Achziv Beach is a great little strip of beach up on the northern coastline of Israel. It’s just past the town of Nahariya (about 5km), and on the road up to Rosh Hanikra, which is on the border with Lebanon.
If you like your beaches this is a great spot to check out! It probably doesn’t have the sex appeal of Tel Aviv beach, but then again, Tel Aviv doesn’t have much in the way of romantic coves and lagoons, all ready for you to explore…and for sure, Tel Aviv beach doesn’t have turtles being released back into the wild, which is what we witnessed one weekend!
As well as being a haven for turtles (yes, they often come and lay eggs on the beach in the summer months) Achziv is also renowned for sea anemones, urchins and small octopi that you can find hidden between the rocks. You can also spot remains of the ancient settlement of Achziv, mentioned in the Bible as a city of the tribe of Asher, and an important Jewish city in Talmudic times.
To get the most out of your visit, you could try the free Betzet Beach just past the main Achziv strip, but we’d highly recommend paying a few shekels and checking out Achziv’s Banana Beach or the Achziv National Park five minutes further up the road (Road 4, in the direction of Rosh Hanikra).
We detest paying for entry to beaches, but these two beaches are worth it, especially if you’re also thinking of camping overnight (it’ll cost you 60 shekels per adult). There’s grassy lawns, decent enough facilities, and great access to the beaches. You can also access the promenade that stretches up to Rosh Hanikra and enjoy a sunset stroll, just be warned, some of the sunsets in this part of the world are amazing!
One thing you might want to take into consideration if you’re camping: on Banana Beach they often have late night parties and loud music (even karaoke) while the Achziv National Park is much quieter.
For more about the Banana Beach, see their Facebook page. For more about the Achziv National Park, call 04-9823263.
And if you still need convincing Achziv Beach is for you, check out this little video…