Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, perched at the northern tip of the Red Sea where the borders of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt converge in a blaze of desert and coral. It exists primarily as a beach resort — a warm-water escape from the cold Israeli winters — built around some of the most accessible coral reef snorkeling in the world. The underwater life is the real draw: colorful reef fish, rays, and occasional dolphins can be seen just metres from shore at the Coral Beach Nature Reserve, and Dolphin Reef on the southern shore lets you swim with semi-wild bottlenose dolphins.
Away from the water, Eilat is a brash, tourist-heavy town with inflated prices and limited cultural depth. The hotel strip dominates the seafront, and the beaches closest to the city centre are crowded and worn. The best experiences here involve getting underwater or getting out of town — the Eilat Mountains offer dramatic desert hiking through rust-coloured sandstone canyons, and day trips into Jordan's Wadi Rum or to the ancient copper mines at Timna Park are easy from the border crossings on either edge of the city.
Nights in Eilat are lively, with bars and clubs clustered around the North Beach Promenade catering to a mix of Israeli holidaymakers and international backpackers. The city is duty-free, which keeps alcohol and electronics prices down. For context on the city's unusual history, the Eilat City Museum covers everything from the biblical port of Ezion-Geber to the founding of modern Israel.