Metula is Israel’s northernmost town, a quiet and pleasant place, built of a ridge of hills with a view of Mt. Hermon and the green Galilee landscapes.
This serene town, right next to the Lebanese border, attracts many tourists and vacationers who come to visit historical, nature and activity sites in the region. Metula was founded in 1896 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild as a moshava, a semi-cooperative agricultural community, and most of its founding families were agricultural workers from established comunities in Israel’s coastal region. After Israel’s War of Independence, a few more neighborhoods were added to the moshava, which grew into a rural town. Most of Metula’s early settlers earned their livelihood from agriculture. Along the winding road to this moshava visitors will see peach and plum orchards that are covered in pink and white blossoms in the spring.
As Israel’s tourism industry developed, Metula’s residents developed tourism and vacation facilities, which are now the town’s main source of revenue. Metula has many hotels and guest houses, some of them in century-old buildings, and charming guest cottages have been built in the courtyards of many of the homes. The moshava’s original stone houses still line the Ha-Rishonim street in downtown Metula, and the Beit ha-Ikar Farmers House Museum depicts the history of he moshava.
Metula also has a huge sports and cultural complex - Beit Canada - with Israel’s only skating rink, along with swimming pools, gymnasiums and fitness rooms. Mt. Tsfia (Look-out Mountain) rises to a height of 615 meters above sea level to the west of Metula, offering a magnificent view of the surrounding area, and the Nakhal Ayun nature reserve (ha-Tanur reserve) borders Metula to the east.