Mitzpe Ramon on Friday and Shabbat: What Is Open and What to Do at the Weekend
Visiting Mitzpe Ramon on a Friday or on Shabbat? The complete guide to Friday in the Spice Route Quarter, attractions and trails for Shabbat, and how to check opening hours and events on Meetzpe.
Meetzpe Editorial6 min read
One of the most common questions from travellers heading south for the weekend is: "What happens in Mitzpe Ramon on Friday and Shabbat, and what is open in town?" The answer is that between Friday morning and Saturday night, Mitzpe Ramon offers two complementary, magical experiences: a lively, colourful, bustling Friday in the Spice Route Quarter, and a calm desert Shabbat of nature, lookouts and culture, with a Saturday night that wakes up to live shows.
So you know exactly how to plan your Friday and Shabbat in Mitzpe Ramon, here is the complete guide.
1. Friday in Mitzpe Ramon: The Peak of the Week in the Spice Route Quarter and Town
If you are in Mitzpe Ramon on a Friday (between the morning and the early afternoon), the Spice Route Quarter and the Town Center are buzzing. This is when all the town's residents and travellers meet on the streets and in the courtyards:
- Friday morning bakeries and stocking up for Shabbat: Friday morning in the quarter opens with cheerful queues for the sourdough breads, challahs and pastries of Lasha and the croissants and patisserie of Man Desert Patisserie (home to the Sansana boutique). In the Town Center, the community cooperative HaAgala is busy with shoppers picking up organic vegetables, cheeses, local wines and groceries for Shabbat.
- Coffee, Friday lunch, wine and wandering the galleries: The courtyards of Cafe Gina, HaRova Café, UMA and Backstage Art Cafe fill with visitors; BOTZ Restaurant hosts a lively Friday afternoon wine courtyard and seasonal kitchen; Friday lunch is served at Café TZIN, HaKatze, Hummus Yona and Ramona Kosher Restaurant; and wine lovers can pop out for a tasting at the natural-wine winery Kerem Shezaf. In between, browse the Asif concept store, Viv Vintage, Itzu Rimmer Gallery and Miklat 44, and open studios such as Osnat Raichman Ceramics & Maya Clay, Capelluto – Desert Tailor, Ethno Center, Omania and Tozeret Mizpe.
- Friday classes and Kabbalat Shabbat: In the morning there are yoga, Pilates and movement classes at Peima, Zuzima, Yoga with Shahar and Yoga with Inbar, and towards evening HaRova Café, Nomis Jam and HaBerech Pub host live music, draft beer and community Kabbalat Shabbat gatherings.
2. Shabbat in Mitzpe Ramon: Nature, Cliffside Coffee and Open Attractions
Once Shabbat comes in, the town shifts down a gear and the desert quiet takes over. This is how to spend Shabbat in Mitzpe:
- Coffee and food open on Shabbat on the cliff and in town: Right on the cliff promenade, Kiosk Cafe Ramona and Little Ramona are open on Saturdays for coffee, pastries, sandwiches and ice cream facing the crater view. In the Town Center, spots such as Sumsumyia operate, while in the Spice Route Quarter several cafes and creative spaces (such as Cafe Gina and Backstage Art Cafe) open according to the weekly schedule.
- Nature sites, farms and visitor centres on Shabbat:
- The Ilan Ramon Visitors Center, Hai Ramon and Nearby Farms: The Visitors Center and Hai Ramon on the cliff edge are open on Shabbat, alongside the Alpaca Farm and Noam Farm (north of Mitzpe Ramon).
- Trails in the Makhtesh, off-road trips and night tours: Shabbat is an ideal time to go down to HaMinsara, the coloured sands or the Nekarot Horseshoe, or to head out on a guided jeep, rappelling, camel or scorpion tour arranged in advance with Alen Desert Tours (Negevland), Desert Time (Zman Midbar), Noam Outdoors, Ramon Desert Tours, Razer Ramon, Ben Midbar and The Scorpion Man of Mitzpe Ramon.
- The cliff promenade and the ibex: A relaxed walk along the cliff and a meeting with the ibex of Mitzpe Ramon.
Want to know exactly what is open this Shabbat in Mitzpe Ramon? Because opening hours and events on Friday night and Shabbat change from week to week, open Meetzpe: you'll find places, workshops, classes and shows over Shabbat and on Saturday night, and can check opening hours.
3. Saturday Night in Mitzpe: The Town Starts Playing Again
If you are staying in Mitzpe Ramon on Saturday night (or stopping there on the way back from a trip in the south), Saturday night is one of the happiest evenings in town: HaBerech Pub and its performance hall Rehem, Midbar Wine and the Jazz Club open the new week with live shows, jam nights, DJ sets and a warm Mitzpe atmosphere.
In Mitzpe Ramon for the weekend? Open Meetzpe now, check opening hours and see what is on in town today.