Photo: חוף הדקל via Google
The verdict
- Best forFamilies who want calm, shallow water, soft sand, and food, shade and shops close at hand, with the dolphins and a gentle reef nearby for older children.
- Top pickNorth Beach on the central bay, calm and shallow with the promenade and marina on the doorstep, with soft sand Seagulls Beach close behind for an active family day.
- One thing to knowThe desert heat is the thing to manage, so take the beach in the morning and the long golden evening and keep the middle of the day for shade and a slow lunch.
Published 22 May 2026. Last reviewed 22 May 2026. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
A family day in Eilat is really two pleasures stitched together, a gentle swim and a good meal, and the town is built so that both sit a few steps apart. The central bay on the northern shore is the calm, shallow heart of it, sheltered water where small children can paddle and the recognised beaches carry seasonal lifeguard cover, while the promenade and the marina just behind the sand are lined with Red Sea fish houses, hummus and falafel counters, pizza and ice cream. You can swim in the cool of the morning, retreat to shade and a long lunch as the heat climbs, then come back for an early dinner by the water as the boats slide in and the desert mountains of Jordan glow across the gulf.
We have ranked the beaches on how calm and shallow the water is for children, how soft the sand and how good the shade, how close the facilities and the food, and how safe and recognised the beach is. The honest catch in Eilat is the split between the gentle central bay and the beautiful southern reef, which is clearer but rockier underfoot and thinner on facilities. The list below sends small children to the easy bay and saves the reef for older kids who can snorkel, with a note on where each suits and where it does not.
Best family beaches in Eilat
Scored on calm shallow water, soft sand and shade, close facilities and food, and recognised lifeguard cover. The careful choices are noted.
North Beach
The easiest family beach in Eilat, a calm, shallow central bay backed by hotels, the promenade and the marina, so the water is gentle and everything a family needs sits on the doorstep. The swimming is plain rather than clear reef water, but for small children that is the point, an easy paddle with shade, loungers, toilets and a wall of restaurants and ice cream a few steps behind. Plan the beach for the cooler hours and the food for the rest.
Seagulls Beach
A soft sand recognised beach on the central bay with seasonal lifeguards, beach volleyball and watersports, the pick for families with energetic children who want to do as well as paddle. The water is usually calm and clear enough for a gentle swim and a first snorkel, and the promenade and its food are a short walk along the shore. Recognised cover and roomy sand make it a safer, sportier family day than the unmarked strips nearby.
Dolphin Reef
The family highlight that is not really about swimming, a managed beach where bottlenose dolphins live in a netted enclosure and can often be seen from the jetties, with shaded sand and a calm, relaxed feel. Children love it. It is ticketed rather than a free public beach and it is an experience more than a stretch of open sea, so pair it with a calm bay day. Tickets, hours and any age rules are set by the venue and to be confirmed.
Coral Beach
The jewel of the south coast and a wonderful first reef for children who can already snorkel, a protected reserve with marked walkways out over a living reef, gear rental, shade and a small entry fee. The honest note for families is the entry, which crosses rock and reef and wants water shoes and care, so it suits confident older children more than toddlers. Treat it as a snorkel outing rather than a paddle, and go early when it is cool and quiet.
Dekel Beach
A free, sociable beach with a restaurant on the sand and a floating raft anchored offshore that older children love to swim out to, lively and fun rather than serene. The shore is pebbly underfoot, so water shoes help and it is less suited to the very smallest, but for a family that wants food, a raft and a sociable afternoon it is an easy, low cost day, especially on a buzzy Friday. The calm central bay water keeps the swimming gentle.
Who it suits, who should skip
For families with small children, the calm central bay wins clearly, and North Beach is the standout, gentle shallow water with the promenade, the marina and a wall of restaurants and ice cream a few steps behind the sand. Seagulls adds soft sand, seasonal lifeguards and beach games for more active children, Dolphin Reef gives an experience the whole family remembers, and Dekel brings a floating raft and a sociable supper. These are the beaches where a family can paddle in the morning, shelter and eat through the heat, and come back for a long, easy evening by the water.
Be honest about the southern reef. Coral Beach and Almog Beach are beautiful, but their rocky reef entries and limited facilities suit confident older children who can snorkel, not toddlers, so save them for the right age and bring water shoes, shade and your own water. Avoid relying on the unrecognised strips that look tidy but carry no lifeguard. The desert heat is the real hazard with children, more than the calm sea, so plan the beach for the cooler morning and evening, keep the middle of the day for shade and a slow lunch, and carry far more water than you think you need. Lifeguard cover is seasonal where it exists, so swim within your depth, follow the flags, and remember we describe typical conditions only with no safety guarantees.
Where to book a family day
Most of the family swimming in Eilat is on free public beaches with sunbed hire rather than gated clubs, which keeps a day with children simple, a hired lounger and parasol close to the calm shallows on the central bay, with the hotel and promenade fronts at North Beach and the recognised sand at Seagulls the comfortable picks. The shade, the toilets and the food are never far, which is exactly what a family wants.
Lounger rates, any hotel day use and ticketed spots such as Dolphin Reef change by operator and season, so tell us your dates, party size and the ages of your children and we will pass your enquiry to a calm, well served spot that suits a family, then they can confirm availability and any charge. See our Eilat beach clubs guide for the full picture of who runs which front.
Book a beach club in Eilat
Before you go
Which is the best beach for families in Eilat?
North Beach on the central bay is the easiest family pick, a calm, shallow stretch backed by hotels, the promenade and the marina, so the water is gentle and food, shade and shops are all on the doorstep. Seagulls Beach, the soft sand recognised beach with seasonal lifeguards and volleyball, is the close runner up. Both fold easily into the town for ice cream and a long lunch. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed and lifeguard cover is seasonal, so swim within your depth.
Is Eilat good for a family beach holiday?
Very, because the central bay is calm and shallow and everything sits close together. Families get gentle swimming on the protected northern shore, the dolphins at Dolphin Reef, a gentle introduction to the reef for older children, and a promenade lined with Red Sea fish houses, hummus counters and ice cream a short walk from the sand. The desert heat is the main thing to manage, so plan the beach for the morning and evening and shade for the middle of the day.
Are Eilat beaches safe and calm for young children?
The central bay beaches are the gentle ones. North Beach and Seagulls sit on the sheltered northern shore where the water is calm and shallow on a typical day, and the recognised beaches carry seasonal lifeguard cover, which the unmarked strips do not. The southern reef beaches are clearer but have rocky entries and limited facilities, so they suit confident older children more than toddlers. Always swim within your depth, follow the flags, and treat conditions as typical and never guaranteed.
Where can families eat between swims in Eilat?
The promenade and the marina on the central bay are the family larder of Eilat, a short walk from North Beach and Seagulls and lined with Red Sea fish houses, hummus and falafel counters, pizza, easy holiday kitchens and ice cream. It is relaxed and child friendly, busiest and best in the late afternoon as the boats come in. Plan a long, early dinner by the water after the beach, and many beach bars on the sand also cover drinks and a light bite, with prices to be confirmed.
Is Dolphin Reef good for children in Eilat?
It is a highlight for many families, a managed beach on the southern shore where bottlenose dolphins live in a netted enclosure and can often be seen from the jetties, with shaded sand and a relaxed feel. It is ticketed rather than a free public beach, and it is about the dolphins and the atmosphere more than open swimming. Treat it as an experience to pair with a calm bay beach day, and check tickets, hours and any age rules, which are set by the venue and to be confirmed.
Which Eilat beaches should families skip?
Not skip exactly, but choose carefully. The southern reef beaches such as Coral Beach and Almog Beach are beautiful for snorkelling but have awkward rocky entries and limited facilities, so they suit confident older children rather than toddlers. Unrecognised strips can look tidy but lack lifeguards. For small children the calm, shallow, well served central bay at North Beach and Seagulls is the easier, safer day, with the reef saved for older kids who can snorkel.