Herzliya (הרצליה, also Herzliyya, Herzlia, [1]) is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, to the north of Tel Aviv.

Understand

Herzliya is a town of about 100,000, divided in two parts: the central town of Herzliya itself, and the swanky coastside neighborhood of Herzliya Pituach, home to many beachfront hotels and expensive residences.

Get in

By train

Herzliya is on the main Tel Aviv-Haifa train line.

By bus

Route 90 meanders past the seafront and through the leafy streets of Herzliya Pituach on its way to central Tel Aviv. The trip takes 30 minutes in good traffic. Infrequent sheruts cover the same route on the Sabbath.

By yacht

If you're in the financial bracket to afford a home in Herzliya Pituach, the done thing is to sail up on your yacht into the Herzliya Marina.

Get around

See

• Herzliya Art Museum. A Modern-art museum in the center of the city, near the central bus station. It has many interesting exhibitions of many kinds.

• Sidna-'Ali Mosque. A beautiful muslim mosque on a cliff at the northern end of the beach.

• Apollonia-Arsuf. [2]. A national archaeological site of an ancient city of the Greco-Roman era (about 2000 years ago), with a Crusader fortress built on top. To the north of Herzliya.

Do

Herzliya's beach offers good opportunities for sunbathing and matkot (Israeli ping-pong), and good opportunities for watersports too — the water is fine most of the year and the prices of food are not high.

• Water sports

• Reef

Diving Club - Accadia Beach - Basic and Advanced diving courses Tel: +972-9-9574461 Mobile: +972-52-321335

• Zidon

Sailing Club - Hasharon Beach - Catamaran sailing courses and fun days Tel: +972-9-9500926 Mobile: +972-53-870710

• Terra Santa

Sea kayak club, Herzliya Marina Kayaking courses Tel: +972-9-7746295 Mobile: +972-54-804943 Website: www.seakayak.co.il

• Meduza

Challenge water sports: diving courses, diving trips, fishing, kayaks, bananas, trampolines, children's activities, sale of marine equipment. Tel: +972-9-9517616 Fax: +972-9-9569725 Website: www.meduza.co.il E-mail: info@meduza.co.il

• Derech Hayam

Sailing school and sea adventures - sailing courses and yacht rentals Tel: +972-9-9578811 Fax: +972-9-9517533 Website: www.yamonline.co.il

• Sea-Gal - Yacht Club

School of sailing and yacht rental, variety of sailing activities. Website: www.sea-gal.co.il Tel: 1-800-39-50-60

Eat

• Herzliya Marina. [3]. The Marina and its nearby shopping mall have a wide assortment of trendy and extensive restaurants.

Drink

The inimitable Caveman Cafe

The Herzliya beachfront has a number of laid-back open-air bars. Drinks are surprisingly expensive though, figure on NIS30+ for anything alcoholic.

• Caveman Cafe. If you hike northward along the beach from the hotels towards the Sidna Ali Mosque, you will encounter the bizarre residence of the Caveman, carved out of the sand dunes in defiance of zoning regulations and common sense, decorated with anything and everything he can get his hands on. Open randomly whenever the more than slightly eccentric owner is around and in the mood, but worth a look any time.

Sleep

Herzliya has a slew of expensive beachside hotels.

Splurge

• Dan Accadia Herzliya Hotel, Herzliya Beach, tel. +972-3-5202552, [4]. A resort hotel offering blue sea, white sandy beaches, wide stretches of lawns and tennis facilities.

• Sharon Hotel, 5 Ramat-Yam Street, tel. +972-9-9525777, [5]. A local landmark at the north end of the Promenade. Large pool and good beachside location. Singles/doubles US$120/160.

Herzliya Petuach is full of great bars and restaurants to enjoy. At night, it has become a place more crowded and almot more popular than Tel Aviv. Some of the best bars are located in the industrial area on Maskit street and Shenkar street, while you can also go and enjoy a cocktail, a beer or even a little dancing on the beach between the hotels.