Ajami Beach: Everything You Need to Know
By Solomon Wiesen, TLV Beaches. Last reviewed October 2026.
Ajami Beach, officially Givat Aliya Beach, is the neighborhood beach in southern Jaffa, just before the Bat Yam border and well away from the hotel strip. It is a declared beach with lifeguards in season, volleyball, a water sports zone, free parking and a designated dog area just to the south, and it gets a fraction of the crowds you see in central Tel Aviv. Long-time Jaffa residents come for the calm water and the view back toward Old Jaffa; most tourists never find it. Map.
This page is part of our guide to all Tel Aviv beaches, covering every beach from Tel Baruch in the north to Jaffa in the south. For live sea conditions and lifeguard hours, see the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality’s official page for Givat Aliya Beach.
Why Tel Avivians Love This Secret Yafo Beach:
Here’s what makes this Ajami beach (Givat Aliya Beach) so special:
Wide sandy area, great for families and small gatherings.
Natural stone breakwaters, creating calm, shallow swimming areas.
A seawall on the northern edge, a good place for watching fishermen cast lines.
A low-key, neighborhood beach atmosphere that feels a world away from Tel Aviv’s polished shoreline.
Great views of the Old City of Jaffa, especially at golden hour.
A Few Things You Need to Know about Ajami Beach:
Quick Facts
Distance from Jaffa Clock Tower: about 2.2 km / roughly a 30-minute walk
Popular with: Families, local teens, older residents, and anyone who wants a break from the Tel Aviv buzz
Swimming conditions: Calm thanks to the breakwaters, great for kids; lifeguards on duty in the bathing season
Best time to go: Weekday mornings or early evening in summer
Official name: Givat Aliya Beach, the southernmost declared bathing beach in Tel Aviv-Yafo, about 800 metres north of the Bat Yam line
Rentals: NIS 12 for a chair or an umbrella and NIS 22 for a sunbed (NIS 5, 5 and 9 with a Digitel resident card)
Next door: a water sports zone and an off-leash dog zone, both just south of the bathing area
Facilities: Toilets, hot and cold showers, a kiosk and two volleyball courts; the city lists it as an accessible beach
Why Locals Love Ajami Beach
This isn’t the kind of beach with DJs or Instagram influencers. It’s the kind where a local grandpa grills fish while kids play matkot and Arabic music spills from a portable speaker.
The breakwaters and the lifeguard station make it one of the more comfortable places to swim along the Tel Aviv-Jaffa coastline. You’ll often see families teaching their kids how to swim or older residents doing their daily laps in the calm surf.
There is a kiosk at the beach but no beachfront restaurant. For a post-beach meal, head north into Jaffa: Hummus Abu Hassan is about 1.6 km away (a 20-minute walk), and the Jaffa Port and flea market area has plenty more.
Lifeguards, Prices and Rules
Givat Aliya is a declared bathing beach with a lifeguard station. In the 2026 bathing season, which ended on 10 October, they worked from 07:15 until 16:45 in spring and autumn, until 17:45 in June and until 18:45 in July and August. Swimming when no lifeguard is on duty is forbidden.
Entry is free. Rentals cost the city’s fixed prices: NIS 12 for a chair or an umbrella and NIS 22 for a sunbed (NIS 5, 5 and 9 with a Digitel resident card). Dogs are not allowed in the bathing area, but the official off-leash dog zone starts just south of it. The city’s map shows a free car park by the beach; check the signs when you arrive.
How to Get There
From Jaffa Clock Tower:
- Head south along Yefet Street through the Ajami neighborhood (about 25 minutes).
- Turn west toward the sea in the area of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.
- Follow the signs and stairs down to the beach.
Total trip: about 30 minutes walking. View walking route on Google Maps.
By bus:
- Lines 10, 44, 46, 83 and 88 run along Yefet Street, a short walk inland from the beach. Line 10 also connects Yefet Street with Bat Yam.
- Line 13 stops closest to the sand, by the Peres Center.
- Routes change, so check a journey planner such as Moovit or Google Maps on the day.
Sources: the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality’s page for Givat Aliya Beach, its lifeguard hours, price list and beach services table (Hebrew), and the city’s beach zoning map, and Ministry of Transport bus stop data. Checked October 2026.