Golan Heights

Volcanic terroir like Etna. Roman fortifications still stand. The Golan Heights Winery revolutionized Israeli wine in the 1980s. High altitude (1,000m), volcanic basalt soil, and cool climate produce exceptional wines.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Stand Where Vespasian's Legions Breached the Wall History · Price: low

   Where: Gamla Nature Reserve, southern Golan Heights. From Road 92 (Sea of Galilee perimeter), turn onto Road 869 at Ma'ale Gamla junction, follow Road 808 south to the reserve entrance. GPS: 32.9063°N, 35.7460°E. Open Sun–Thu & Sat 8:00–17:00, Fri 8:00–16:00 (closes one hour earlier in winter). Entry: 28 NIS adults (~€7), 14 NIS children.

   What: In October 67 CE, Vespasian — the general who would become Emperor — stood on this ground with three Roman legions and crushed the Jewish city of Gamla. His army hurled ballista balls to breach the wall in three places. When the city fell, Josephus recorded that 4,000 were killed by the Roman sword and 5,000 threw themselves off the cliffs rather than surrender. Not a soul escaped 'save two women.' The city was never rebuilt. Archaeologists found 2,000 ballista stones here — more than at any other Roman siege site in the entire Empire. The V-shaped breach those stones made in the wall in 67 CE is still there. You can touch it.

   How: At the main entrance kiosk, ask for the trail to the upper observation terrace (paved, accessible to all). From the terrace you look down directly onto the ancient city exactly as Roman commanders did. The lower descent to the ruins and synagogue (one of only three 1st-century synagogues known in all of Israel) is steep — 700m elevation change. Most visitors don't attempt it. If you do, allow 2+ hours. The synagogue's outer wall was incorporated into the city's defensive rampart — even the prayer hall became a battlefield.

   Backup: If the hike feels too steep, the view from the upper terrace is genuinely overwhelming. Hire binoculars at the kiosk (nominal fee) to pick out the V-shaped breach in the ancient wall from above.

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2. 2 Hold a Ballista Stone in the Golan Archaeological Museum History · Price: low

   Where: Golan Archaeological Museum, Katzrin. GPS: 32.9954°N, 35.6883°E. Combined ticket with Katzrin Ancient Park is available for 2 NIS extra — strongly recommended. Open Sun–Thu.

   What: The artifacts pulled from Gamla's soil tell the siege in physical form: 1,600 arrowheads recovered from one battle. Coins minted inside the city while it was under siege — the last act of a community that knew it was about to die. Clay oil lamps of the exact design the Yarden wine label uses on every bottle (the winery is 400m away; the design choice is not accidental). A scale model and film reconstruct the battle.

   How: Ask the museum staff to point out the ballista stones — same basalt as the volcanic plateau you're standing on. The Romans used the local rock as ammunition. The city was literally destroyed by its own geology. Also look for the coin collection: these were minted during the siege of 67 CE. Holding one means holding the last currency of a city that no longer exists.

   Backup: If the museum is closed (check ahead at 04-696-2412), the Katzrin Ancient Park 400m away has reconstructed wine press infrastructure from the same Talmudic period and serves as an excellent alternative introduction to Golan archaeology.

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3. 3 Taste the Vineyard That Revived 1,300 Years of Silence Wine · Price: moderate

   Where: Golan Heights Winery (Yarden), Derekh HaYayin 4, Katzrin Industrial Area — 2km east of town center. GPS approx 32.992°N, 35.706°E. Phone: 04-696-8435. Hours: Sun–Thu 8:30–17:00, Fri 8:30–14:00, closed Shabbat. Book ahead.

   What: The Romans called this plateau Gaulanitis and exported its wine to Rome. Then came Byzantine rule, then Islamic conquest — and winemaking stopped. For 1,300 years, these basalt slopes produced nothing. In 1983, four kibbutzim and four moshavim founded this winery with UC Davis expertise and released their first wine in 1984. Winemaker Victor Schoenfeld had trained at Jacquesson & Fils in Champagne before coming here. The result: Yarden Blanc de Blancs won Best Bottle-Fermented Sparkling Wine at London's International Wine & Spirit Competition in 1996 — and won it again in 2003. A kosher Israeli sparkling wine, beating Champagne houses on their own territory.

   How: Book the Classic Tour (~1 hour, available in English): introductory film, walk through the oak barrel cellar, tasting of 3 wines. Ask specifically to taste the Yarden Katzrin Red if available — produced only in exceptional vintages (since 1990), Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant, aged 18 months in French oak, drinking window of 15–20 years. Then ask about the Blanc de Blancs. When you're tasting, look out the window: those black volcanic fields you can see are the same basalt geology that Vespasian's legions walked across in 67 CE. Deep roots, slow ripening, mineral structure. The wine tastes like the plateau it grew on.

   Backup: Walk-ins are sometimes possible on weekdays, but calling ahead guarantees English-language tour and the full cellar experience. If the full tour isn't available, the tasting room alone is worth the stop — ask for the Yarden label range.

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4. 4 Find the 6th-Century Wine Press in the Talmudic Village History · Price: low

   Where: Ancient Katzrin Park (Katzrin Archaeological Park), 1.6km east of Katzrin center. Follow signs from main road. GPS approx 32.995°N, 35.706°E. Combined ticket with Golan Archaeological Museum available (+2 NIS — buy this). Open Sun–Thu.

   What: This open-air site reconstructs a Jewish village from the Talmudic period (4th–8th century CE). The synagogue excavated here was built in the 6th century CE atop a 4th-century predecessor — and both were destroyed by the same catastrophic earthquake of 749 CE that reshaped the entire region. Wine was being made here on this basalt plateau continuously for centuries after Gamla's destruction — and the reconstructed wine press makes it tangible. Stomp grapes on volcanic stone, understanding that this is what Gaulanitis looked like before the Islamic conquest silenced it.

   How: Find the ancient wine press installation in the village reconstruction. Costumed guides (April–October) demonstrate the process; in off-season it's self-guided with signage. Look for the olive press alongside the wine press — the village ran on olive oil and wine, exactly as Roman Gaulanitis had. The synagogue ruins on site are ~400 years younger than Gamla's but show the same architectural DNA: stone benches around the walls, column bases, facing Jerusalem. Ask staff about the 749 earthquake — it's the single event that defines why this particular village stopped.

   Backup: If costumed demonstration isn't running, the reconstructed village still shows the layout of pressing facilities in architectural form. The Golan Archaeological Museum 1.6km away (combined ticket) fills in the narrative with artifacts.

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5. 5 Count the Fishing Boats on the Sea That Jesus Walked Adventure · Free

   Where: Nukeib Lookout, southern Golan slopes above Kibbutz Ein Gev. GPS: 32.8108°N, 35.6456°E. Take Road 92 south from Katzrin along the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, then follow signs to Ein Gev — the lookout is above the kibbutz. Free, no entry fee, accessible by car.

   What: Standing on this basalt cliff edge, 400 meters above the water, you're looking at the entire Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) spread out below you. Directly opposite: the Galilee mountains where Jesus preached. To your right: Tiberias, the Roman city Herod Antipas built. Below: the fishing boats. This same panorama was Syrian military fortification from 1948 to 1967 — soldiers stood on this exact ground to hold the strategic heights over Israel. Now it's called 'the state's balcony to the Sea of Galilee.'

   How: Arrive late afternoon for the light. The Sea of Galilee sits 209 meters below sea level — the lowest freshwater lake in the world — which means you're looking DOWN at a lake that itself is already underground relative to sea level. The visual drama of the descent is enormous. Take time to orient: the Jordan River enters from the north (left), exits south toward the Dead Sea (right). The entire geography of the New Testament is visible from one spot.

   Backup: Mevo Hama viewpoint (further north on Road 98) offers a paved, wheelchair-accessible 2km promenade along a cliff edge 400m above the lake. Same visual drama, more accessible terrain.

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