outdoor performance of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore at the Sultan's Pool, an arresting open area below the ancient limestone walls of Jerusalem stone. It is a beautiful backdrop for the opera, a light-hearted affair about a shy lover who unknowingly uses alcohol to give him the courage to woo a local beauty. Goodness, it sounds Glaswegian rather than Italian.

Curiously, from the back of the Sultan's Pool one can see the large saltire flying above the St Andrew's Scots Memorial Church. Funny how it's easier to fly a St Andrew's Cross in Jerusalem than for the council to fly the flag of Israel in Glasgow, but I digress.

Opera has perhaps not been as popular as classical music in Israel, and often productions would just feature foreign singers, but that is changing as home grown talent, such as young Anat Czarny, a mezzo who brought colour and vigour to the minor role of Gianetta in L'elisir, is now taking to the stage.

Apart from the big al fresco L'elisir, the opera festival also included small scale performances of arias and duets in both Jerusalem and the laid-back bustling coastal city of Tel Aviv. The mayor hopes that it is eye-catching events like this which will bring more international tourists to his city. Next year's festival in June will feature Verdi's Rigoletto, a lush confection of love, lust, mistaken identities and death - just like any other Italian opera really.

Apart from opera, there is the annual marathon which attracts some 2000 foreign runners, and international festivals of film, beer, and wine. You really don't have to be religious to enjoy Jerusalem.

Then there is the lure of the beach. Not in Jerusalem of course, but on the coast at Tel Aviv. Just standing on a hill overlooking Tel Aviv it is breathtaking to think of how this modern, vibrant, sky-scraper city has developed in such a short time. Israel, don't forget, has only been an independent country for 67 years. I have t-shirts almost as old as that.

And much of the growth in Tel Aviv has come in recent years. There are leading software, medical and bio-tech companies here. But at the sea it is still a beautiful garden city of parks, palm trees, and wide boulevards.

I almost had to slap myself when I thought it looked Mediterranean, as it is of course Mediterranean - just a little bit further round than the French and Spanish resorts. Follow the promenade from Tel Aviv and you reach the old town of Jaffa which was the ancient port where pilgrims often arrived. It had become shabby and run-down with a reputation for the seedier elements of society. But here another far-thinking mayor - it seems that with national politics in Israel moving at a snail's pace due to interminable coalition governments, people who want things done quickly concentrate on local politics - made it a rule that run-down Jaffa properties had to be sold to artists and others in the creative industries.

Their enthusiasm to make Jaffa a beautiful place again forced out the undesirables. There is now far more to it than oranges. That said, I was shocked when a local told me she had never heard of Jaffa Cakes. It seems we Brits can turn beautiful oranges into a sweet orange paste topped off with chocolate and no one has told the folk in Jaffa. If only they knew what they were missing. Well, tooth decay probably.

Go out in Tel Aviv on a Friday night and the streets are thronged with people heading out to eat, drink, and chat volubly with their friends. With a rich use of local spices and products, dining out in Israel is a delight as busy waiters deal out a host of small dishes before you, each one worth sampling. It might seem strange to some, but the streets of Tel Aviv even late at night are safe for anyone to wander around. Perhaps in a country with so many belligerent neighbours, enjoying yourself in a safe environment becomes a priority.

As Nemorino, the love-struck softie in L'elisir sings: "Più la vedo, e più mi piace." "The more I see her, the more I like her." It's a sentiment you hear from many visitors curious to see what Israel is really like.

TRAVEL NOTES

For more information on Israel, visit www.thinkisrael.com.

Mount Zion Hotel Jerusalem has rooms starting from $309 (approximately £196.59; visit mountzion.co.il).

Melody Hotel Tel Aviv has rooms starting from $218 (approximately £138.67; visit www.atlas.co.il).