Jerusalem First Station HaTachana HaRishona Guide (2026)

HaTachana HaRishona — Jerusalem’s First Station — is one of the city’s most unexpected cultural spaces: a beautifully restored 1892 Ottoman railway terminus that now functions as an outdoor food market, restaurant cluster and concert venue in the heart of the German Colony. The limestone building and stone platform predate the British Mandate, the State of Israel, and every modern building in sight. The railway heritage is preserved in the trackbed, the wrought-iron canopy brackets, and the original Ottoman lettering above the main entrance — everything else has been reimagined as a contemporary leisure destination.

History: the first railway in the Levant

The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway was completed in 1892, making it the first operational railway line in the entire Levant. The Ottoman administration awarded the concession to a French company, and the 87km track across the Judean Hills was one of the era’s most technically demanding construction projects — the final climb from sea level to Jerusalem’s 800m altitude required a winding mountain route that tripled travel time compared to a straight-line distance.

The Jerusalem terminus was designed by the Ottoman architect Yusuf Eff. Tabari in a functional limestone style that blended with the city’s existing building vocabulary. For decades it served as the primary gateway into Jerusalem for pilgrims, merchants, and officials arriving from Jaffa and, beyond Jaffa, from Europe.

The station remained operational until 1998, when Jerusalem municipality began planning the modern light rail network and the original trackbed became impractical for rail use. After years of disuse, the municipality undertook a careful renovation, completing in 2013 a conversion that preserved the original stone structure while inserting a contemporary cultural programme within it.

The result is one of the more considered heritage renovations in Jerusalem: the stone walls and platform survive intact, the railway-era signage is preserved in context, and the surrounding garden uses the original trackbed as a linear promenade.

The venue today

The First Station complex occupies roughly 4,000 square metres of covered and open-air space around the restored building and its stone platform. The experience divides naturally into several distinct parts:

The platform and outdoor grounds

The original loading platform, now pedestrianised and lined with mature trees, is the heart of the complex. Restaurant and café tables spread out under the shade canopy, and on Thursday evenings and Friday mornings the space fills with market stalls. The stone surface, the Ottoman-era ironwork, and the walled limestone building create an atmosphere that is distinctly Jerusalem — warm stone in afternoon light, the smell of coffee and za’atar from open windows.

Restaurants and cafés

Tenants change over time — the mix reflects Jerusalem’s mid-to-upscale dining scene. Lechem Basar (Hebrew for “bread and meat”) has been the flagship address within the complex: a kosher meat restaurant with an open kitchen, slow-cooked cuts, and vegetables roasted in the wood oven. For a more casual visit, the coffee house on the platform edge serves Turkish-style filter coffee with Jerusalem-baked pastries. Prices at the First Station’s sit-down restaurants reflect the neighbourhood — budget ₪80–180 per person for a main and drink at a restaurant; café stops are standard Jerusalem café prices.

All restaurants within the complex are kosher or kosher-friendly; none serves pork. Shabbat: most restaurants close Friday afternoon and reopen Saturday night.

Weekly artisan market

The Thursday and Friday outdoor market is the main draw for many visitors. It runs on the stone plaza adjacent to the building and on the approach path. Stalls include:

• Local olive oil, za’atar and herb producers from the Galilee and Judean Hills
• Israeli artisan cheese — labaneh, aged goat varieties, sheep’s milk styles
• Fresh bread and Jerusalem-style ka’ak sesame pastries
• Israeli natural wine and boutique beer from small producers
• Handmade ceramics, textile crafts and jewellery
• Seasonal produce: pomegranates and dates in autumn, citrus in winter, herbs in spring

Friday morning (09:00–13:00) is the most vibrant market session — locals stock up before Shabbat, and the energy is noticeably livelier than Thursday evenings. Come early for the widest selection; most stalls start packing down by 13:30 to prepare for the Shabbat shutdown at sundown.

Concerts and cultural events

The station’s stone plaza hosts regular outdoor concerts, particularly on warm Friday evenings and during summer weekends. The programme runs from Israeli folk and jazz to classical chamber music — the Ottoman stone walls provide natural acoustic warmth. Most events are free or low-cost; check the First Station Facebook page or firststation.co.il for current programming. The Jerusalem Municipality also uses the space for community cultural events.

Connecting to the Mesila trail

Jerusalem First Station is the northern trailhead of Park HaMesila (Train Track Park) — a 7km linear walking and cycling trail built 2010–2013 along the original Jaffa–Jerusalem railway bed. This is one of Jerusalem’s most interesting urban walks: the trail passes through the German Colony, Baka, Katamon, Ir Ganim, Pat, Mekor Chaim, and Beit Safafa before ending near Malha.

Why it’s worth walking from the station:

The trail is wheelchair accessible (raised boardwalk in the Beit Safafa section), well-lit for evening use, and runs through residential Jerusalem neighbourhoods that most visitors never see. In Beit Safafa — an Arab-Israeli neighbourhood midway along the route — the trail crosses a community that has lived here continuously since before 1948; the boardwalk section was part of a community agreement that helped preserve the neighbourhood’s character. The trail is used daily by Jerusalem residents of all backgrounds.

Logistics: the full 7km walk takes approximately 1h 45min at a relaxed pace; allow 45 minutes for a one-way cycle. The southern terminus near Malha is served by bus (check Moovit for current routes) and Gett taxi for return. Cyclists can use Donkey Republic e-bikes, which operate in central Jerusalem and some parts of the Emek Refaim area — verify current dock locations on the Donkey Republic app before setting out.

For a full guide to the trail route, neighbourhoods and logistics, search “Park HaMesila” on Wikipedia or AllTrails for detailed trail maps and current visitor notes.

Spring visiting: the trail is planted with native Israeli species — desert iris, sage, poppies — making March and April particularly pleasant for the walk as wildflowers bloom along the trackbed.

Visiting logistics

Location: David Remez Street, German Colony neighbourhood, Jerusalem. The complex sits approximately 15 minutes on foot south of Jaffa Gate and 10 minutes south of the King David Hotel.

Getting there:

• On foot from Jaffa Gate: walk south on King David Street, past the YMCA, then turn left onto Emek Refaim Street. The First Station entrance is signed on David Remez Street, a 5-minute walk from Emek Refaim.
• By Jerusalem Light Rail: Line 2 (Green Line) serves the German Colony — check current routing at egged.co.il.
• By bus: lines 21 and 72 from the city centre pass within walking distance.
• By car: parking is adjacent but fills quickly on market days; a Gett taxi or walking from the Old City is more practical on Thursday evenings and Friday mornings.

Opening hours: the outer grounds of the First Station are generally accessible 07:00–23:00 daily. Individual restaurants and cafés have their own hours — most open from late morning through evening, Sunday–Friday. The complex closes for Shabbat (Friday sunset to Saturday night). Always verify current hours at firststation.co.il before visiting.

Combining First Station with the German Colony: Emek Refaim Street, two blocks east, is Jerusalem’s most café-rich tree-lined boulevard — a 20-minute walk covers the best of the German Colony’s Templar-era stone architecture and café terrace scene. The combination of Emek Refaim café + First Station market + Mesila trail walk makes for a complete half-day in southern Jerusalem. See our Jerusalem food guide for the full German Colony and Emek Refaim dining picture.

Connection to the German Colony neighbourhood: the First Station sits in what was once the agricultural quarter of the German Templar colony — the same community of 19th-century German Protestant settlers who also built the Sarona complex in Tel Aviv. The stone buildings on David Remez Street and along the First Station perimeter are authentic Templar-era construction.

Combining with other Jerusalem sites

From the Old City: the First Station makes an excellent second stop on a Jerusalem day that begins in the Old City. After the intensity of the Muslim Quarter, Via Dolorosa, and Western Wall, the First Station’s garden terrace offers a genuinely relaxed counterpoint — shaded seating, good coffee, and the hum of a working Jerusalem neighbourhood rather than the tourist pressure of the Old City. The 15-minute walk south from Jaffa Gate via King David Street is pleasant and downhill.

Jerusalem Mesila Trail: as described above, the First Station is the natural starting point for the 7km Mesila trail south through residential Jerusalem. See the AllTrails listing for “HaMesila Park” for a downloadable map of the full route and current trail condition notes.

Jerusalem neighbourhoods circuit: First Station → German Colony (Emek Refaim Street, stone buildings) → Mahane Yehuda Market (20 minutes north by Gett taxi or light rail) forms one of the best Jerusalem neighbourhood circuits for food and atmosphere. See our Jerusalem neighborhoods guide for the wider picture.

1-day Jerusalem itinerary: if you’re seeing Jerusalem in a single day, the First Station fits naturally as an evening stop — market stalls open until 20:00 on Thursdays, and Friday mornings are excellent for those beginning an early Jerusalem day before the Old City crowds build. See our 1-day Jerusalem itinerary for a full morning-to-evening plan.

Practical notes

Kosher and dietary: the First Station’s restaurants are predominantly kosher. Visitors keeping halal will find the cheese, bread and olive oil stalls suitable; the kosher-meat restaurants serve no pork and handle meat to religious standards. Vegetarian and vegan options are available at most stalls and several cafés.

Language: most vendors at the market speak Hebrew as a first language; English is widely understood. Prices are generally fixed at restaurant tables; light bargaining is acceptable at artisan craft stalls on market days.

Photography: the outdoor spaces are freely photographable. Some tenants display “no photography” signs inside their premises — respect these.

Wheelchair access: the stone plaza and main approach path are level and accessible. The Mesila trail connection is also wheelchair accessible for the first several kilometres. The interior of the main station building may have uneven thresholds at some doorways — check current accessibility via firststation.co.il.

Shabbat: the complex closes from Friday afternoon (sunset) through Saturday night. If your visit falls on a Saturday, the German Colony’s Arab-owned and secular cafés on Emek Refaim are more likely to be open, but the First Station itself will be closed. See our Shabbat in Jerusalem guide for navigating Jerusalem’s Shabbat dynamics.