HaYarkon Park

The general feel of Tel Aviv is of a non-stop city, it is sometimes nice to take a minute to relax with a breath of fresh air and a green setting of trees and gardens.

That’s exactly what Ben Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister had in mind, and therefore decided to allocate this particular area to the establishment of an urban park, he sold it to the Tel Aviv municipality for merely one pound per acre, with the promise that the areas surrounding the Yarkon river will not be built upon, and form a sort of an open-air getaway for people to go to.

Opened to the public in 1973 by the name of “Ganei Yehoshua” in honor of Yehoshua Rabinovich, the Mayor of Tel Aviv at that time, it quickly became better known as the “Yarkon Park” because of the Yarkon river which runs through it. Stretching over a 3.8km square, this park features botanical gardens, a unique bird sanctuary, bike-rental centre and a rock garden- one of the largest in the world showcasing the diverse geological nature of Israel together with 3,500 species of different plants.

Photos courtesy: the Israel Ministry of Tourism

Photo: Dana Friedlande