Long days on the tour bus or in the rental car can make any traveler yearn for a satisfying run or workout. Most Israeli hotels offer workout rooms, with a range of basic to full-service facilities. That can perfectly fine for a quick treadmill jog or stretch on the cross-trainer but it won’t feel particularly Israeli.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, step outside and get a lay of the land from the runner’s or walker’s viewpoint. Tel Aviv is a great runner’s city, with the Tayelet, the beachfront promenade, offering a perfect stretch for feet encased in running shoes. If you like the sand, run along the water but know that you’ll have to dodge ‘matkot’ -- beach paddle ball -- players, small children and sand castle builders. Tel Aviv also has its extensive Yarkon Park, a large urban park bisected by the Yarkon River and bounded by Rokach Boulevard on the north and Bavli on the south, with extensive lawns, running paths, sports facilities, botanical gardens and other fun features.
Jerusalem and Haifa offer a serious fitness workout for practicing hill sprints and there are routes that offer some flat runs as well. One option in Jerusalem is Sacher Park, one of the city’s major green spaces with a kilometer-long circular route, although a run through the neighborhoods of Talbieh, Baka and the German Colony – surrounding the main hotel district -- will acquaint you with the local sights.
Each Israeli city also has its own gyms and ‘country clubs,’ as local swimming pools are often called. In Tel Aviv, the Azrieli Towers are home to Holmes Place, a full-service gym chain with branches throughout the country’s center. For more of a party scene, head for Pure in the center of the city. With a New York style and a Tel Aviv vibe, you’ll get your workout and some new friends with whom to drink a beer when you’re done. But there’s also free yoga and tai chi on the beach, over by Gordon Street, as well as Israeli folkdancing on Saturday mornings at a beachside plaza, fun for joining as well as watching. Jerusalem is a city that loves yoga and all the more alternative forms of exercise, easily found at a myriad of classes as well as the Great Shape Studio in the YMCA. Down in Eilat, work out at Pulse – the largest facility in the city, it has a huge balcony overlooking the water where you can relax after taking a sweaty spinning class.
Looking for a swim? In Jerusalem, the King David has the ultimate outdoor pool with a velvety green lawn for easy lounging, and most of the hotels have lovely pools with ample space for the ‘belly-back’, the Israeli term for a suntanning vacation. For a more bucolic feel, visit Kibbutz Ramat Rachel – their outdoor pool is lovely (covered during the winter) and surrounded by green lawns and olive trees, you’ll feel pleasantly removed from the city. In Tel Aviv, most hotels have a pool and/or access to the beach but it’s worth making a trip to the Gordon Swimming Pool, a non-chlorinated, freshwater pool that has been recently renovated with an open view to the sea and the marina.
If two wheels are your preferred way to exercise, you’ve come to the right place. Biking has become very popular in Israel – whether it’s for commuting or fun and exercise. Tool around town on your own or find a local biker who can take you on a bigger adventure either on- or off-road.
In Tel Aviv, ride around town heading for Yarkon Park’s 900 acres of greenery; with bike and walking paths, courts and playing greens, an Olympic climbing wall and a trampoline. Jerusalem bikers love to ride into the Jerusalem hills early in the morning where the gorgeous vistas compete with grades that will get your heart pumping. Bike over to Jerusalem’s Sacher Park – complete with running routes and bike paths, as well as being the ultimate place for locals to stretch out and grill on hot summer days (skateboarders hang out here as well) – or to the Haas Promenade in the Talpiot neighborhood, great for walking, running and enjoying the magnificent vistas of the Old City and the Jerusalem desert, leading down to the Dead Sea. Up north, you’ll find even steeper grades, with special mountain biking options at the Manara Cliff and nice family rides at the Hula Lake.
With more than 100 miles of coastline, Israel offers many opportunities for seeing sand, rock and beach throughout much of any trip. From sunny Eilat to Ashkelon, and on to Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Netanya, Caesarea and Nahariya – these are all places famed for their beaches, many of them with accessible beach promenades as well as flat terrain that is perfect for a run or brisk walk. Most of these water-based cities also offer various water sports such as sailing, sea kayaking, surfing and paddle boarding, while Netanya is known for its paragliding cliffs. Whatever you choose, enjoy seeing Israel from a different viewpoint – making sure to leave room for the all-important coffee and pastry stop – or a cold glass of carrot juice -- after your run/bike or gym workout. Hey, you’ve done the groundwork.
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