Ramat Gan

Introduction

Ramat Gan sits in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv itself, and forms part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is a city shaped by commerce and industry rather than by tourism, so your visit will likely centre on the working life of the place.

• The Diamond Exchange District, the city's best-known commercial quarter
• Sheba Medical Center, one of the city's major institutions
• A substantial concentration of high-tech industries

Because Ramat Gan is part of Gush Dan and lies directly east of Tel Aviv, it works well as a base for exploring the wider metropolitan area while staying in a city with a distinctly business-oriented character.

Before you go

Ramat Gan began as a communal farming community and grew as Tel Aviv sprawled outward, so expect a largely residential city with green gardens rather than a dense tourist centre. Its northwest corner is the exception: a cluster of skyscrapers forms a Manhattan-style skyline at night, including the tallest building in the country beside the two towers of the diamond exchange. Be aware that this area, the Boursa, changes character after dark, becoming a sleazy strip of brothels and illegal casinos. The northeast holds the country's first successful shopping mall, Kanyon Ayalon, ringed by large outlet stores, with a shooting range, the biggest soccer stadium in the country and the national park nearby. Bar Ilan University sits in the southeast, combining university studies with an orientation toward the religious Jewish community.

The city is widely known as Baghdad Town, since most Jewish refugees from Iraq settled here in the 1950s, and you will find plenty of Iraqi restaurants as a result. Arabic is still spoken by some elderly residents, though the younger generation largely speaks only Hebrew. Ramat Gan is also associated with chocolate, thanks to the Elite factory on Jabotinski Road. For safety, the source is blunt: in the Safari, don't get out of your car, as the lions or hippos may attack you. That is about the only danger in Ramat Gan.

Getting there

Buses are the simplest way to reach Ramat Gan from Tel Aviv. From the Tel Aviv central bus station you can take lines 21, 31, 51, 52, 53, 54, 60, 68, 70, 160, 525 or 531. From the Tel Aviv Central (Arlozorov) train station, lines 1, 42, 51, 53, 55, 60, 61, 65, 68, 69, 70, 82, 142, 138, 160, 161, 238, 240 and 524 serve the city. From the Jerusalem central bus station, line 400 runs directly to Ramat Gan; if your destination is in the western parts of the city, it is more efficient to take line 480 to the Arlozorov train station, which sits just outside Ramat Gan.

By train, services from most cities arrive at the Tel Aviv Central (Arlozorov) station, which is within walking distance of the Ramat Gan business district (Boursa). For anywhere else in Ramat Gan, take a local bus from the train station.

Getting around

Ramat Gan sits immediately east of Tel Aviv and shares the same transport network as the rest of greater Tel Aviv, so you rarely need a Ramat Gan–specific plan: use the regional buses, trains and light rail, and get off at the stop nearest your destination. The city center is small enough to walk around, and that is often the simplest way to cover the core. For anything longer, the city spreads out considerably, so most visitors combine walking in the center with a bus or rail hop for the rest. Keep in mind that Ramat Gan is built on limestone hills if you are planning a long walk.

Several key stops sit within easy walking distance of the central area: Aba Hillel Light Rail Station is the nearest light rail stop, roughly an eight-minute walk away; Tel Aviv Savidor Central Station is about a thirteen-minute walk; and Arlozorov/Hashmonaim is the closest bus stop, around a four-minute walk. Other nearby bus stops include Bialik/Nordau, Jabotinsky Road/HaChashmonaim, Jabotinsky Road/Gilad, Bialik/Jabotinsky Road, and Jabotinsky Road/Bialik, all within roughly ten minutes on foot.

• Bus: Buses are the workhorse for getting around Ramat Gan and the easiest way to reach the city from Tel Aviv. Because the city is integrated into the greater Tel Aviv network, relatively few routes serve it exclusively. Line 65 is the one to remember: it goes almost everywhere in Ramat Gan, connecting the stadium, the Bursa (Diamond Exchange District), the city center and several neighborhoods, and finally ending at Sheba hospital in the southeast. Many other lines link the city to Tel Aviv-Yafo, Bnei Brak, Holon, Petah Tikva, Bat Yam and Ayalon Mall, and branded services such as the White, Green and Red Savvus also operate in the area. Buses run from early morning until late at night, with the first services starting around 5 a.m. and the last running past midnight. Check the Moovit app for current routes, times and fares, or use a rechargeable transit card or app-based payment on board.
• Train: Israel Railways connects most cities to Tel Aviv Savidor Central (Arlozorov) station, which is walking distance from the Ramat Gan business district (Boursa). For anywhere else in Ramat Gan, take a local bus onward from the station. The rail network links the area with Herzliya, Jerusalem (Yitzhak Navon), Carmiel and Beer Sheva, Modi'in and Nahariya, Rishon LeZion and Herzliya, Ashkelon, Ofakim, Binyamina, and Tel Aviv Center. Trains run very early and very late, so late arrivals are usually manageable.
• Light rail: The Dankal light rail serves the Ramat Gan area, with Aba Hillel station the nearest stop to the central city, about an eight-minute walk away. Lines R1 and R3 are referenced, with R2 also appearing in the network. Service starts early in the morning and runs until around 1 a.m. on the last line of the day, and it is a convenient way to connect between Ramat Gan and the wider Tel Aviv network without dealing with traffic.
• From the airport: Ben Gurion Airport is the main international gateway for the Tel Aviv area. The most direct option is Israel Railways: trains run from the airport into the Tel Aviv rail network, and you can alight at Tel Aviv Savidor Central (Arlozorov) station, within walking distance of the Ramat Gan business district, then continue by local bus. From the Jerusalem central bus station, line 400 goes directly to Ramat Gan, but for western Ramat Gan it is more efficient to take line 480 to the Arlozorov train station, which sits just outside Ramat Gan. The same logic applies from the airport: reach the Arlozorov/Savidor hub, then continue by bus or on foot.

Anchor your plans on the main hubs: Tel Aviv Savidor Central (Arlozorov) for trains, Aba Hillel for the light rail, and Arlozorov/Hashmonaim for buses. For the Diamond Exchange District and the business area, Savidor Central is close enough to walk. For the stadium, the Bursa, the city center and Sheba hospital, Line 65 is the single most useful bus.

Where to stay

Ramat Gan's accommodation is concentrated in a couple of distinct areas. In the Diamond Exchange District, you'll find a high-rise hotel on Zisman Street, convenient if your business takes you to the exchange or the surrounding office towers. The Rimonim Optima on Krinitzi Street caters to working travellers, with a business lounge offering light snacks and an Internet corner for free web surfing.

• Leonardo City Tower — Diamond Exchange District, 14 Zisman Street
• Rimonim Optima Ramat Gan — 1 Krinitzi Street, with a business lounge and free Internet corner
• Kfar Maccabiah — 7 Bernstein St, a hotel and sports compound

Food & drink

What to see and do

Ramat Gan's standout attraction is the Ramat Gan Safari, the main zoo for the Tel Aviv area. It combines a regular zoo with a larger safari area where you can drive your own car among the wildlife, or ride in one of the zoo's vehicles if you'd rather leave the car parked. The site is home to a wide range of mammals, birds and reptiles, so allow plenty of time to see it all.

Elsewhere in the city, architecture fans can seek out the Spiral House, a landmark by architect Zvi Hecker whose top floors are rounded and supported by spiralling columns that enclose the stairs. The Jewish Sports Museum sits in the Maccabiah village, part of the Kfar Maccabiah compound that hosts the Maccabiah, the Jewish Olympics, where communities from around the world send athletes to compete and mingle. For open space, head to the Avraham Krinitzi National Park in southern Ramat Gan, the city's biggest park and a favourite spot for barbecues. You can also tour the Israel Diamond Exchange on Tuval Street for a look at the country's diamond industry.

Three days in Ramat Gan

Day one: Base yourself in Ramat Gan, part of the Tel Aviv District in Israel and the wider Gush Dan area, with Tel Aviv right next door. Start with the Diamond Exchange District, the city's business heart, where the Boursa stands among the towers. Shop or eat at Kanyon Ayalon, then walk Jabotinski Road for the everyday city rhythm. For an easy arrival, buses run from Tel Aviv Central and Arlozorov, and the Aba Hillel Light Rail Station puts you close to the action.

Day two: Give the morning to Bar Ilan University, a Jewish institution that anchors the city's academic life. Then head to Baghdad Town, a neighbourhood shaped by Iraqi Jewish heritage, where you'll hear Arabic and Hebrew side by side and find Iraqi food and places like Elite. Keep the afternoon slow along the streets here rather than rushing between sights.

Day three: Visit Sheba Medical Center, one of the area's major institutions, then spend the rest of the day on the green side of Ramat Gan at the Safari. If you're coming from Tel Aviv Savidor Central or Hashmonaim, the Aba Hillel Light Rail Station and several bus routes make the return simple. Because Ramat Gan sits so close to Tel Aviv, you can treat Manhattan-style towers and quiet neighbourhood streets as one trip.