Kikar Ha'Atzmaut, Independence Square, is the pedestrianised heart of downtown Netanya — a wide plaza at the top of the cliff, ringed by cafés, restaurants, and a stage that hosts free concerts most weekends in summer. From the edge of the square a viewing platform looks straight out over the sea.
The atmosphere is markedly different from Tel Aviv's: more families, more pensioners, much less hipster posturing. French is spoken almost as commonly as Hebrew, a result of the city's large French-Jewish community. Go in the evening for the full effect.