Things to do in Eilat
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Eilat
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best season, daytime 21 to 26 degrees, sea 21 to 23, desert hiking perfect and reef clear.
Excellent, 28 to 35 degrees, sea warming and desert still hikeable early, with Passover crowds and price spikes.
Worst for most travellers, 40 to 45 degrees regularly, hiking dawn only and July and August bring maximum crowds and prices.
Excellent again as heat breaks late in the month, sea stays warm and desert reopens, with a Sukkot surge.
What's on
- Red Sea Jazz Festival 11-14 November 2026
Flagship festival since 1987, 40th anniversary edition at Eilat Port with 40 plus performances across four stages.
- Eilat Chamber Music Festival typically late January / February
Winter fixture with international soloists and masterclasses, check the year's dates.
- Israman typically late January
Arava and Eilat long-distance triathlon that fills hotels with athletes.
Best things to do in Eilat
Coral Beach Nature Reserve
Protected reef parallel to shore with roped trails, jetties and Moses Rock for Eilat's best snorkelling.
Dolphin Reef Eilat
Bottlenose dolphins in an open sea enclosure, plus a shaded uncrowded paid beach and relaxation pools.
Underwater Observatory Marine Park
Underwater chambers, shark tunnel and aquaria give the reef experience without getting wet.
Timna Park
Multicoloured cliffs, Solomon's Pillars, the Mushroom and ancient copper mines in a dramatic desert valley.
Mosh Beach
Laid-back beach with cushions, low tables, vegetarian food and juices, made for staying all day.
Dekel Beach
Peaceful local swimming beach with deck bar, cabanas and a Friday DJ set rolling into sunset.
Eilat Botanical Garden
Desert terraces turned into rainforest, waterfalls and cacti, a green surprise built against the heat.
North Beach Promenade
Eilat's resort strip to walk once at night, past big hotels to Mall HaYam and the beach bars.
Where to stay in Eilat
North Beach
first trip, all-round base
Walk to dinner, promenade, Mall HaYam and marina, with a taxi or bus ten minutes south to the reef.
Coral Beach / South Beach
divers and quiet stays
Wake up by Coral Beach Reserve, the Observatory, Dolphin Reef and the dive centres, away from nightlife.
City centre / HaTmarim inland
budget and overland travellers
Half the price with supermarkets, bakeries and local restaurants, ten to fifteen minutes from North Beach.
Think twice about
- Northern industrial and entrance zone
Dusty and built for trucks around the bus depot and Road 90 entry, so you will taxi everywhere including to a beach.
- Far inland residential blocks
Upper Shchuna A and hillside streets furthest from the sea mean steep walks home in 40 degree heat with no visitor facilities.
- Far South Beach tail beyond the Observatory toward Taba without a car
Isolated at night with no walkable dinner, sporadic taxis and a dark empty coast road home.
- North Beach for light sleepers on summer weekends
Promenade music, hotel entertainment and youth groups run late in July, August and on Israeli holidays.
Best restaurants in Eilat
Eddie's Hideaway
Old-guard fine dining since 1979, French-influenced steaks and seafood in an intimate grown-up room.
The Last Refuge
Waterside Coral Beach institution for the freshest grilled fish and seafood platters on the strip.
Lawrence Restaurant
Quiet luxury chef restaurant at Herods Vitalis, the tasting option on North Beach.
Ranch House
Royal Beach American steakhouse on the promenade, the celebratory group steak option.
Omer's
Modern Israeli kitchen inland, called one of the best meals in the country by travellers.
Pastory
Tuscan courtyard with open kitchen and house-made pasta, the reliable date-night Italian.
Pago Pago
Floating marina fish and grill restaurant with a view and a long drinks menu.
Ginger Asian Kitchen
Sushi, Thai and pan-Asian dishes in a calm room that Eilat residents use as a default.
Outdoor things to do in Eilat
Satil Wreck
Sunken Israeli missile boat at about 25 metres, encrusted and full of life for Advanced divers.
Japanese Gardens
Sprawling coral garden reached only by boat, repeatedly named the prettiest dive in Eilat proper.
The Caves Dive Site
Macro dive site with frogfish, nudibranchs, rays and occasional turtles near the reserve.
Three Sisters
Guided snorkel site with coral arches south of Migdalor, suited to first-timers and children.
Red Canyon
Narrow sculpted gorge in red and ochre sandstone with ladders, out in one to two hours.
Mount Yoash
Road 12 viewpoint from which you can see four countries, easy to pair with Red Canyon.
Mount Shlomo
Moderate panoramic hike in the Eilat Mountains Nature Reserve above the city.
Mount Tsefahot
The classic Eilat sunset hike, about one hour up from the southern edge of the city.
Best hotels in Eilat
Herods Palace Eilat
Palace-themed lagoon landmark with huge pool, private beach and spa, book a renovated room.
Herods Vitalis Spa Hotel Eilat
Adults-focused spa sister to Herods Palace, the highest scoring luxury pick for quiet couples.
Royal Beach Eilat
Classic Eilat luxury address with best promenade position, strong breakfast and Ranch House on site.
Dan Eilat Hotel
Enormous pools and direct beach access, stellar midweek in shoulder season, busy at peak.
Astral Palma Hotel
Suite-style marina rooms, one of the best value family bases for space over polish.
Isrotel Royal Garden
Chain second-tier North Beach hotel, price it against Lagoona, Sport and Dan Panorama.
Dan Panorama Eilat
Chain second-tier option that prices into good value outside holiday weekends.
Isrotel Yam Suf Hotel
Directly on Almog Beach by the reserve with in-house dive centre, the best dive-trip logistics.
Is Eilat expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₪300 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₪750 a person |
| Splurge | ₪1,400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Dolphin Reef Eilat: weeks ahead
- Coral 2000: a few days ahead
- Three Sisters: a few days ahead
- Surf Center Eilat: a few days ahead
- Extreme by Asa Brothers: a few days ahead
- Fly on the Water: a few days ahead
- Camel Ranch Eilat: a few days ahead
- Petra: weeks ahead
- Dolphin Reef snorkel, dive and STALA pools days ahead, weeks ahead for holidays.
- Hotels for Passover, Sukkot, July, August and festival weekends, when prices can double.
- Petra tours at least several days ahead with inclusions confirmed in writing, and Eddie's and Omer's for weekend dinner.
Is Eilat safe?
- Heat is the main risk, carry two litres of water for hikes, wear a hat and treat hot afternoons as indoor, pool or sea time.
- Flash floods are real in desert canyons in winter, never enter a canyon when rain is forecast in the catchment.
- Clean coral scrapes, wear booties on rocky entries and do not touch marine life.
Eilat travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Snorkelling off North Beach hotel beaches, where there is almost no coral, instead of going south to Coral Beach.
- Promenade restaurants with photo menus and greeters, and malls assumed cheap just because Eilat is VAT free.
- One-day Petra as a checkbox, with eight hours of travel and borders for about four hours in Petra.
Getting around Eilat: public transport and more
- Egged buses run North Beach to Coral Beach to Taba cheaply and taxis are plentiful, insist on the meter.
- Walking is pleasant after dark and punishing at noon, and a hire car is an asset only for a Timna and Red Canyon day.
- Ramon Airport is about 18 km north, with bus, shuttle and taxi connections of 25 to 30 minutes to hotels.
Who Eilat suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Eilat your trip
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