Raanana Mini Guide
What can you Tell me About Ra’anana?
It’s an interesting city, just inland from the sea, in the central part of Israel. Its name means ‘fresh’ and is thought to come from the ‘fresh ideas’ brought by the city’s founders. Originally called ‘Ahuza A - New York’ because many of the founders hailed from that city, the name stuck for a while with the local Arab population. The mix of people formed from Europeans, Americans and Israelis has given the city a more secular feel yet with over a hundred places of worship for people from many world faiths. Today it is home to many Israeli companies and is renowned as a great place to start a business. Additionally, it has been recognised as having the best standard of living in Israel and is statistically, the safest city in the Middle East.
How do I get to Ra’anana?
The airport at
Tel Aviv is the closest to the city and accepts flights from all over the Middle East and Europe including Britain. Onward transport to Ra’anana can be by train as far as
Herzliya followed by a local bus, or by hire car from the airport.
What is There to do in Ra’anana?
As it’s mainly a commercial city, there’s not too much to tempt the traveller but for a nice day out, spend some time at the city park which has a beautiful clover shaped lake where you can hire boats. Fountains in the lake add to its beauty. In the park, the largest in the Sharon region, you’ll find picnic sites, cycle routes, sports pitches and more. There’s also a museum dedicated to the founders of the city wherein you’ll find out the motivations for them setting up a new city in this part of the country.
