While Tel Aviv is certainly worthy of a few travel days on its own, sometimes, visitors who are staying in the city or around it, are looking to get out for a bit and experience the less busy and touristic nearby attractions. Thankfully, Tel Aviv is surrounded by numerous great natural sites, offering a multitude of attractions with a completely different vibe. Here is our list of some of the best lesser-known Tel Aviv day trips, that will provide you with a great city getaway.
Best cities around Tel Aviv
Herzliya
The northern smaller sister of Tel Aviv, Herzliya is one of the best cities to visit in Central Israel, with a beautiful coastline, great shopping options, and vibrant nightlife. In addition, Herzliya offers great accommodation options for visitors looking for better value-for-money options compared to Tel Aviv.
Ramat Gan
Ramat Gan is so close to Tel Aviv that sometimes travelers can accidentally get into the city and not even notice. However, while it does offer many of the good things of Tel Aviv, with great nightlife, high-quality cuisine, and many shopping options, it also boasts several of the best parks in Israel. This makes Ramat Gan a solid option for travelers looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Central Tel Aviv and spend time in a more laid-back city.
Holon
The city of Holon, which is much further off the Israel travel map compared to most cities in Central Israel, is known as the city of the kids, as it features several great theme parks, including a Japanese park and a monsters’ park. But above all, Holon is famous for being home to the The Israel Childrens Museum, which is one of the best places to visit in Israel with kids.
Tel Aviv day trips: nearby nature sites
Bitan Aharon Reserve
Bitan Aharon is a small nature reserve with a spectacular view of orchards, plantations, and the beach. The reserve features a very nice hiking trail, which goes along ancient burial caves carved out of Kurkar, as one of the magical corners of the place is a cave created by the branches of a large carob tree. Beyond the leisurely walk in the reserve, if you come in winter and spring, you will discover here beautiful blooms of hyacinth, orchids, lilies, cyclamen, autumn flowers, anemones, figs, and more.
Sorek River
Near the popular Palmachim beach lies Nahal Sorek, one of the longest and most beautiful rivers in Israel. The stream flows for 70 km/43.5 miles through the Judean Foothills and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Palmachim, and is a great option for a short hike close to Tel Aviv for those who want to experience some nature, as it features great scenery, plants, and animals.
The route in Nahal Sorek is not particularly difficult and is 2.5 km/1.5 miles long in each direction. It begins at Hatzanchanim Grove, where you will find picnic tables and shaded areas, and ends in the nearby Palmachim Beach.
During the hike, you can get to know the different populations of turtles in the place and see them in their natural environment. The first third of the trail begins on a paved and shaded road, but later on, the ground changes to sandy ground, as it passes by small dunes, which are great attractions for kids.
Hefer Lake
Hefer Lake, which is not far from River Alexander, is a combination of former fish ponds, which have been converted into a nature reserve full of birds, flowers, and butterflies. If you are looking for some peace and nature, without going far from the big city – you will find it here.
Here you will find a few well-arranged walking paths, bridges, and shaded areas, which allow for a pleasant viewing of the birdlife in the lake. For the best experience – it is recommended to come during the migration seasons when the lake is full of birds of many different kinds.
Ayalon Canada Park
The park, located not far from the Latrun interchange, is a huge park that offers many different sites to see, including archaeological remains, forests, olive vineyards, seating areas, and hiking and biking trails. The best time to visit here is during the winter and spring season when the park is in bloom. In addition, in early spring, the nearby Ayalon Valley is also worth a visit due to the blossoming of the spectacular almond groves there.
Nahal Taninim (Crocodiles River)
Nahal Taninim Reserve is a nature reserve that includes a variety of components that make it a terrific Tel Aviv day trip. Although you won’t find any crocodiles here, you will find aqueducts, a beautiful stream that flows into the sea, and many fascinating antiques. During the hike that goes through the reserve, which is suitable for the whole family and will take you about an hour, you will get to go alongside the stream and encounter several antiquities from the Roman period, including a Roman dam, a flour mill, a magnificent aqueduct and more.
Best attractions around Tel Aviv
Technoda Science Center
The Technoda, located near the city of Hadera, is the largest experiential science center in Israel that includes a variety of experiential science activity complexes for adults and children. Among the various complexes, you can spend quality time in the park and the interactive science museum, in an astronomical complex that includes an observatory and planetarium, in a medical simulation unit, and more.
All of those make the Technoda a great site to visit, especially for kids who are interested in science or medicine.
Ariel Sharon Park
Ariel Sharon park is one of the largest parks in the country, as it offers lots of grassy areas, hiking and biking trails, most of which are accessible. Ariel Sharon Park, named after former prime minister Ariel Sharon, also has an interesting and special origin story that you can get to know during your visit here.
In the past, the site was mainly known as “Hiriyah”, which was the largest waste collection site in Israel. After a huge restoration project, today it is a very clean and well-maintained park, which is considered to be one of the most impressive rehabilitation projects in the world.
The walk between the paths of the park will lead you to several viewpoints looking out in different directions of the area, from where you can see the skyline of Central Israel. Also, during the trip you will see many explanatory signs that will tell you a little about the rehabilitation process that was done here, providing a glimpse into this unique and inspiring project.
In the heart of the park, there is a beautiful ecological lake and wooden bridges for walking around it. At the entrance to the park, there are organized toilets and in the center, there is a cafeteria and a visitor center that presents the story of the park.
