Israeli Coastal Plain

From north to south, the Israeli Coastal Plain can be roughly divided into three groups:

The Sharon plain

• – Mostly known by the landmark Orot Rabin Power Plant chimneys, where 19% of Israel's electricity is generated.
• – Many people from Tel Aviv come here for its beach.
• – A regular city in the Sharon region.
• – Another regular city in the Sharon region.
• – Its upscale suburb called Herzliya Pituach is home to many beachfront hotels and expensive residences - a big industrial and commercial center as well as home to many high-tech companies.

Gush Dan

• – Main center of the country for economy and clubbing.
• – The city's major focus is chareidi Jewish life.
• – Less touristic and points of interest for those into early Zionist history.
• – An eclectic town famous for many things totally unrelated to each other, including diamonds, football, malls, chocolates, Iraqi restaurants, a religious university, and an open-space African safari with lions.
• – A small suburb in between Bnei Brak and Petah Tikva.
• – Has one of biggest water parks in Israel.
• – A working-class suburb.
• – Its amusement park is often visited by people from Tel Aviv seeking better thrills than the ones at Luna Park Tel Aviv.
• – You may stop here on your way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and visit the Tower of Ramla.
• – Next to the airport.

Southern Coastal Plain

• – An academic city and home to the Weizmann Institute of Science.
• – Meeting point of the yellow sand dunes from the south, the green lowland from the east (including the small Lachish river), and the blue Mediterranean Sea from the west.
• – One of the oldest cities in Israel. Included some untouched dunes.

• & Zarqa Bay – Extensive archaeological site north along the coast, and beautiful but not crowded beaches.

The coastal plain stretches from south of Haifa in the north to the Gaza Strip in the south. It is the main economic centre of country, including the Tel Aviv metropolis as well as a number of smaller cities. But the region also contains other sites of interest, including beaches, nature reserves, and archaeological sites.
Historically, the coastal plain was an agricultural region. The northern half of the coastal plain, known as the Sharon, was known for its citrus orchards which exported the famous "Jaffa orange". The southern half, south of Jaffa, mostly consisted of sparsely populated sandy areas. Starting in the early 1900s, the coastal plain was the main destination of Jewish immigrants and refugees who came by boat. Over time this led Tel Aviv to become Israel's most economically important city, while the southern coastal plain became an intensely used agricultural area dotted with many villages, kibbutzim, and moshavim. Nowadays, the fields and orchards of the coastal plain are still present, but they have become economically insignificant compared to the commerce and industry of the Tel Aviv region.
Geographically, in much of the Sharon region, the beaches are lined with cliffs, and agricultural settlements begin immediately above these cliff. There are a number of permanent streams winding through the Sharon region. In the south, there are usually large sand dunes along the coast, with agriculture several kilometers inland. The south is drier, and all the streams are intermittent, flowing only after winter rains.

By train

Most cities in the coastal plain are served by train lines connecting to Tel Aviv. However, the train stations are often inconveniently located on the outskirts of cities.

By bus

There are many bus lines coming from or going through major cities in the Sharon plain region (especially going through Hadera, Netanya and Herzliya) from many places outside the Sharon plain region. There are also express bus lines to various major cities in the Sharon plain region whom head out from Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tiberias.

By car

Highways 2, 4, and 6 cross the coastal plain region from north to south. Highway 6, the Trans-Israel Highway, is a toll road. Highways 2 and 6 are motorways.

Buses and sheruts are the options of choice. Bus stops can be found at almost every junction and intersection.
Hitch-hiking is possible, but due to the many large highways, it can be quite difficult to find an appropriate place to catch a ride – best to try the slip road that leads to the highway, otherwise at a three lane highway you might wait forever.

Besides the sites mentioned for each city, the following are worth mentioning in this region.

• Dor HaBonim Beach Nature Reserve

  phone: +972 4-8252266
  Besides the beach, the Tel Dor National Park can be found here with the antique Dor mentioned in the Bible. Has camping options in summer.

• Atlit Detention Camp

  phone: +972 4-984-1980
  A camp along the coast where British authorities held illegal Jewish immigrants in the 1940s, now a museum.

• Nahal Taninim

  phone: +872 4-626-5151
  Named for the crocodiles that in the past inhabited the nearby Kebara swamps. The remains are still visible today. It is inhabited nowadays by many different birds.

• Turtle BridgeYou can see 1/2 to 1 meter-long African soft-shell turtles in the water under this bridge and in front of the park. Any season is good to visit except winter - turtles are less active then. It is forbidden to feed them, and they can bite, so don't get too close. Nevertheless, the main reason why they come here is probably because people feed them. There is also a car park, rest area & viewing tower. Also, if you are into delicious grapefruit, there is a convenient (open) plantation just south of the rest area.
  
  The Turtle Bridge is part of the Alexander Stream National Park - Bet Yanai Beach and national park rules apply, although this sight requires no admission. The national park has camping options, but you might even consider camping at the rest area or on top of the viewing tower near the turtle bridge if you arrive late and leave early – review the relevant signposts.

• Palmachim BeachNice beach, and a kibbutz of the same name nearby. Nearby are the ruins of ancient Yavne's seaport, Yavne-Yam. Its archaeological findings are displayed in the nearby kibbutz's museum.

• Babylonian Jewish Heritage Center

  address: 83 Mordechai Ben Porat, Or Yehuda
  A museum exhibiting the culture of Iraqi Jews.

• Ecological MazeLocated in Ayanot youth village

• Hefer ParkA lake which attracts masses of birds during migration seasons. Paths and boardwalks have been set up in order to see the birds easily.

• BeachesAlmost all of the Sharon, as well as the cities south of Tel Aviv, have publicly accessible beaches. But as usual, don't swim without a lifeguard. The swimming season is usually between June and September, and lifeguards are only available during this season.

• Tekhelet marine tourTekhelet is the blue dye which was used in ancient times to dye the fringes of the tallit (Jewish ritual cloak). In recent times, the snail which produces this dye has been rediscovered. You can go on a tour where you snorkel off the coast looking for these snails, and then participate in dyeing wool fabric with the blue dye.

Mostly covered by the cities mentioned above.

Mostly covered by the cities mentioned above, but for camping options review the national parks of that region and read the information on the Turtle Bridge and Dor HaBonim Beach above.

• Carmel Range, Western Galilee and Lower Galilee (northeast) – All gateway to northern Israel, i.e. the Jezreel Valley (for Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) National Park and Mount Gilboa), the Upper Galilee with the interesting Safed, the Sea of Galilee region and the Golan Heights. Nazareth is the most famous city and a must see in the Galilee.
• Negev (southeast) – A huge and must-see desert with many amazing sites, including the Ramon Crater, the Small Crater, Ein Avdat and Ein Akev.