Top Free Things to do in Eilat

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Eilat is a perfect destination for those of you seeking for some sea and sun and beautiful hiking trails. Here are some of the best free things you can do in Eilat:

1 – Enjoy the Red Sea:

The Red Sea is the center of the city. We Israelis love going to the sea, swimming, snorkeling, diving, sailing and just sunbathing on the beach. So go on, make your way to one of the beaches and have fun. The entrance to the water is free (as long as you’re not entering from a beach that requires an entrance fee)! You can also rent a mask, snorkel, and flippers from one of the diving clubs for a small fee and set out for some snorkeling. It’s better to snorkel near the Taba Border, there the coral reef is richer.

Read more >> My 5 Favorite Beaches in Eilat.

2 – Go on a Hike in the Mountains:

Eilat is surrounded by the beautiful Eilat Mountains, colored red, brown, pink and other fascinating colors. If it’s not too hot outside, put on a hat and hiking shoes and go on a hike in the mountains. There are also many camping spots in the area, so you can spend the night in one of them (all of them are simple and have no lights at night, showers or toilets).

Here are three trails you might be interested in:

• The Red Canyon
• From Mount Yoash to Mount Zefahot
• The White Mountain

And some more info about: camping in and around Eilat.

Watch a video of Mount Yoash Viewpoint in the Eilat Mountains (video by Eilat City):

3 – Visit the Bird Watching Park:

It’s not exactly in the city, but if you like bird-watching, you should make your way there. Eilat is one of the most important stops for birds on their way to different places in the world. It’s a very quiet place, not very touristic, the place gets full only when the bird migrating season starts (spring), so you can feel like it’s all for yourselves. Walk along the circular path, stop now and then to try and recognize birds sitting in the trees or walking in the waters, and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings and calm atmosphere!

Tip: Go early in the morning with a pre-arranged picnic basket and eat breakfast on one of the picnic tables in the park. It’s a nice place to have a picnic!

The park is open 24 hours day, every day. 

How to get there? You can take about a 30 minutes’ walk from the Ice Mall area, through the agricultural fields, all the way to the Bird Watching Park. The park is located near the border crossing with Jordan. For more details, see the map below. If you want, you can combine this with a longer hike: Birds, Agriculture and Ancient Wells Just Outside Eilat.

4 – Go Watch People Ice Skate in the Ice Mall:

If you’re coming to Eilat in the Summer, you should get ready for very high temperatures. To chill down, you can enter the Ice Mall, which is the newest mall in Eilat, built in 2012. The mall is shaped as an oval and inside you can find two floors full of shops and restaurants, but most importantly, you can find a huge ice rink in the middle! Ice skating is quite expensive, so if you don’t want to spend your money, you can just enjoy watching other people ice skate (or falling on the ice over and over again because they don’t know how to skate).

How to get there? The Ice Mall is located at the Northern end of the touristic city. It’s not far from the abandoned “King City” castle, a short 10 minutes’ walk from the main promenade.

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5 – Walk Along the Promenade at Night:

Until November 2013, the main promenade in Eilat was covered stalls selling all kinds of souvenirs, but the supreme court decided to shut those stalls down, as they weren’t completely legal and very messy. Now you can walk along the promenade without having to squeeze your way through a hoard of tourists and stalls. You can walk along the promenade during the day and enjoy the beautiful sight of the Red Sea, but you can also walk along the promenade at night, enjoy the sight of the far away lights, enjoy the music played by the musicians along the way and the nice atmosphere. If you like art, you can watch caricature artists draw people at the big plaza next to “The Ball”.

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6 – Learn a bit of history at the Umm Rash-Rash Plaza:

Eilat is not just the sea and the sun. You can also find some history in it. Go to Umm Rash-Rash Plaza and read about the final military operation of the Independence War, admire the monument representing the Hanging of the Ink Flag and try to imagine how the place looked like back in 1949.

How to get there? Umm Rash-Rash Plaza is situated right next to Mall Ayam, on its southern side.

For more info, take a look at my post – “Meet Umm Rash-Rash”.

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Also check out – Top Free Things to do in Jerusalem

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Yours,

Lior