The 7 Best Scenic Spots in Israel (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 7 picks

The best viewpoints in Israel are the Ramon Crater rim, Mount Arbel above the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Olives looking at Jerusalem's Old City, Masada at sunrise, the Baha'i terraces over Haifa Bay, Rosh Hanikra's sea grottoes and the Golan's Mount Bental. Go at sunrise or the hour before sunset. Seven, below.

1. The Ramon Crater — Mitzpe Ramon, Negev

A 40km geological crater dropping away at your feet, and the darkest skies in Israel.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Families · Groups · Solo

The Makhtesh Ramon is the largest erosion crater in the world — 40km long and up to 500 metres deep — and the town of Mitzpe Ramon sits directly on its northern rim, so the view opens the moment you arrive.

It is not an impact crater or a volcano but a makhtesh, a formation that occurs almost nowhere else, and the floor holds coloured sand, volcanic formations and hiking routes down into it.

The skies here are among the darkest accessible in the region, and stargazing at the rim after dark is as much the attraction as the daytime view.

Good to know: Stay overnight. The crater at sunrise and the sky after dark are two different reasons to be there.

Google Maps Website

2. Mount Arbel — Above the Sea of Galilee

A sheer cliff over the Kinneret — the best view in northern Israel.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Couples · Families · Groups

Mount Arbel ends in a cliff dropping to the plain beside the Sea of Galilee, and from the top the whole lake is laid out below with the Golan rising behind it and Mount Hermon visible on a clear day.

It is a short walk from the car park to the viewpoint, so the view is available without committing to the steep cliff descent, which is a separate and much more demanding proposition.

Sunrise here is exceptional — the light comes over the Golan and across the water directly towards you.

Good to know: The viewpoint is a short walk from the car park. You do not have to do the cliff descent to get the view.

Google Maps Website

3. The Mount of Olives — Jerusalem

The definitive view of the Old City — walls, domes and the Dome of the Rock.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

The Mount of Olives promenade looks west across the Kidron Valley directly at Jerusalem's Old City, with the walls, the Temple Mount and the golden Dome of the Rock arranged in front of you. It is the view on every postcard, and it earns it.

The slope below holds the ancient Jewish cemetery, the Church of All Nations, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of Mary Magdalene, and a path descends through them into the valley and up to the Old City.

Late afternoon is when the light hits the western-facing walls. Early morning is quietest.

Good to know: Late afternoon, when the sun is behind you and lighting the Old City walls directly.

Google Maps Website

4. Masada at sunrise — Judean Desert, above the Dead Sea

The sun coming up over Jordan, seen from a cliff-top fortress.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Couples · Groups · Solo

Masada's summit sits 400 metres above the Dead Sea, and from it you look east across the water to the mountains of Jordan — which is where the sun rises, straight out of the ridge line and onto the desert.

The Snake Path opens before dawn for exactly this, and the hour-long climb in the dark is a well-established Israeli ritual. The cable car runs later in the morning for anyone who would rather not.

In summer this is not merely the nicest time to climb but the only safe one. By 9am the exposed rock is brutal.

Good to know: Check the Snake Path opening time the night before — it varies with the season and is enforced.

Google Maps Website

5. The Baha'i terraces, Haifa — Mount Carmel, Haifa

Nineteen symmetrical terraces down a mountain, with the bay behind them.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Families · Solo

The upper viewing terrace of the Baha'i Gardens on Mount Carmel looks straight down the axis of nineteen descending terraces, past the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, to the German Colony and Haifa Bay beyond.

It is one of the most photographed views in Israel and the symmetry is the reason — a kilometre of formal garden falling down a mountainside in perfect alignment.

The upper terrace is free and open daily. Evening, when the gardens and the shrine are lit and the bay is dark, is the other time to come.

Good to know: Come twice — daylight for the symmetry, after dark for the lit terraces over the bay.

Google Maps Website

6. Rosh Hanikra — Northern coast, Lebanese border

White chalk cliffs and sea grottoes, at the very top of the country.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Families · Couples · Groups

Rosh Hanikra is where the white chalk cliffs of the northern coast meet the Mediterranean at the Lebanese border, and the sea has cut a network of grottoes into the rock at water level.

A cable car — reportedly the steepest in the world — drops from the cliff top to the grottoes, where walkways run through caves with the sea surging into them.

The clifftop view south along the coast is superb, and there is a disused British Mandate railway tunnel through the headland. It is the physical end of the country in this direction.

Good to know: Rough seas make the grottoes more dramatic and occasionally close them. Check before driving up.

Google Maps Website

7. Mount Bental — Golan Heights

A volcanic cone with a view over the Golan into Syria.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Groups · Solo

Mount Bental is an extinct volcanic cone in the northern Golan with a former Israeli military bunker at the summit, now open to walk through, and a viewpoint looking north and east over the Golan plateau and across the border into Syria.

Mount Hermon rises to the north, snow-capped through the winter, and the Quneitra crossing and the UN-monitored zone are visible below.

It is a stark, high, windy place and the geopolitics is unavoidable, which is much of the reason people come. Check current access conditions before travelling.

Good to know: Bring a layer — it is high, exposed and considerably colder than the valleys below.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

When is the light best?

The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset, as everywhere, but more so here — Israeli midday sun is directly overhead and flattens everything, and the desert haze builds through the afternoon. Sunrise at Masada and the Ramon Crater is the classic, and it is genuinely worth the alarm.

Do I need a car?

For most of these, yes. The Ramon Crater, Mount Bental, Rosh Hanikra and Mount Arbel are all much easier with a car, and public transport stops entirely from Friday afternoon until Saturday night. Jerusalem's Mount of Olives and Haifa's terraces are reachable on foot or by bus.

Is there an entry fee?

Some are national parks or reserves charging roughly ₪28–₪45 — Masada, Mount Arbel, Rosh Hanikra. The Ramon Crater rim, Mount Bental, the Mount of Olives and the Haifa upper terrace are free. A national parks pass covers the paid ones.

When is the best season?

Spring and autumn for everything, and winter for the desert. Spring after the rains gives you green hills and wildflowers in the Galilee and even in the northern Negev. Summer is hot, hazy and the worst season for long views.

Where are the darkest night skies?

The Negev, and specifically the Ramon Crater and the Arava. Light pollution is minimal across much of the south and the crater rim at Mitzpe Ramon is the standard stargazing spot in Israel, with observatories and organised night tours operating from the town.

Are any of these near the borders?

Several. Mount Bental looks directly into Syria, Rosh Hanikra sits on the Lebanese border, and Mount Arbel and the Golan viewpoints are in sensitive areas. Access can change at short notice — check current conditions before travelling to the northern border viewpoints.

1. The Ramon Crater — Mitzpe Ramon, Negev

2. Mount Arbel — Above the Sea of Galilee

3. The Mount of Olives — Jerusalem

4. Masada at sunrise — Judean Desert, above the Dead Sea

5. The Baha'i terraces, Haifa — Mount Carmel, Haifa

6. Rosh Hanikra — Northern coast, Lebanese border

7. Mount Bental — Golan Heights

Frequently asked questions

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