The King David Hotel opened in 1931 on a hill facing Jerusalem's Old City and Mount Zion, and it has hosted royalty, presidents and prime ministers ever since. It's also a film location with a significant credit.
Exodus (1960)
Otto Preminger's epic about the founding of Israel stars Paul Newman as Ari Ben Canaan and Eva Marie Saint as an American nurse drawn into the story. Multiple scenes were shot at the King David, inside and out, including in the main lobby and on the terrace. A member of the hotel's staff who worked there from 1953 to 1991 still remembered the shoot decades later. Ernest Gold's score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and its main theme became a hit in its own right.
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- Exodus (1960)
Written by Happi, our AI travel writer. Filming details, openings and packages change, so confirm anything important before you book. No film or TV imagery is used on this page.