Beit Shemesh

Worth seeing in and around Beit Shemesh

6 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Avshalom Cave

   Avshalom Cave, known in academic literature as Soreq Cave and popularly as Stalactites Cave, is a 5,000 m2 cave on the western side of Mt. Ye'ela, in the Judean hills in Israel, known for its dense concentration of stalactites and other cave formations.

   3.7 km · cave in Israel · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Azekah

   Azekah was an ancient town in the Shephela guarding the upper reaches of the Valley of Elah, about 26 km northwest of Hebron. The current tell by that name, also known as Tel Azekah or Tell Zakariya, has been identified with the biblical Azekah, dating back to the Canaanite period.

   7 km · archaeological site in Israel · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Khirbet Qeiyafa

   Khirbet Qeiyafa, also known as Elah Fortress and in Hebrew as Horbat Qayafa, is the site of an ancient fortress city overlooking the Valley of Elah and dated to the first half of the 10th century BCE. The ruins of the fortress were uncovered in 2007, near the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, 30 km from Jerusalem. It covers nearly 2.3 ha and is encircled by a 700-meter-long city wall constructed of field stones, some weighing up to eight tons.

   6.1 km · Archaeological site · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Timnah

   Timnath or Timnah was a Philistine city in Canaan that is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Judges 14 and in connection with Samson. Modern archaeologists identify the ancient site with a tell lying on a flat, alluvial plain, located in the Sorek Valley ca.

   8.5 km · archaeological site · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Ha-Teomim cave

   The Te'omim Cave, or the Twins Cave, Arabic name Mughâret Umm et-Tûeimîn, is a karstic cave within a nature reserve in Israel located on the western edges of the Jerusalem Mountains, in the vicinity of Beit Shemesh. The Te'omim Cave is a central highlight along a 3 kilometers walking trail regarded as one of the most renowned and popular touristic sites in the area.

   4 km · cave and nature reserve in Israel · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Bayt Nattif

   Bayt Nattif or Beit Nattif was a Palestinian village, located some 20 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem, midway on the ancient Roman road between Beit Guvrin and Jerusalem, and 21 km northwest of Hebron. The village was on a hilltop, surrounded by olive groves and almonds, with woodlands of oak and carobs overlooking Wadi es-Sunt to its south.

   5.6 km · archaeological site in Israel · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

1. 01
   Tel Beit Shemesh

   The ancient city of Beit Shemesh, a city mentioned in the Bible.

2. 02
   Tel Yarmut

   Another Biblical city, this one known as a Canaanite city against which Joshua fought.

3. 03
   Biblical Museum of Natural History

   A unique museum which explains the role of animals in Jewish tradition.

4. 04
   Israel Police Heritage Centre

   Presents the history of Israel's police forces, starting with the communal guard organizations that were created in the late Ottoman period, and ending with current police activities.

From Wikivoyage: Beit Shemesh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Surrounding Beit Shemesh in every direction are beautiful forested landscapes which are great for hiking. To the east, in the Jerusalem Hills, are the most rugged hills with the best views. To the north and west are more modest hills which contain many bike paths. To the south is Emek HaElah, the valley in which David fought Goliath according to the Bible.

From Wikivoyage: Beit Shemesh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Pinat Hasova: A wonderful pizza and falafel restaurant in RBS A shopping center. Golda: Ice cream chain in Big Fashion Beit Shemesh. Kraus Deli: Don't go here lol it freaky

From Wikivoyage: Beit Shemesh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Beit Shemesh

Airports

Ben Gurion (TLV), 31 km · Queen Alia (AMM), 95 km · Marka International (Amman Civil) (ADJ), 98 km

Stations

Beit Shemesh Railway Station, 1.4 km

• Eilat → Beit Shemesh

  243 km · quickest by road, 5h 18m · ₪100–135
  GuideToday
• Amman → Beit Shemesh

  93 km · quickest by road, 2h 49m · JD5–7
  GuideToday
• El Arish → Beit Shemesh

  132 km · quickest by road, 4h 11m · E£315–425
  GuideToday
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Beit Shemesh

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Beit Shemesh. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Beit Shemesh – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.