is an oddity in Israel: a tourist town without a hint of history, which is Jewish and is relatively non-observant. Located at the southern-most tip of the country, within its small "window on the Red Sea", Eilat is first and foremost a resort town these days, devoted to sun, fun, diving, partying and desert-based activities. 320 km (200 miles) away from the tension often felt in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, Eilat is a convenient escape for Israelis on vacation, but during the mild winter months also attracts thousands of European sun-seekers.
Understand
Eilat (pop 55,000) is the southernmost town in Israel, isolated from the rest of Israel by the Negev desert. It is situated on 7 kilometers of Red Sea coastline between the borders of Egypt and Jordan and enjoys spectacular views of the Gulf of Aqaba. Originally a strategic military outpost, Eilat's first incarnation was as a port, used for importing goods from Asia, such as oil and vehicles. In the 1970s tourists began visiting Eilat, attracted by the coral reefs, sandy beaches and the dry and sunny desert climate. The town began to develop and tourism became its main industry.
Orientation
Today, the 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) North Beach area is full of hotels with opulent names like Herod's Palace and Queen of Sheba. The Tayelet promenade extends the length of the beach front and hosts numerous stalls, street artists, restaurants and fashionable shops. The promenade has great views of the bay and each evening is full of tourists strolling its length. The southern beach, which has the coral reefs, is protected by the Israel Nature Reserve Authority. It has many public beaches and excellent scuba diving centers. The Navy and commercial ports are situated between the south and north beaches.
Get in
By plane
Eilat Airport (ETH) is right in the middle of the city. Flights to Tel Aviv are frequent and take only 50 minutes, but expect to pay around NIS 250 for a one-way trip. However, tourists can arrive in Eilat on charter flights via the Ovda International Airport (VDA), also known as Uvda, 65 km (40 miles) and nearly a 50 min drive from town.
A cheaper way to get from Europe directly to Eilat is via the nearby Taba international airport in Egypt. Charter flights to Taba are operated by several airlines, e.g. the German "condor" (on Wednesdays from/to all major German airports). Taxis from Taba airport to the Israeli border station at the Hilton hotel run for max. 150 Egyptian pounds (40 min), from there a taxi to Eilat is around 25-30 NIS (10 min). Or take local bus 15 (6 NIS). Border crossing normally takes less than 30 min. On arrival at the airport insist on Egyptian "Sinai only" visa, otherwise you're charged 15 USD visa tax. Note that Egypt charges 40 LE tax when leaving Taba coming from Eilat.
By bus
All buses in Eilat leave from the Central Bus Station on HaTemarim Boulevard.
Egged express buses drive from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Eilat hourly, the trip takes around 5 hours and costs NIS 65.
Local bus 15 shuttles from the bus station both to the Jordanian border at Arava, for connecting to Aqaba, and also the Egyptian border at Taba, from where you can continue on south into Sinai. There is at least one bus a day heading from Taba bus station to Sharm-El-Sheikh via Nuweiba and Dahab (Dahab 22 LE).
By car
There are a couple of ways to drive from Tel Aviv to Eilat. One is via Mitzpe Ramon. Another nice alternative is from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea via Arad, stay a couple of days there or just make a short stop and then continue to Eilat. It takes approx 5 hours from Tel Aviv.
Get around
Central Eilat can be covered on foot, although during the summer the scorching temperatures make walking around unpleasant. A limited bus system serves the suburbs, and taxis prowl the streets looking for fares. Insist on the meter or at least agree on the fare in advanace, as Eilat's taxis are famously mercenary.
See
The main beach is in the North beach, and many of the major hotels are situated here. The south beach area (Coral Beach) is protected by the Israel Nature Reserve authority, but recent years have seen a decline in the marine life and reef quality. More serious divers head south to the Egyptian Sinai coast to Dahab or Sharm el-Sheikh, to experience better diving conditions.
Do
Learn
The Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Program of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev offers short-term academic programs at the Eilat campus. The programs focus on Hebrew language, Marine Biology and Gastronomy.
Eat
The main promenade is packed with stylish restaurants catering to tourists and locals alike, offering some of Israel's finest cuisine prepared by Israel's master chefs. Mainly owned by the major hotel chains. The vast variety of restaurant's understandably come at a price, but they don't get as pricey as the restaurants of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Drink
Sleep
Budget
The hillside around the Central Bus Station is home to many hostels which are popular with backpackers. You can find some real gems hidden among them but be prepared to take some time checking them out.
Mid range
Splurge
Eilat's North Beach is positively packed with luxury hotels, but in season rates can be as high as US$200 per night.
Orchid Hotel website.
Get out
Eilat (Hebrew , Standard Hebrew Elat, Eylat), is Israel's southernmost city (located at ), in the Southern District of Israel. Adjacent to the Egyptian village of Taba and Jordanian port city of Aqaba, Eilat is located at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is the eastern sleeve of the Red Sea (the western leading to the Suez Canal). Eilat is named after the Biblical Elath, which now corresponds to modern neighboring Aqaba.
Eilat's weather is very hot and dry due to its proximity to the Negev, Sinai, Arabian and Sahara deserts. Temperatures at summer are often in excess of 40°C, and in winter of 22°C, both very high even for the relatively hot Israel. However, the relatively cool (22°C-25°C) and clean waters of the Red Sea, which are the habitat of a large number of tropical marine species, and the exotic beauty of the landscape surrounding the city make it a favorite tourist attraction, one of Israel's most popular.
Tourism and Transportation
Eilat became a free trade zone in 1985. Eilat has a domestic airport (domestic code: ETH, international code: LLET). International flights to the city are served at Ovda International Airport (code: VDA), situated some 50 km north-east of the city. The city is also served by two border crossings, the Taba Border Crossing that connects it to Taba, Egypt and the Wadi Araba Crossing that connects it to Aqaba, Jordan.
Attractions
Eilat holds various attractions, such as the Coral World Underwater Observatory, the Coral Reserve which is one of the most northerly coral reefs in the world, "What's Up" The Observatory in Eilat, an IMAX theatre and scuba diving at Dolphin Reef. Many Israelis and tourists come to Eilat to relax.
See also .
Eilat's population includes a large number of foreign workers, estimated at over 10,000, many of which work in the construction trades. In 2007, over 200 Sudanese refugees from Darfur who arrived in Israel illegally by foot were given work and allowed to stay, despite the fact that their country of origin is technically at war with Israel. The Sudanese include both Christians and Muslims.
Four countries are visible from Eilat: Israel itself, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Image:IMAX 3D Eilat.jpg|The IMAX 3D theatre
Image:The Underwater Observatory in Eilat.jpg|The Underwater Observatory
Image:Hilton Queen of Sheeba.jpg|Hilton Queen of Sheba
History
Eilat is mentioned as one of the stations of the Children of Israel after The Exodus from Egypt. The original colony was probably in the northern tip of the Sea of Reeds which is now on the border with Jordan, While the later commercial port city and a center for copper corresponds to modern Aqaba, just across the border in Jordan. King David conquered Edom and took over Eilat as well.
Kings 2 14:21-22: "And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept among his fathers."
Kings 2 16:6: "At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath to Aram, and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Edomites came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day".
The area of Eilat was designated as part of the Jewish state in the 1947 UN Partition Plan.
During the War of Independence, the sole building in the area, an old Ottoman police station named Umm Rashrash in Arabic, was taken without a fight on March 10, 1949 as part of Operation Uvda. The Negev and Golani Brigades took part in the operation. They raised an ink-made flag ("The Ink Flag") in order to claim for Israel the area upon which Eilat would be constructed.
After the founding of Eilat some years later it became an important port as Israel's only port on the Red Sea. The Port of Eilat has high strategic and economic significance. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and in violation of international law, Egypt denied passage through the Suez Canal to Israeli-flagged vessels and to non-Israeli flagged vessels carrying cargo to Israeli ports. This made Eilat crucial to Israel for access to markets in East Africa and Southeast Asia, and for the import of oil. Without recourse to Eilat, vessels sailing from Israel would have to journey through the Mediterranean and around the Cape of Good Hope to reach Southeast Asia. Such a situation took place in 1967 when Egypt's unlawful closure of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping effectively blockaded the port of Eilat and was cited by Israel as a casus belli leading to the outbreak of the Six-Day War.
Eilat has been safe from any terrorist attacks except for one incident in the residential area of Eilat in 2007, the Eilat bakery bombing.
Climate
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Sister cities
Eilat's sister cities are:
Eilat has streets named after Durban and Los Angeles.
External links
