Beautiful Beaches
Want a perfect bronze tan?
Well, Eilat is no doubt the perfect place to get it. Get out to Eilat’s beautiful beaches and join locals and tourists in their favorable pastime – sunbathing. Each one of the city’s beaches has something different to offer, so you can find your favorite place where you can feel right at home. Some beaches are open free of charge, while others charge admission fees. If you are looking for some quiet time you may find it in one of the virgin beaches, watching the Edom Mountains and the turquoise Red Sea.
Diving and Underwater Tours
If you think of Eilat is a barren desert, think again! Eilat is one of the top diving destinations in the world, all you need to do is put your head in the water and find all the wonderful underwater jungles of corals teeming with colorful and unique flora and fauna.
Eilat offers many exciting underwater tours but if you prefer to stay dry you can still enjoy all these on board the “Mitslol Jules Vern” – a mobile underwater observatory in the bottom of a sightseeing ship, on board one of the glass-bottom boats, and of course at the Underwater Observatory Marine Park.
The observatory is the proud owner of the largest collection of exhibition pools and aquariums in the Middle East. Most of the observatory is air-conditioned, allowing you to take your time watching the dozens of fish and creatures, plants and corals, sea turtles and stingrays, as well as the shark tank. Prepare to shake, rattle n’roll at the Oceanarium – an underwater dive simulator motion theater taking you to a journey beneath the sea.
Tour the Desert by Jeep, Horse or Camel
Eilat is situated at the heart of the desert, and the desert, you should know, is full of life. By jeep (4×4), ATV, horse or camel, come discover the desert animals and plants. There are many tour guides in Eilat who will offer you fascinating tours into the desert. Those range from one hour tours through magical nocturnal trips with Bedouin-style refreshments.
You can also rent a bike and go for a ride in Wadi Shlomo, where you will find a camel ranch populated with many camels that will be happy to take you for a ride, and if you ask real nice, will even pose for a picture with you. Bird watchers will love Eilat’s bird watching Park, situated close to the Jordanian border.
There are rappelling tracks suitable both for travelers who are new to the sports as well as for experts. In these tours travelers can learn a lot about the desert plants and geology, as well as the history of the region, which up until a few thousand years ago was a thriving agricultural area.
The Eilat Promenade
The promenade (or Tayelet, in Hebrew) is stretched along the shoreline, from the south to the north-east, for the convenience of all vacationers. Stroll along the promenade and take in the clean sea air, mixed with the smell of barbequed meat coming from the restaurants along the beach. In the summertime the promenade is teeming with locals and tourists sitting at the many eateries, eating ice-cream, corn on the cob and many other special treats and shopping for souvenirs, sunglasses, hats and much more.
Eilat is a Tax Free Zone
What vacation is complete without shopping? Eilat is a tax free zone, which means you can shop for almost everything (except for a short list of electronic devices and cigarettes) and save the local VAT. There are dozens of stores all around the city, including most of Israel’s main chain stores, offering their goods for much lower prices.
Good stores can be found not only downtown and in the vicinity of the big hotels and malls. It is worth your while to get yourself to Eilat’s industrial zone where you’ll find many boutiques, jewelry stores, shoes, home apparel, music and almost everything your heart desires, and all for great prices. Every Monday and Thursday you can visit Eilat’s open air market. It is pretty small but offers quite a large selection of merchandise, with fresh fruit and vegetables, exotic spices, clothes, jewelry, posters and more.
During the last year there have been openings of two exclusive shopping centers: “Le Boulevard”, an air-conditioned shopping arcade at the Royal Garden hotel which offers luxurious brand names, and the Queen of Sheba Shopping Center at the Hilton, where you will find a great selection of shoes and accessories.