Rishon LeZion
Israel · Asia

About Rishon LeZion
Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן, lit. "First to Zion") is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain eight kilometres (5 mi) south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area. With a population of 259,275 as of 2024, Rishon LeZion is the fifth-largest city in Israel.
Founded in 1882 by Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who were part of the First Aliyah, it was the first settlement founded in Israel by the New Yishuv and the second Jewish farm settlement established in Ottoman Syria in the 19th century, after Petah Tikva.
The city is a member of Forum 15, which is an association of fiscally autonomous cities in Israel that do not depend on national balancing or development grants.
The name Rishon LeZion is derived from a verse from the Tanakh: "First to Zion are they, and I shall give herald to Jerusalem" (Hebrew: רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן הִנֵּה הִנָּם וְלִירוּשָׁלִַם מְבַשֵּׂר אֶתֵּן) (Isaiah 41:27) and literally translates as "First to Zion".
Rishon LeZion was founded on 31 July 1882, by ten Lovers of Zion pioneers from Kharkiv, Ukraine (then the Russian Empire) headed...
Rishon LeZion travel guide
Getting there
By bus Buses number 19, 74, 190, 193, 201 and 274 reach Rishon LeZion from Tel Aviv (30–45 minutes). Buses 190 and 193 are express buses and are quicker than other buses from Tel Aviv to Rishon LeZion.
By car Rishon is located on the crossroads of several major highways and roads. On the western side, highways 20 and 4 cross through the city. On the south, it's bordered by the relatively new highway 431 that provides an easy connection to Jerusalem. Also crossing through the mid-section of the city is road 412 which connects to Rehovot on the south and Beit Dagan and road 44 on the north.
By train Rishon is connected to the Israeli Railway system via two stations
1 (Ha)Rishonim (הראשונים). located at the southern edge of the city, on the crossroads of highway 431 and road 412 2 Moshe Dayan station. a new station, located near the western industrial zone, on the crossroads of highway 20 and the Moshe Dayan boulevard
Getting around
By bus Inside Rishon Lezion, Egged operates 10 internal buses that serve most parts of the city. Most Egged and Dan buses that go to nearby cities like 19, 20, 29, 74, 85, 201, 274 also can be used for internal service inside Rishon LeZion.
By taxi Yango ride-hailing service is available.
See
1 The Great Synagogue, Rothschild and Pinsker street corner. 2 The Water Tower. in "Gan Ha'ir" garden, close to municipality building 3 Carmel Winery, Carmel street (in front of municipality building). 4 Rishon Letzion Museum. 5 The well. The original well of Rishon LeTzion, dug in 1883 6 Beit Sefer Haviv. The first Hebrew-speaking school since ancient times. Founded 1886, still active. 7 Gan Be'Ivrit (Garden in Hebrew). Largest garden (68 dumans) at the eastern side of the city, dedicated to the Hebrew language. Build on land that used to serve as military base. 8 Yad LeBanim. Now a memorial to fallen soldiers. Formerly the administrative center of Edmond James de Rothschild, built in 1894, and the largest and fanciest building in old Rishon Letzion.
Do
1 Superland. This amusement park is often visited by people from Tel Aviv seeking better thrills than the ones at Luna Park Tel Aviv. While it has fewer rides, the rides it has to offer are often bigger and built more for the thrill seeker in the family. The park has two rollercoasters. 2 Beach (Western end of 441 road). It would take you about 10 minutes by car from the city center to reach Rishon's beach, which is quite nice, if crowded on weekends. Further south is "Palmachim" beach. 3 HaRova (הרובע, The quarter), Barshevski and Beker streets intersection. Nightlife center of eastern part of city 4 Flybox, ☏ +972 3 949-3939. An indoor wind tunnel, where the wind blowing upwards is so strong that you can literally fly around. Open to ages 4 to 104, so they advertise. (updated Apr 2017)
Buy
Rishon was known for many years for its vast selection of malls and shopping centres. The most notable are:
1 G Rothschild Mall (Hebrew: קניון ג'י רוטשילד). Located at the very centre of the city on Rothschild boulevard 2 Kenyon HaZahav (Hebrew: קניון הזהב). The city's biggest shopping mall located in the western industrial zone 3 G Cinema City and G2 (ג'י סינמה סיטי וג'י 2), Moshe Dayan 32 (Near Kenyon Hazahav (the Golden Mall) and Mitcham G), ☏ 1-700-70-22-55 (premium)Country code missing. A shopping mall combined with a large movie theater. Includes many restaurants and more. Also it has 26 movie theaters, screening mostly American movies (in English) with Hebrew subtitles. And most importantly, features life-size dinosaur statues in the entrance. Be warned, though: it's usually very crowded and parking is scarce, especially at nighttime. Open at Friday night and Saturday too. 4 Azrieli Rishonim Mall (Hebrew: קניון עזריאלי ראשונים). A shopping mall located near Rishon Lezion HaRishonim railway station.
Eat
River - Asian kitchen Isadora - Chef's restaurant 1 SoHo, 5 Moshe Beker st., ☏ +972 3-965-8395. 10am - Final guest. Sushi bar La Familia & Francheska - Italian food Loft, Agadir, Black - Meat restaurants Cafe Polla - Coffee place with great breakfasts Max Brenner - Chocolate Bar Sunflower-. Quality Chinese Cuisine 2 Cinema City (סינמה סיטי), Moshe Dayan 32 (Near Kenyon Hazahav (the Golden Mall) and Mitcham G), ☏ 1-700-70-22-55 (premium)Country code missing. A shopping mall combined with a large movie theater. Restaurant in the mall include: Japanika (Japanese cuisine), Giraffe (Asian), Teresa (pasta bar), Cafe Cafe Beach, Moses (American cuisine), Temple Bar (Irish pub) and more.
Drink & nightlife
1 Katza, Jabotinski 48 (Katzanelson street corner) (eastern end of Katzanelson street), ☏ +972 52-9128244 (mobile). 2 Barca, Herzel 34, ☏ +972 3 9643171, [email protected]. 19:00-05:00. Pub dedicated to Bacelona's soccer team. Sunday's special is unlimited beer for ₪45 (till 00:30). 3 Sunflower, Jabotinsky 44 (Tarmav 32 coner), ☏ +972 3-9666871, +972 3-9692026. Quality Chinese cuisine
Sleep
There are no hotels in Rishon LeZion but you can stay at the hotels in the cities Bat Yam and Tel Aviv that are located north of Rishon LeZion.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.