Eilat

Israel's main Red Sea resort: around 50,000 people at the very southern tip of the country, wedged between Jordan (Aqaba) and Egypt (Taba) on a narrow 12 km strip of coast. Eilat is a VAT-free zone, which makes everything cheaper than in the rest of Israel. It offers the best diving and snorkelling in the country — a coral reef directly off the beach, with tropical fish — and it is sunny for well over 350 days a year, which makes it the obvious winter escape when Tel Aviv turns cold. It is also the main gateway for a day trip to Petra in Jordan, two hours away. Check the current security situation before you travel.

The main sights

• Coral Beach Nature Reserve — Eilat's principal coral reef and the best snorkelling on Israel's Red Sea coast.
• The Underwater Observatory Marine Park — the largest complex of its kind in the Middle East, with a viewing chamber 6 m below the surface and tanks of rays and sharks.
• Dolphin Reef — a colony of bottlenose dolphins living semi-free in a fenced sea enclosure, where you can swim with them; the animals are under no obligation to come near, so an encounter is never guaranteed.
• Timna Park — a striking desert park 30 km north, with some of the oldest copper mines in the world (worked from the fifth and fourth millennia BC, though the popular name "King Solomon's Mines" is a much later label), Solomon's Pillars and the Mushroom Rock.
• The Red Canyon — a narrow red-walled gorge 20 km out, with a 30-minute walk through it.
• The Satil wreck — a decommissioned Israeli navy missile boat scuttled close inshore as an artificial reef, and a popular shore dive.
• North Beach — the main town beach, a long strip of bars, restaurants and hotels.
• The Tayelet promenade — the seafront walkway, running 4 km down to Coral Beach.
• The Ice Mall — a shopping centre in the desert with a working ice rink.
• Petra (Jordan) — two hours away via the Wadi Araba crossing, the classic day trip.
• Wadi Rum (Jordan) — the desert, two and a half hours away through the same crossing.
• Taba (Egypt) — a border resort 8 km away, reached through the Taba crossing, though the current security position in Sinai is worth checking.

Food and prices

The cooking is Israeli and Levantine with a strong seafood lean: grilled Red Sea fish, hummus, falafel, shawarma, sabich and malabi for pudding, and most restaurants are kosher. Lunch in a café costs 55–85 shekels ($18–28), dinner in a restaurant 120–240 shekels ($40–80), a bottle of Israeli Goldstar beer 12–18 shekels ($4–6). Petrol is about 6 shekels ($2) a litre outside the duty-free rules, a Rav-Kav bus fare is 5 shekels ($1.70), and taxis run 25–75 shekels ($8–25). Because Eilat is VAT-free, alcohol and tobacco are markedly cheaper than in the rest of Israel. Prices are as of 2026.

Transport

Ramon International Airport (ETM), 18 km north, opened in 2019 and is now the only airport serving the city; the old Eilat airport (ETH) in the middle of town has closed. From Tel Aviv it is a 45-minute flight (150–450 shekels, $50–150) or a five-hour Egged coach (45–75 shekels, $15–25). Around town there are buses and taxis.

When to go

October to April, at 18–28°C, is ideal. Summer (May–September) is extreme, 35–45°C, though the Red Sea stays cooler. Winter (December–February) is the main season for Israelis fleeing the chill of Tel Aviv. Diving goes on all year, with visibility over 30 m.