Netanya's signature feature is its clifftop promenade, a long paved walkway running high above the Mediterranean and offering uninterrupted views of the sea. Benches, palm trees, and small landscaped lookouts line the route, and a series of glass elevators and switchback stairways drop visitors down to the beaches below.
The promenade is at its best in the late afternoon, when the heat eases and the light on the sea is golden. Joggers, dog walkers, and clusters of older Russian and French émigrés gathered for chess all share the space. Walk south from the central square for the most spectacular cliff sections; the northern end fades into residential neighbourhoods.