Beit Shemesh

Beit Shemesh is a city in the Shfela region of Israel, with a population of 119,000 (2018). Excluding the West Bank, Beit Shemesh is the closest city to Jerusalem.

Understand
It was mentioned in the Bible, but the modern city was founded in 1950 as a "development town" to house recent Jewish immigrants from other Middle Eastern countries. Many Jerusalem residents have moved here for the cheaper housing prices, including many Haredi ('ultra-Orthodox') Jews. The new neighborhoods in the southern half of the city, known as "Ramat Beit Shemesh", are also a very popular destination for immigrants from English-speaking countries. In parts of Ramat Beit Shemesh, you will hear more English than Hebrew.

By car
From route 1 (north of Bet Shemesh), take the exit of Shaar Hagay off onto route 38. Drive south for about 7 minutes until you see a sign for Bet Shemesh. Travel from the airport to Bet Shemesh takes about 45 minutes via this route.

From the south, go on route 38 north, and continue driving until you see a sign for a turn to Bet Shemesh.

By train
As of 2023 Beit Shemesh is the terminus for trains from Tel Aviv, service to and from Jerusalem has been cancelled. Services are roughly half-hourly.



By bus
There are frequent buses from Jerusalem. Less frequent buses run from Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, and other locations. Unlike the train, these buses run throughout the city and serve all locations (not every bus serves every part of the city though.)

Get around
The city is built on a series of hills with open space between them. This makes it pleasantly quiet, but hard to get around on foot. If you are not driving, you will probably want to use the internal city buses.

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.