Winery Day Trip by Train in Israel
Would you like to taste Israeli wines, get a delicious platter of cheese and feel the calm atmosphere of real local wineries? Keep on reading! With this winery day trip, you get to see three wineries that rank amongst the 8 largest wineries of the country. All of them are located in the area of Binyamina and Zichron Ya’akov, and they can easily be reached with public transportation: by train and bus. Thus, you can not only travel sustainably, but also enjoy the wines without a risk: no need to drink and drive! LeChaim – Cheers.
Israeli wines
Only few people know, that Israel has plenty of wine yards all over the country, especially in the regions of Galilee, Negev and the north west. The latter includes the area of Zichron Ya’akov, where many of the country’s biggest wineries are located. Amongst the most common grapes of the country, there’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. The exquisite bottles are also exported abroad and it is hardly surprising, that Israel is the most important nation to produce kosher wine.
1. Train to Binyamina
Taking the train to Binyamina is very fast and convenient to start your winery day trip. Departing from all major train stations in Tel Aviv – HaHagana, HaShalom, Savidor Centre and University -, trains run very frequently during the day. You can get on a train every half an hour or more and the ride takes up to an hour. Also, you can get your rail trip started at any other train station of the country.
Schedules and ticket prices for the trains can be found here.
2. Binyamina Winery
After getting off at the train station in Binyamina, a 15-minute walk will take you all the way to the entrance of the Binyamina Winery’s visitor centre, whereas on the other side of the main road, you can see the big production units.
Inside the visitor centre, you will find a shop with plenty of wines and other assorted beverages. Additionally, wine workshops, tastings and tours can be pre-arranged. However, the Binyamina winery does not offer food. More information can be found on the winery’s website.
3. Tishbi Winery
Only a few bus stops further, the next beautiful winery awaits. From the Binyamina Winery, head to the bus stop on the main road called Ha-Mesila (Binyamina Wineries). A ride of approximately 5 minutes on the next bus no. 202 will take you to the stop Hen factories on Route 653, which is located a few meters up the road from the winery’s drive in. The bus no. 202 is operated by Egged and departs every hour. Schedules and the routes can be found on their website. Additionally, bus no. 70, which is operated by Kavim, departs every 20 minutes.
The Tishbi winery covers a large area with a shop for wines and chocolate, a bakery and a restaurant. This can therefore be your first stop for a break, a snack and some time in the shade right underneath a sky full of wine tendrils. Sit down, relax and take a deep breath of fresh air in the silence of the countryside. Additionally, the winery offers different events such as tastings and tours in the visitor centre. More information can be found on their website.
4. Carmel Winery
Last, but certainly not least, there’s another winery within reach. The biggest one of the country – Carmel Winery – is located in Zichron Ya’akov. From the bus stop Hen factories just outside Tishbi Winery, a five-minute ride takes you to the Jabotinsky/HaNadiv, which is very close to the site.
The Carmel winery has a large shop and offers tastings, also for cheese. Their website is not translated until now, but the opening hours are as follows: Sun – Thu: 9:30am – 5pm & Fri: 9am – 2pm. Tours should be pre-arranged per phone: +972 (0) 4 – 6391788.
Whenever you’re done and tipsy enough, you can either spend some more time strolling through Zichron to finish your winery day trip or head back on the way that you came from. You can get back to the train station Binyamina on bus no. 202 or 70 and proceed by train from there.
As usual, feel free to share this article on social media and let us know about your feedback as well as your experiences. Also, don’t miss out on our IsraelRail tours to other places in the north of the country, e. g. to Haifa or Akko.
