Rehovot Mini Guide
What Should Make me go to Rehovot?
It’s a very interesting small city and the centre of Israeli hi-tech industries and research. It’s also the home city of former Israeli premier Chaim Weizmann. The plethora of technology industries there has encouraged wealthy and middle class Israelis to make the city their home and the city’s infrastructure and facilities have grown to accommodate them. From exclusive shopping malls with designer shops to classy bars and restaurants, the city has begun to draw in the tourist looking for a city break where they can shop, dine and learn, all in the same city.
How do I get to Rehovot?
Rehovot is close enough to
Tel Aviv to be able to call
Ben Gurion its local airport. Only 25 minutes away by train and on the direct line from Tel Aviv, it’s easily accessed but you can also hire a car at the airport or in the town if you want to explore further afield. Flights to Ben Gurion come from all over Europe and the Middle East including several flights daily from the
UK.
What is There to See and Do in Rehovot?
Being inland, there’s no beach to lie on or sea to swim in to cool off but the Chaim Weizmann Institute of Science has a huge outdoor pool and a big grassy area where you can enjoy the sun. Nearby, the Clore Science Garden has many exhibits which are of interest to visitors of all ages. You can also visit the former home of Chaim Weizmann where you’ll learn about the life and times of the great statesman.
What can I buy to Take Home for Friends From Rehovot?
The best souvenirs of the city come from the Science Centre where you can buy all kinds of toys and gadgets based on modern day science. You can also buy seedlings of plants grown from single cells in the Agricultural Faculty of the university. Apart from that, there’s little of local interest but you can still snap up a bargain on Israeli made goods by being away from the main tourist areas.
What Should I eat When I’m in Rehovot?
Restaurants in the city are rather more upmarket that you’d think as the city is quite wealthy. You can choose from a variety of cuisines in restaurants and bars in the technology park and also in downtown Rehovot. Of more interest to the tourist are the weekly food festivals held in Rehovot’s shopping mall. There, you can try locally grown produce as well as light meals experimenting with local cuisine.
What is the Entertainment Like in Rehovot?
With Rehovot being a university city, there’s a high proportion of young people and many bars and clubs to entertain them. In the more upmarket districts, the clubs get classier but more expensive. Out of the clubs, entertainment is of a more reserved kind with conversation over drinks or coffee being the order of the day.
Rehovot is the location of the world famous Weizmann Centre for Science founded by the former president Chaim Weizmann. In the science park there are exhibits relating to the research work done there but also many recreational activities including a huge swimming pool and a grassy bank where many of the locals relax at weekends. Various vendors sell delicious ice creams there.
Next to the park is the home of the former president which can be visited. Rehovot is also host to one of Israel’s biggest shopping malls with hundreds of shops and restaurants.