Jerusalem parks give you somewhere to breathe between the intensity of the Old City and the heat of the day. The city has a genuine spread of green space, from the continent-themed Botanical Gardens and the big lawns of Sacher Park to the Wohl Rose Garden, Liberty Bell Park, Independence Park, and the pine forests that ring the edges of town. Most are free, family-friendly, and easy to fold into a sightseeing day for a picnic, a playground stop, or a shaded rest. This guide to Jerusalem parks covers the best of them, what each is good for, opening hours and any fees, getting there, and how to use them in the summer heat.
Green space is an underrated part of a Jerusalem trip, especially with children or after a few heavy days of holy sites and history. For the wider outdoors, this page pairs with our hiking and outdoor activities guide, our guide to family-friendly hikes near the city, and our kid-friendly attractions guide.
Quick Reference: The City’s Main Parks
| Park | Area | Best for | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical Gardens | Givat Ram | Themed gardens, families | Paid (~35 shekels adult) |
| Sacher Park | Givat Ram | Picnics, sports, space | Free |
| Liberty Bell Park | German Colony edge | Playgrounds, families | Free |
| Wohl Rose Garden | Givat Ram | Roses, quiet walks | Free |
| Independence Park | City center | Quick rest | Free |
| Bloomfield Garden | Near Mamilla | Old City views, photos | Free |
| Jerusalem Forest | West/south edge | Hiking, picnics | Free |
Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens at Givat Ram, beside the Hebrew University campus, are the city’s standout green attraction: a large landscaped garden, around 30 acres, organized into sections that represent the flora of different parts of the world, including Mediterranean, European, North American, Australian, and southern African plantings. There is a children’s discovery trail with interactive stops, a pond, a tropical conservatory, and a cafe, which makes it an easy half-day with kids or a calm wander for plant lovers. Unlike most parks here, the gardens charge admission, typically in the region of 35 shekels for adults and less for children, and hours are usually daytime, often running later on Saturdays in summer. Check the current schedule and price before you go, as both change seasonally. Spring brings the fullest bloom, while autumn offers comfortable walking weather.
Sacher Park
Sacher Park (Gan Sacher) is the city’s largest urban park, a long green valley stretching between the Knesset and the Israel Museum area in Givat Ram. It is where Jerusalem comes to picnic, jog, kick a ball, and barbecue at weekends, with open lawns, sports courts, and shaded paths. Entry is free. Its position next to the Knesset and the museums makes it a natural place to rest or eat between those visits, and it is big enough to absorb a crowd without feeling packed. On Saturdays and holidays it fills with local families, which is part of its charm.
Liberty Bell Park
Liberty Bell Park (Gan HaPa’amon), named for the replica of the American Liberty Bell it contains, sits centrally between the German Colony and the Yemin Moshe and Mishkenot Sha’ananim area, near the start of the Train Track Park. It is one of the best parks in the city for families: playgrounds for different ages, open lawns, sports courts, walking paths, and the well-loved Train Theater (Teatron HaKaron) for children. Entry is free, and its central location makes it an easy add-on to a day around the German Colony or the Old City’s western side.
Independence Park and Bloomfield Garden
Two smaller central parks are handy for a quick break. Independence Park (Gan HaAtzmaut), near Mamilla and the city center, is a green expanse of lawns and paths that works well as a short rest in the middle of a day’s sightseeing. Bloomfield Garden, just outside the Old City near Mamilla and across from the King David Hotel, gives you sculptures, manicured planting, and views toward the Old City walls and the Tower of David, which makes it a lovely spot for photographs and a gentle stroll. Both are free and unfenced, so you can drop in and out as you pass.
Wohl Rose Garden
The Wohl Rose Garden (Gan HaShoshanim) spreads across the slope opposite the Knesset in Givat Ram, with a large collection of rose varieties, often cited at well over 800, terraced lawns, and views toward the parliament building. It is quiet, beautifully kept, and free to enter. The roses are at their best in spring, roughly April to May, when the beds are in full color, though the garden is a pleasant green space year-round. It pairs naturally with a visit to the nearby museums or the Botanical Gardens.
The Forests Around the City
Beyond the manicured city parks, Jerusalem is ringed by planted forest that offers a bigger dose of nature. The Jerusalem Forest, west and south of the center, has marked hiking trails, picnic areas, and lookouts among the pines, and it is free to enter and easy to reach for a half day in the woods. Its fire roads and singletrack are also the core of Jerusalem’s mountain biking scene, so expect to share the wider tracks with riders at weekends. The Hadassah-area forest to the south offers gentler, partly paved paths with picnic spots and some wheelchair-accessible sections, which makes it friendly for mixed-ability groups and families with strollers. For trail specifics, see our rundown of easy walks for children, and remember that the long-distance Jerusalem Trail threads through these forests.
Other Green Corners
A few smaller spots round out the picture. The Jerusalem Bird Observatory, tucked between the Knesset and Sacher Park, is a small urban wildlife site on a major bird-migration route, with hides for watching and a quiet, unexpected pocket of nature in the government district. The leafy streets and small gardens of the Talbiya neighborhood are pleasant for a peaceful walk among historic homes. And the grounds around the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens (the Biblical Zoo) add more green on the city’s southwestern side, which combines well with a family day out. Just beyond the city limits, the spring-fed terraces at Sataf give you the same pocket-of-green feeling on a larger scale.
Getting to the Parks
The central parks are easy to reach on foot or by public transport. Liberty Bell Park, Independence Park, and Bloomfield Garden are within walking distance of the city center and the German Colony, and the Light Rail Red Line gets you close to the center from where they are a short stroll. The Givat Ram cluster, the Botanical Gardens, Sacher Park, Wohl Rose Garden, and the Bird Observatory, sits near the Knesset and the national museums and is reachable by bus; check a transit app such as Moovit for the current route and stop. The surrounding forests are most easily reached by car or taxi, though some edges are walkable from the western neighborhoods.
On accessibility, the formal city parks are largely flat with paved paths, and the Botanical Gardens, Sacher Park, and the central gardens are manageable with strollers and, in most areas, wheelchairs. The forests are more uneven, though the southern Hadassah-area forest has some paved, accessible sections. If step-free access matters, stick to the Givat Ram and central parks and ask at the Botanical Gardens entrance about the easiest routes. Our Jerusalem accessibility guide has more detail.
Summer Heat and Shabbat
Two practical points shape a park visit here. First, summer heat: August afternoons in Jerusalem are hot, often into the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit), so use the parks in the morning or late afternoon, seek shade, and carry water, especially with children. Second, the weekly rhythm: Saturdays and Jewish holidays are the busiest days in the big public parks like Sacher, when local families come out in force, which is lively but crowded. Public transport runs little to nothing from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening, so if you are visiting on Shabbat, plan to walk or arrange other transport. The parks themselves stay open and free, but paid sites like the Botanical Gardens keep their own holiday hours, so confirm ahead. Our Jerusalem travel tips explain how Shabbat affects getting around.
Things to Do in the Parks
Beyond simply relaxing, the parks support plenty of activity. Picnicking is a local institution, so bring a blanket and supplies; Sacher Park, Liberty Bell Park, and the forests all have dedicated picnic areas. Walkers and runners will find paths in nearly every park, and Sacher and Liberty Bell have sports courts. Families gravitate to the playgrounds at Liberty Bell and Sacher and to the Train Theater for younger children. Photographers do well at Bloomfield Garden for the Old City backdrop and at the Botanical and Rose Gardens for the planting; the Botanical Gardens are a popular spot for wedding photos. Some parks host morning fitness or yoga sessions, and the Bird Observatory rewards an early, quiet visit during migration seasons.
A Green Half-Day in the City
If you want a break from monuments, the Givat Ram cluster makes an easy green morning. Start when it opens at the Botanical Gardens, giving yourself an hour or two for the themed sections and the children’s trail, then cross to the Wohl Rose Garden for the roses and the view toward the Knesset. From there, drop into Sacher Park for a picnic lunch on the grass, and finish with a quiet detour to the Jerusalem Bird Observatory if the season is right. It is a relaxed, mostly free half day that suits families and anyone footsore from the Old City. In high summer, do this in the morning and retreat to shade or indoors by the early afternoon, and bring more water than you think you will need.
For a different mood, the central trio of Liberty Bell Park, Bloomfield Garden, and Independence Park can be linked on foot in an afternoon around the German Colony and Mamilla, with playgrounds for kids, Old City views for photographers, and lawns for a rest. Either way, these parks are best treated as connective tissue in a day rather than destinations in themselves, the green pauses that make a packed Jerusalem itinerary more pleasant.
For one week each autumn these spaces change character completely. During Sukkot the parks fill with temporary booths, the municipality runs free concerts and street performance most evenings, and Sacher Park is usually where the annual Jerusalem March finishes. If you are here in October, our guide to Sukkot in Jerusalem covers what is on and where.
Finding Green Space in the City
Whatever your pace, Jerusalem parks are never far away, from the formal Botanical and Rose Gardens at Givat Ram to the family lawns of Sacher and Liberty Bell and the pine forests on the city’s edges. Use them to slow a busy itinerary, picnic with the locals, or give children room to run. Plan the rest of your outdoor time with our hiking and outdoor guide, our pick of family-friendly trails, and our kid-friendly attractions guide.
