Jerusalem · IL

Jerusalem Botanical Gardens

Set on the green slopes of the Hebrew University's Givat Ram campus in the Nayot neighborhood, the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens is the largest botanical garden in Israel and across the Middle East—a 150-dunam (about 37-acre) refuge of rolling lawns, woodlands and terraced hillsides tucked into the heart of the city. Far from a manicured flower show, it is a working center of science and education where more than 6,000 plant species and varieties from around the world grow in phytogeographic sections, each recreating the landscape of its home region. For a traveler, that layout makes an afternoon here feel like a slow tour of several continents: eucalyptus and banksias in the Australian plot, dramatic bulbs and oaks in Europe and the Mediterranean, succulents from Southern Africa, conifers from North America, plus a rainforest-filled conservatory, a desert greenhouse and a celebrated Japanese garden with one of the world's largest concentrated bonsai collections. Quiet ponds, birdlife and shifting seasonal blooms reward wanderers who take a map and just keep walking.