A Bird’s Eye View of Israel

Israel may not be the land of skyscrapers like some other countries but it does have a number of places where you can get a great view of the famous skylines and natural wonders. Here is a list of some of the best places in Israel to get a bird’s eye view. The list goes from northern Israel to Eilat in the south.

Azrieli Towers at night, Tel Aviv. Photo by Shai Pal on Unsplash

1. Mount Manara

Take Israel’s longest cable car 1940 meters to the top of this mount which is part of the Naftali Mountain range. The mountain top is 750 meters above sea level. From the top, you can see the Golan Heights, Galilee, Hermon Mountain, Hula Valley, and Israel’s most beautiful farmlands. There is a range of fun activities at Mt. Manara including a mountain slide back to the bottom.

2. Eshkol Tower, Haifa

This is the main campus tower of the University of Haifa on Mount Carmel. The observation deck is on the 27th floor of the 102-meter high tower and gives you sweeping views down the mountainside and across Haifa. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and was the first building in Israel to use the curtain wall system. The observation deck is not always open to the general public so call the Hecht Museum ahead of time.

3. Yefe Nof Balcony, Haifa

Looking down the beautiful terraced garden past the golden-domed Shrine of the Bab in Bahai Gardens you can see the city below and the sea beyond that. On a clear day, you can see up and down the coast.

                                                        Tel Aviv Port Area Aerial View. Photo by Shai Pal on Unsplash

4. Azrieli Center ,Tel-Aviv

The ultimate observation deck in Tel-Aviv (and perhaps the most famous in the country) is on the top floor of the Azrieli Center Circular Tower, Tel-Aviv’s tallest building. The tower is one of a complex of three towers, a circular, square, and triangular tower. The observation deck is completely enclosed and gives you a 360° view of the city below.

It is on the 49th floor and also has a kosher fine-dining restaurant. There are telescopes and informative maps indicating the sites below. The observation deck is accessed by an elevator from the mall at the bottom of the tower.

5. Rehavam Ze’evi Observation Point, Jerusalem

This promenade on the edge of the Mount of Olives looks down over an ancient Jewish cemetery. You can look out across the hills of Jerusalem and across the Old City walls to the Dome of the Rock.

Eilat waterfront with a whale in the Red Sea. Photo by Et Yan on Unsplash

6. Mitzpe Ramon Visitor’s Center

Perched 300 meters above the Ramon Crater this center provides not only an amazing view across the crater and Negev Desert but also informative audio-visual presentations and models of the local geography. There is a rooftop observatory where you can look down onto the dramatic desert landscape of Mitzpe Ramon.

7. Underwater Observation Tower,  Eilat

On a visit to the marine park where there are aquariums, 3D films, and many marine-related attractions you can also enjoy a view across the Eilat coastline. A distinctive white tower is located at the end of a walkway that juts out into the Red Sea. You can walk up a spiral staircase to the windy top of the tower and look out across Eilat. You can also descend beneath sea level and visit the underwater observation deck!

View of Bahai gardens and Haifa Bay, Israel. Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash