The Best Beaches in Israel: My Top 10, Ranked

By Solomon Wiesen, TLV Beaches. Last reviewed October 2026.

Hey there, TLV beach lovers. Israel has a Mediterranean coast, a Red Sea coast and a lake, and on a good day the water really is that techelet color blue.

Tourists, families with small kids, solo travelers and retirees all want different things from a beach, so this list goes by type of beachgoer. There is a good Israeli beach for each of them, whether you are visiting or you live here like a sabra.

The 10 Best Beaches in Israel, Ranked

This is my own ranking, from years of beach days up and down the coast. I ranked them on the water, the setting and how much the beach is worth the trip, not on facilities alone. For every beach in the country by region, see our list of all 55 Israel beaches.

1. Coral Beach Nature Reserve, Eilat. Israel’s only coral reef, in a protected reserve with marked snorkeling trails and Red Sea water warm enough to swim in winter. Entry is paid (NIS 40 adults, NIS 25 children). See our Eilat beaches guide.
2. Habonim Beach (Dor HaBonim), Carmel coast. Rock coves, small bays and natural seawater pools inside a nature reserve, with no promenade and no high-rises. Paid entry (NIS 24 adults, NIS 10 children), and no overnight stays.
3. Achziv, north of Nahariya. A national park on the northern coast with tidal rock pools, sheltered lagoons and ruins on the shore. It is the best pick if you want to camp by the sea.
4. Gordon Beach, Tel Aviv. The classic Tel Aviv city beach: volleyball, food on the sand, the marina pool next door and lifeguards all season. If you only have one beach day in Israel, this is it. Read our Gordon Beach guide.
5. Palmachim Beach, south of Tel Aviv. Dunes, clean sand and bigger, emptier waves than the city beaches, about 25 minutes south of Tel Aviv. It is a national park, paid per car.
6. Ein Bokek, Dead Sea. The main free public beach on the southern Dead Sea, with lifeguards and showers. Floating here is the one beach experience you cannot get anywhere else.
7. Sironit Beach, Netanya. A sheltered bay below the cliff, with a lift down to the sand and calm, shallow water for small kids. More in our Netanya beaches guide.
8. Hilton Beach, Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv’s surf break, its dog beach and its best-known gay beach, all on one stretch below Independence Park. See our Hilton Beach guide.
9. Herzliya beaches (Acadia and Apollonia). Quieter than Tel Aviv, with the marina, accessible Acadia South and the cliffs at Apollonia for sunset. See our Herzliya beaches guide.
10. Metzitzim Beach, Tel Aviv. The easiest Tel Aviv beach with young kids: a playground, shade and usually gentle water near the Port. See our Metzitzim Beach guide.

Best Israeli beach by type of beachgoer

Best Israeli Beach For Tourists: Gordon Beach, Tel Aviv

Gordon Beach is where most visitors end up first, and it works. There are beachside cafes, a busy promenade, sunbeds to rent, volleyball courts and restaurants a few steps from the sand, so you can spend a whole day here without planning anything.

Best Israeli Beach For Families with Kids: Metzitzim Beach, Tel Aviv

Metzitzim Beach has shallow water and shaded play areas, which is why parents like it. The promenade is well kept, lifeguards are on duty in the bathing season, there is a playground, and the waves are usually gentle enough for small kids to splash around and build sandcastles.

Best Israeli Beach For the Elderly: Herzliya Beach, Herzliya

Herzliya Beach is quiet and easy to get around, which makes it a good pick for older visitors. Acadia South, beside the marina, was built as the city’s accessible beach, and Acadia North has lifts down from the promenade and a bathing wheelchair. There are comfortable places to sit, plus cafes and shade nearby for sitting out the hot hours.

Best Israeli Beaches For Singles: Hilton Beach, Tel Aviv

Looking to mingle? Hilton Beach is known for its social crowd and is popular with singles. Between the beach bars, the music and the mix of people, it is an easy place to start a conversation.

Top Israeli Beaches For Nature Enthusiasts: Palmachim Beach, Rishon LeZion

For something more natural and less crowded, Palmachim Beach is the one to pick. It is a national park, and you pay per car: NIS 30 on summer weekdays and NIS 35 at weekends. The sand is clean, the water is clear and the city feels far away. It drew around 992,000 visitors in 2023, so plenty of people have had the same idea.

1 Super Fascinating Israeli Beach Attendance Insight:

• Attendance numbers aren’t published for every beach, but Palmahim Beach registered approximately 992,000 visits in 2023, which shows how popular it is with both Israelis and tourists. Source: Statista

Best Israeli Beaches for Photoshoots: Banana Beach, Tel Aviv

Banana Beach has the sand, the sunsets and the palm trees, with the Tel Aviv skyline on one side and open sea on the other. That makes it an easy backdrop for anything from selfies to engagement shoots. Tip: show up around golden hour for the best light.

Best Israeli Beaches for Swimming: Coral Beach, Eilat

Coral Beach in Eilat is good for swimming and sits next to one of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. The water is calm and clear, fine for a quick dip or for serious snorkeling. It is inside the Coral Beach Nature Reserve, which charges entry (NIS 40 for adults and NIS 25 for children in 2026), so you will be sharing the water with a lot of fish.

Best Israeli Beach for Surfing: Dolphinarium Beach, Tel Aviv

Dolphinarium Beach is the place for catching waves in Tel Aviv. The swell is consistent and there is an active surf community, so it suits beginners and experienced surfers. Surf schools and rental shops sit right by the beach if you need lessons or a board. It is also one of the few beaches in Israel with a surf scene all year.

Best Israeli Beach for Dating: Frishman Beach, Tel Aviv

Frishman Beach is a good date spot. Walk the boardwalk, have a glass of wine at a beachfront café, or just sit on the sand and listen to the waves. It is busy enough to feel lively and calm enough to talk. Stay for the sunset.

Best Israeli Beach for Russians: Netanya Beaches

Netanya is sometimes jokingly called the “Israeli Riviera,” and it is a favorite with Russian speakers, both residents and tourists. Herzl Beach and Sironit Beach in particular have a social Russian-speaking crowd, Russian food vendors, and sometimes Russian pop music playing in the background.

Best Israeli Beach for French: Gordon Beach, Tel Aviv

French visitors like Gordon Beach for its European feel. The promenade is lined with cafés and restaurants, the beach is clean and busy, and many French expats and tourists gather here, especially in summer, which gives the place a multicultural feel.

Best Israeli Beach for Arabs: Akko Beaches, Acre

Akko’s beaches are popular with Arab families. Argaman Beach, the city’s main bathing beach, is relaxed and close to Akko’s historic Old City. People come for picnics, family outings and a swim, and the Old City’s markets and food are a short walk away.

Best Israeli Beach for Americans: Hilton Beach, Tel Aviv

Americans tend to end up at Hilton Beach in Tel Aviv. It is busy, trendy and mixed, which makes it comfortable for U.S. visitors. You can get an iced coffee from a beach bar or try paddleboarding, and it all feels familiar.

Best Israeli Beach for Fishing: Ashdod Beach

For fishing, Ashdod’s long shoreline is a popular spot with anglers. Fishing is not allowed inside the bathing areas, so cast from the stretches away from the lifeguard stations and check the local rules. Early mornings and late afternoons tend to be the most productive, and the early shift comes with a sunrise.

Best Israeli Beach for Weddings: A Correction

An earlier version of this page named “Ein Hemed Beach” here. There is no such beach: Ein Hemed is an inland national park near Jerusalem, with springs and a Crusader building. Couples who want a wedding by the sea book a private events venue on the coast, and we do not have one we can vouch for, so we are leaving this slot empty.

Best Israeli Beach for Parties: Alma Beach, Tel Aviv

Alma Beach, by Charles Clore Park, has long had a party reputation, with a relaxed crowd and DJs on weekends. One update: the Alma Beach bar and the Manta Ray restaurant next to it closed at the end of 2025, and a new operator is not expected before 2027, so check what is on before you go. Come with friends and a drink.

Best Israeli Beach for Camping: Achziv

Want to sleep under the stars? Check the rules first, because they have changed. Overnight stays are no longer allowed at Beit Yanai, which older guides (this one included) recommended, and Dor HaBonim stopped overnight stays in 2019. The national park at Achziv, on the coast about 5 km north of Nahariya, still has a campground. Entry is NIS 40 for adults and NIS 25 for children, the bathing beach has lifeguards in season, and you should confirm with the Nature and Parks Authority before you travel, because visits to the far north can need coordination.

Best Israeli Sunset by the Sea: Apollonia, Herzliya

Apollonia is at its best at sunset. Watch it from the clifftop national park, among the ruins of the Crusader fortress, as the light turns gold on the water. Do not go down to the shore below: it is closed because of the risk of cliff collapse, and there is no lifeguard. It is one of Israel’s most romantic sunset spots.

Best Israeli Beach for Snorkeling: Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve

For snorkeling, Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve is in a league of its own. The water is clear and the reef is healthy, with colorful fish, sea turtles and plenty of other marine life just a few meters from the shore. The reserve is well maintained and rents equipment, so you can show up with nothing and still get in the water.

Sources: the Nature and Parks Authority’s 2026 price list and its pages for Achziv, Dor HaBonim, Palmachim and Beit Yanai (Hebrew), its English page for En Hemed National Park, Time Out Tel Aviv on the Alma Beach closures (Hebrew) and our own beach guides. Checked October 2026.

Solomon Wiesen

Solomon (Shlomo) Wiesen is the author and photographer behind TLV Beaches. Originally from New York, he moved to Israel in 2011 and lives in Tel Aviv, a short walk from Frishman and Bograshov beaches. Every guide on the site is written from the beach, with more than 200 of his own photos of the Tel Aviv coast. He works in marketing, SEO and startups.