The 8 Best Attractions in Beer Sheva (2026)

Updated September 2026 · 8 picks

The best attractions in Beer Sheva in 2026 are the Ottoman Old City, the restored Turkish railway station, the Beersheba War Cemetery and the Negev Museum of Art. Beer Sheva is the capital of the Negev, and most visitors pass straight through it — which is a mistake, because its Ottoman core and First World War history are unlike anything else in Israel. Below are 8, roughly in the order to see them.

The list at a glance

The Old City and Smilansky Street Old City
The Turkish railway station and Engine 70414 Old City edge, near Park HaNahal
Beersheba War Cemetery Old City edge
Negev Museum of Art Old City, the Governor's House
Abraham's Well International Visitors Center Hebron Road, by the river
Carasso Science Park Old City, the former School for Sheikhs' Children
Israeli Air Force Museum, Hatzerim Hatzerim, 10 minutes west
Beer Sheva River Park (Park HaNahal) Along Nahal Be'er Sheva, south of the Old City

1. The Old City and Smilansky Street — Old City

The only planned Ottoman town in Israel — a grid of stone houses now full of bars and cafés.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Groups · Solo

Beer Sheva's Old City was laid out by the Ottomans in the early twentieth century as an administrative town for the Negev Bedouin, and it is the only Ottoman-planned grid town in the country — straight streets, one- and two-storey stone houses and arched doorways.

For decades it was neglected. It has since been restored street by street, and Smilansky Street in particular is now the city's evening centre, with small bars, restaurants and cafés in the old houses and students from Ben-Gurion University filling them at night.

Walk it in the late afternoon, when the stone warms up in the low light, and stay for dinner.

Good to know: Come after 6pm — the Old City is sleepy by day and properly alive at night.

Google Maps Website

2. The Turkish railway station and Engine 70414 — Old City edge, near Park HaNahal

The restored 1915 Ottoman station, with a steam locomotive from the Sinai line.

₪ BudgetBest for Families · Couples

The Ottoman railway station was built in 1915 for the line the Turks laid toward Sinai and the Suez Canal, and it was restored by the city and reopened as a heritage site in the 2010s.

The stone station building and water tower stand in a small park with Engine 70414, a steam locomotive of the type that ran the southern line, parked on a stretch of track. Inside, a short presentation tells the story of the railway and the First World War campaign.

It pairs naturally with the Old City and the river park, all within a few minutes of each other.

Good to know: Combine it with the war cemetery — together they tell the 1917 story better than either does alone.

Google Maps Website

3. Beersheba War Cemetery — Old City edge

The Commonwealth cemetery of the 1917 battle — and the heart of Beer Sheva's ANZAC story.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Solo · Groups

The Beersheba War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery holding more than 1,200 soldiers of the British, Australian and New Zealand forces who fell in the 1917 Sinai and Palestine campaign, most of them in the capture of Beersheba.

It is immaculately kept, very quiet and genuinely moving. Nearby, the ANZAC Memorial Park and its statue of a Light Horseman commemorate the charge of 31 October 1917, when Australian cavalry took the Ottoman wells and opened the road to Jerusalem.

Australian and New Zealand visitors come specifically for it, and every October the anniversary of the charge is marked here.

Good to know: The ANZAC Memorial Centre nearby tells the story of the charge — see it first, then walk to the cemetery.

Google Maps Website

4. Negev Museum of Art — Old City, the Governor's House

Contemporary Israeli art in the 1906 Ottoman governor's mansion.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Solo

The Negev Museum of Art occupies the former Ottoman governor's mansion, a two-storey konak built in 1906 and restored in the early 2000s, and it runs changing exhibitions of contemporary Israeli art, often with a desert or regional theme.

The building is half the reason to come — high ceilings, arched windows and a courtyard, in the middle of the Old City grid — and the museum is small enough to see properly in under an hour.

It is the best air-conditioned hour in the Old City on a hot afternoon.

Good to know: Check the current exhibition before you go — the programme changes several times a year.

Google Maps Website

5. Abraham's Well International Visitors Center — Hebron Road, by the river

The biblical well of Abraham, told as a multimedia visitor experience.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families · Groups

Abraham's Well is the city's tribute to its biblical origins — Genesis tells of Abraham digging a well here and swearing an oath with Abimelech, which is where the name Be'er Sheva, the well of the oath, comes from.

The visitor centre is built around an ancient well and presents the story through a multimedia show and hands-on activities, with things like water-drawing and camel-era crafts for children.

It is aimed squarely at families and first-time visitors, and it does that job well.

Good to know: Book ahead in school holidays — the shows run to set times and fill with groups.

Google Maps

6. Carasso Science Park — Old City, the former School for Sheikhs' Children

Israel's largest hands-on science museum, mostly outdoors.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families

The Carasso Science Park opened in 2013 in and around a restored Ottoman building that once served as a school for the sons of Bedouin sheikhs, and it is one of the largest hands-on science museums in the country.

Most of the exhibits are interactive and many are outdoors — water, energy, motion and space — which makes it a reliable family half-day, particularly for children between about six and fourteen.

Check the hours before going; it runs a mix of school-group and public sessions.

Good to know: Bring a change of clothes for younger children — the water exhibits are very hands-on.

Google Maps Website

7. Israeli Air Force Museum, Hatzerim — Hatzerim, 10 minutes west

More than a hundred aircraft on an open airfield, from Spitfires to F-15s.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families · Groups

The Israeli Air Force Museum sits on the edge of Hatzerim air base just west of the city and displays well over a hundred aircraft outdoors, from the Spitfires and Mustangs of 1948 to Mirages, Phantoms and the jets that fly today.

You walk among the planes on the apron, and the story of the air force is told through them rather than through wall text — which is exactly what makes it popular with children and aviation enthusiasts alike.

There is little shade, so go in the morning and bring water and hats.

Good to know: Go first thing — by midday the open tarmac is the hottest place in the Negev.

Google Maps

8. Beer Sheva River Park (Park HaNahal) — Along Nahal Be'er Sheva, south of the Old City

A reclaimed riverbed turned into the city's big green park, with a lake and cycle paths.

₪ BudgetBest for Families · Couples

Park HaNahal is the long park laid out along the Be'er Sheva stream, a former dumping ground reclaimed into lawns, playgrounds, cycle and walking paths, an amphitheatre and an artificial lake.

It is where the city goes in the evening when the heat breaks, and it links several of the sights on this list — the Turkish station and Abraham's Well both sit beside it.

Hire bikes or simply walk a stretch at sunset; it is free and it shows the everyday side of a city most visitors never see.

Good to know: Walk or cycle it at sunset — that is when the city comes out to use it.

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

Is Beer Sheva worth visiting?

Yes, for a half day or a night on the way into the desert. The Ottoman Old City, the 1917 battlefield history, the Negev Museum of Art and the Air Force Museum at Hatzerim are all worth the stop, and the city is the natural base for Sde Boker, Ein Avdat, Mitzpe Ramon and the Bedouin south.

How do you get to Beer Sheva from Tel Aviv?

By train. Israel Railways runs frequent direct services from Tel Aviv to Be'er Sheva Center and Be'er Sheva North–University, taking roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter. By car it is about 90 minutes on Route 6 or Route 40.

What is Beer Sheva known for historically?

It is the biblical city of Abraham and Isaac's wells, a Tel that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the scene of the Battle of Beersheba on 31 October 1917, when the Australian Light Horse charged the Ottoman trenches — one of the last great cavalry charges in history.

How much time do you need in Beer Sheva?

Half a day covers the Old City, the railway station, the war cemetery and the museum. Add the Air Force Museum at Hatzerim or Tel Be'er Sheva and it becomes a full day.

When is the best time to visit Beer Sheva?

October to April. Summer afternoons regularly pass 35°C, so in the hot months do the outdoor sites early and save museums for the middle of the day.

1. The Old City and Smilansky Street — Old City

2. The Turkish railway station and Engine 70414 — Old City edge, near Park HaNahal

3. Beersheba War Cemetery — Old City edge

4. Negev Museum of Art — Old City, the Governor's House

5. Abraham's Well International Visitors Center — Hebron Road, by the river

6. Carasso Science Park — Old City, the former School for Sheikhs' Children

7. Israeli Air Force Museum, Hatzerim — Hatzerim, 10 minutes west

8. Beer Sheva River Park (Park HaNahal) — Along Nahal Be'er Sheva, south of the Old City

Frequently asked questions

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