Fodor's Expert Review Promenade

Start at the quieter, northernmost end of Eilat's waterfront tayelet, or promenade, which begins near the Jordanian border. The 3-km (2-mile) stretch is also known as the Peace Walk, because it is hoped that one day it will continue to Aqaba, Jordan. As you head south, purple and pink bougainvillea pour down from the Royal Beach Hotel's terrace above. Add to your enjoyment by stopping for an ice cream from one of the stands. If you're here at sunset, savor the showstopping view of the Red Sea turning deeper and deeper shades of red against the backdrop of the Edom Mountains to the east and the rugged Eilat Mountains to the west. On a clear day, you can see as far as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

A stroll past swanky hotels on one side and palm-lined beaches on the other brings you to the Dutch Bridge, which opens for tall-masted vessels. The lagoon is where yachts are anchored and various small craft are for hire; on the other side is the marina, where cruise boats of all types wait to sally forth. The promenade winds past more beaches covered with sunbathers. The scene includes artists doing quick portraits, vendors selling all sorts of knickknacks, and meandering street performers.

At the roundabout at Durban and Arava Streets you can continue along the waterfront—with the Mul Yam shopping mall on your right—until you reach a small palm-filled plaza with a tiny, cement-block-shaped building with a statue of four fighters raising a comrade aloft. This is Umm Rash Rash, where the Israelis first took control of the Gulf of Eilat in March 1949, as determined by the United Nations' partition plan. The small building—the only one that existed at that point—is a far cry from today's luxury resorts. The promenade effectively ends right before the Aria Hotel.