Israeli Coastal Plain

The coastal plain (Hebrew: מישור החוף) is a flat region in Israel that runs along the Mediterranean coast.

Cities
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 the 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.

Other destinations

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

Understand
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.

Get around
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.

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

Eat and drink
Mostly covered by the cities mentioned above.

Sleep
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.

Go next

 * 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.