Safed/Tzfat: Running in Israel’s Highest City

Safed, is city in the northern district of Israel. The Hebrew name is Tzfat. At 937m, it’s the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. There’s some scenic, hilly running in Safed. Our thanks to Michael Fuchs for suggesting this run! 

Jerusalem Rd. to Citadel. It’s possible to do a quite nice run to the Citadel. Also known as HaMetsuda Garden, this is a hilltop park with great views. We recommend running on Jerusalem St., then using the stairs or Derech Hativat at the Rothschild Garden to reach the Citadel. Jerusalem Rd. is narrow, but there’s a decent sidewalk. It’s good to go early. At the Citadel, there are some nice forested paths making for a~0.6 km loop.  NOTE: Hilly!

Limonim Forest. A few km south of Safed, Limonim Forest is a national park that is a good spot for some hiking or trail running. The hilly park has great views, and a network of fairly wide paths winding through Mediterranean Scrub & pine trees. This is moderate level trail running — hilly, and the trails are somewhat random. Access from the 89 Road, near the Ziv Medical Center.