Bat Yam in Israel is a resort city in the central part of the country, in the suburbs of Tel Aviv (distance is only 5 km). In the neighborhood is an ancient attraction, the city of Jaffa.
Bat Yam is credited with the status of the most comfortable and beautiful Israeli resort. The city attracts visitors with its clean sandy beaches, excellent tourist infrastructure, a large selection of hotels, apartments and hostels. In short, Bat Yam is a wonderful place for a leisurely, rich experience.
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Where is Bat Yam located?
The city of Bat Yam is located on the Mediterranean coast, in a southerly direction from Jaffa. This resort town is part of Tel Aviv, bordered by Holon. The vast majority of the local population come from the former republics of the Soviet Union and the CIS countries.
A few historical facts about Bat Yam
The first name of the settlement recorded in historical documents is Bait va-Gan, which means home and garden. The official date of the creation of Bat Yam is 1926, its founders were some merchants from Jaffa. Although after some time they were forced to leave the city due to military unrest organized by the Arabs.
The largest population growth was recorded in the 1930s when Jews from Germany moved in huge numbers to Israel.
The modern name – Bat Yam (translated as “daughter of the sea”) – was assigned to the village in 1936. A few years later it was seriously damaged as a result of hostilities for independence and was permanently cut off from the European community.
In the middle of the XX century, many immigrants from Africa and Romania came to Bat Yam. The official status of the city was assigned to an Israeli town in 1958.
Why you should visit Bat Yam
First of all, Bat Yam is a great place for shopping. There are many luxury boutiques and shopping centers here. A large selection of clothes and shoes, the famous Israeli cosmetics, jewelry and jewelry, carpets, sweets and souvenirs is presented across the shops. Moreover, the prices are slightly lower than in Tel Aviv.
Another feature of the resort city is that it is perfect for a leisurely vacation with the whole family. Many hotels offer excellent facilities for families with children of all ages. If necessary, even a baby cot is provided.
Given the location of the city on the Mediterranean coast, almost all hotels are built right on the beach. The hotel rooms are equipped with air conditioning, safes, modern showers and televisions, a telephone and free internet is provided.
Most hotels also have health spas, massage rooms, pools, gyms and cosmetic procedures.
Do not like public transport? The hotels offer car rental service too!
The city park is a favorite vacation spot for locals and guests of the resort. The park zone is a green, picturesque oasis in Israel, where people come for a walk in the evening.
Notable museums in Bat Yam:
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Bat Yam Museum of Art
- Beth Fisher Museum
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Sholem Asch House
- Ben-Ari Museum
There is a leisure center in the city for parents and children with several swimming pools, water slides and other attractions, tennis courts and a relaxation zone.
Bat Yam also has an artificial ice rink all year-round.
Bat Yam has a great location from where you can go to any of the popular parts of Israel.
Bat Yam Beaches
1. Hasela Beach
The length of the beach area of Bat Yam in Israel is about 3 kms. There are several beaches here, the best of which are:
- Hasela beach
- Stone beach
- Jerusalem beach
Beach areas are separate, and well equipped with showers and changing cabins.
On Kamenny there is a breakwater, thanks to which it is the safest place for swimming with the family.
The beaches of Bat Yam can be described as follows – in harmony with nature and in superb conditions. Local architects sought to overcome the challenges posed by the geography by combining natural features with architectural style.
It is not surprising that Bat Yam is considered a standard among touristy beach towns and attracts a large number of visitors.
2. Central beach
Thanks to the breakwater, the central beach is the calmest. Waves, of course, are there, but very rarely. That is why older people and families with small children come here. The water level in the sea reaches up to the chest of an adult.
A few features of the central beach:
- the beach is large enough, but the right side is cleaner, since the direction of the water flow is from right to left
- locals like to spend time by the sea with the whole family, so it can be quite dirty on the beach, but beach cleaners quickly clean it up
- on the sandy shore there are sun loungers and umbrellas, awnings, showers and toilets, cafes, and lifeguards at work
- rent of a chaise lounge and an umbrella – 18 shekels to rent a chair and an umbrella, and 12 shekels to rent a table
- prices on the right side of the coast are more expensive since it is cleaner here
- depending on the time of year, there are quite large jellyfish near the coast. Be careful are their sting burns
- parking is paid. On weekdays it costs 30 shekels, and on weekends it costs 40 shekels.
On the central beach, be sure to pay attention to the flag. White flag means you can swim, red flag means strong waves, and black flag means that swimming is prohibited.
3. Stone Beach
The Stone beach is the most comfortable and favored by the relatively well-to-do. There are always many tourists and locals. Near the beach there is a city promenade. The best cafes and restaurants in Bat Yam are located on the Kamenny. It regularly hosts creative and cultural events.
You can approach the shore of the Stone beach from Jerusalem street or Atzmaut street.
Another well-maintained beach is the Jerusalem beach, where more the pious Jewish people come.
Bat Yam Embankment
The embankment is the pride of Bat Yam. It is nice to relax here in the shade of trees, sit on benches or eat in a café. From any part of the embankment a sand spit is visible along which hotels have been built.
Another attraction adjoins the main street of the city – Bat Yam Park, whose alleys give life-giving coolness on hot days. In the warm season, the embankment becomes a large concert venue for festivals and performances by theater troupes.
What you must to do in Bat Yam:
- see the sun rise from the promenade with a cup of coffee. For this, wooden bar counters with chairs were installed along the entire street
- dance with locals to songs
- attend a street circus performance with your child
According to the Forbes magazine, the city leads in many areas such as education, ecology, etc. Bat Yam owes such achievements to a special municipal program, according to which the responsibility for the cleanliness and well-being of the city is belongs with its residents.
Holidays in Bat Yam
Bat Yam’s development clearly aims for it to become a tourism hotspot in Israel. One of the aims of the city council was to provide tourists and visitors in Bat Yam with comfortable and affordable housing with a full range of necessary services. It is this criteria that were decisive in the construction of hostels and hotels.
Every hotel in Bat Yam, even the most fashionable, has budget rooms.
Almost all apartments have a kitchenette equipped with everything necessary for cooking. The rooms have air conditioning – this is not a luxury, but a necessity, given the hot climate of Israel. Each room has shower cabins, a telephone, a TV, a safe for storing valuables.
Comfortable conditions have been created for families with children so that parents do not have to deal with organizational issues, but immerse themselves in the atmosphere of relaxation. If necessary, the hotel will put a cot with a mattress in our room. And you can use the services of a professional nanny and children’s playrooms work.
The cost of living in Bat Yam hotels is approximately 5% -30% lower than in Tel Aviv. That is why many travelers prefer to stay in Bat Yam, travel to Tel Aviv in rented car, which takes about 30 minutes.
A few recommendations for tourists:
- for beach relaxation, the best time is from the second half of spring to the beginning of autumn
- in the winter months, hotel rates are significantly reduced
- if you want to save on accommodation, order a room without breakfast. As a rule, breakfasts in hotels are of the same type, at unreasonably high prices. In the city you can eat several times cheaper.
There are inexpensive hostels in Bat Yam, as in other resort cities in Israel. The prices here are quite affordable, while the living conditions are in no way inferior to 2-star hotel rooms. The obvious advantage of hostels, in addition to affordable housing, is the location right on the beach.
If we talk about the prices for housing in apartments and hotels, in the first case the minimum price is $ 47, and in the second – you will have to pay about $ 100.
You will not have any problems finding a café or restaurant in Bat Yam. There are plenty to choose from, with most located on the waterfront. The cost to eat in an inexpensive café varies from $14 to $25. Lunch in a mid-range restaurant for two will cost from $47 to $69.
If you plan to cook yourself, buy products in the local markets as here the prices are lower than in stores.
Best Time to Visit Bat Yam
Bat Yam has a typical Mediterranean climate. This means that from November to March there are heavy and prolonged rains, and summers are hot, dry and sunny.
The coldest month is January, when the thermometer drops to +14°C. But in the hottest month is August when the air heats up to +30°C. The sea temperature throughout the year varies from +17°C in January to +28°C in summers.
Tourists who are fortunate enough to visit Bat Yam in different seasons claim that the city is beautiful in any season. But the best months to travel to Bat Yam are autumn and spring.
How to get from Ben Gurion Airport to Bat Yam
There are several ways to cover the distance from Tel Aviv to Bat Yam in Israel. Of course, the most comfortable, but at the same time the most expensive – taxi. There are also rail and bus services.
By Train
The train station is located directly in the airport building. You need to get to the Haganah station (Tel Aviv) and transfer to the train next to Bat Yam.
Important! There is no direct rail link between Tel Aviv and Bat Yam.
The trip takes about 60 minutes, the total cost is 15 shekels or about $ 4.
In general, the route is quite comfortable, but has a significant drawback – in Bat Yam the train will not take you to the hotel, so in the city you will have to take a taxi (about $ 15) or wait for the bus ($ 2).
By Taxi
As for taxis, there are two ways:
- order a car on a special site, you can do this in advance or directly at the airport (in Ben Gurion free wi-fi, so there will be no problems with ordering a taxi), the cost of the trip is about $ 60;
- take a taxi upon arrival in Tel Aviv, in this case it is important to immediately negotiate the cost of the trip with the driver.
By Bus
From Tel Aviv to Bat Yam there are Dan buses number 18. Departure from King George / Zamenhoff stop. The duration of the route is about 25 minutes (distance is 7 km), the cost of tickets is from $ 1 to $ 3. In Bat Yam, buses arrive at the Ha’Atsma’ut Blvd / Rothschild stop.
Prices on the page are for February 2019.
