Big Petah Tikva Park and the Ecological Pond – Visitors Guide
Big Petah Tikva Park (Isaac Ohayon Park) has an ecological pond, playgrounds for children, sports facilities, and more. It is a good place for family time.
Note: Isaac Ohayon (1945 – 2020) was the eighth mayor of Petah Tikva. The current name of this park is Isaac Ohayon Park. The previous and more popular name is Big Petah Tikva Park.
Basic Info
| Opening Hours | Sunday – Wednesday: 6:00 – 24:00 Thursday – Saturday: 6:00 – 2:00 |
| Location | Big Petah Tikva Park is situated near Ofer Grand Mall and Beilinson Hospital. The main entrance is at Basel Street. |
| Parking | There is a parking lot by the entrance at Basel Street. This is a paid parking (blue and white curbs). And there are additional parking lots (see below). |
| Rating on Google | 4.4 based on 9,000 reviews |
| Visit Duration | 2 – 4 hours |
| Walking Trail | The big loop trail in the park is about 1 km |
| Barbeque | Starting a fire and having a BBQ at Big Petah Tikva Park is forbidden. |
| Restaurants | Under construction |
| Restrooms | Near the main entrance |
| Playground for kids | Near the main entrance |
Map
Big Petah Tikva Park is situated near Ofer Grand Mall and Beilinson Hospital. The main entrance is at Basel Street (GPS coordinates: 32.093700, 34.866763).
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Here are two photos from above of this park:
Note: you can click on the images to enlarge them.
Parking
There is a parking lot by the entrance at Basel Street. This is paid parking (blue and white curbs), and sometimes it can be full.
If you continue to Basel Street 5, you will see an entrance to a big field. Many people park there.
Opening Hours
Sunday – Wednesday: 6:00 – 24:00
Thursday – Saturday: 6:00 – 2:00
Entrance Fee
Free.
Barbeque
Many people online mention there is a dedicated area for barbeque. Maybe I missed it. However, according to the following sign, lightning fires, including barbeque, cigarettes, and hookah, are forbidden at the park’s premises.
I will also mention that there are tables with benches where you can have a picnic. If there are no free tables, there is plenty of grass (but not much shade).
Ecological Pond
Let’s now visit the park’s various points of interest, starting with the ecological pond.
The Ecological Pond in Petah Tikva is an artificial lake in Petah Tikva. The lake was built as part of the park expansion plan and is without fences on the banks. The area of the lake and its surroundings is 14 dunams. The cost of constructing the lake is 52.5 million NIS, with construction work on the lake beginning in February 2016 and ending on August 28, 2018.
The lake is based on a system of ecological pools and water filtration with the help of “Wetland” vegetation (purifying aquatic vegetation) that keeps the water clean without chlorine and for a long time. In addition, there are various fish like koi fish that live in the lake.
Today, a system of wooden paths on the shores of the lake, walking and running paths, seating stands, trees and vegetation are already being built in the lake. And prepares to build a pier for renting boats and a restaurant that includes a seating area on the water and an observation deck from the roof.
Source: Wikipedia
As you can see from the following sign, drinking water from the pond is forbidden. And you are also asked not to feed the fish.
There are no fences. Thus, if you are visiting with small kids, stay close to them.
The pond compound is not finished yet, and they are still building a restaurant.
During our visit, a family of ducks came to visit. And it looked like they were waiting for dinner.
Children Playgrounds
You can find restrooms and a complex for kids near the main entrance.
My older daughter enjoyed climbing all the towers and sliding down on slides. But the younger one prefers swings. And in such a big park, there are only several swings. So we had to wait for a while
Sports Facilities
In the next photo, you can see the children’s playground to the right, and then there are tennis tables, restrooms, and a roller hockey rink.
