Netanya is an easy city with children: a flat cliff-top promenade with playgrounds every few hundred metres, a beach with calm water and a lift instead of stairs, two nature reserves you can walk to, and apartments with real kitchens and washing machines instead of hotel rooms. Here is the 48-hour plan we send families who ask us what to do.
What makes Netanya easy with children?
Four things: a calm, lifeguarded beach at Sironit whose breakwaters keep the water shallow; a public glass lift that takes a stroller from the promenade to the sand without stairs; a flat, car-free cliff-top promenade lined with playgrounds and lawns; and apartments with kitchens, washing machines and a mamad safe room, so a family is not living out of a hotel room.
- The beaches below the centre have lifeguards in season, roughly April to October, and Sironit's breakwaters keep the water calm and shallow.
- The promenade is flat and car-free, with playgrounds, lawns, shade and benches; strollers and scooters are fine on it.
- Supermarkets are everywhere and kosher-certified, open until Friday afternoon; ice cream is within reach of every playground.
- Our apartments have full kitchens, washing machines, a mamad safe room and air conditioning; a crib, high chair and baby bath are available at the Ussishkin Rooftop on request — ask about the others.
- Park & Sea Tower has a shaded playground beside the building, two bathrooms and free parking, which is what most parents actually want.
| Day 1 — the sea | Day 2 — nature | |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Sironit beach via the glass lift | Winter Pond reserve (or Poleg reserve walk) |
| Midday | Lunch and a siesta at the apartment | Utopia Orchid Park, Kibbutz Bahan (~20 min drive) |
| Afternoon | Promenade playgrounds, Kikar fountain, ice cream | Poleg beach with lifeguard, or back to the promenade |
| Evening | Sunset from the cliff, dinner near Kikar HaAtzmaut | Pizza at home, early night |
How do you spend a first day in Netanya with children?
Beach in the morning, apartment at midday, promenade in the late afternoon. Go down early, before the heat: the glass lift near Kikar HaAtzmaut takes the stroller, the cooler and the toddler from the promenade to Sironit beach without a single stair. Inside the breakwaters the water is calm and shallow, so small children paddle while older ones swim near the lifeguard tower.
By noon head back up for lunch and a siesta — the August sun is serious. Late afternoon is for the promenade: walk north from Kikar HaAtzmaut along the cliff top and the children will find a playground, a lawn and a fitness area within minutes of one another, with the sea below. Back at Kikar HaAtzmaut the pedestrian square has a fountain the children will not leave, cafés for the adults and ice-cream parlours within a few steps. Watch the sunset from the promenade railing, then eat around the square.
What is there to do in Netanya with kids besides the beach?
Two nature reserves inside the city and an orchid park twenty minutes east. The Winter Pond (Shlulit HaChoref), in the south of Netanya, is a seasonal pond and park with boardwalks, benches and signboards about the frogs, toads and birds; it fills after the winter rains and is best from December to April. The Poleg nature reserve, just south of Ir Yamim, has a stream running through dunes to the sea.
Our Park & Sea Tower apartment is about ten minutes' walk from the Winter Pond, and in late winter the dark irises bloom in the reserves along this coast. Then drive about twenty minutes east to Utopia Orchid Park at Kibbutz Bahan: a large orchid greenhouse, carnivorous plants, a small animal corner, a maze and a musical fountain show — a reliable half-day for ages three to twelve. Check current opening days, show times and ticket prices before you set off; they change by season and holiday. Back in Netanya, finish with a late swim at Poleg beach while the lifeguard is on duty.
Sunscreen, hats and water bottles go without saying; less obvious is a cheap pair of water shoes for the rocks near the breakwaters and the hot sand at Poleg. In July and August, ask the lifeguard about jellyfish before the kids run in.
What can you do in Netanya with kids on a rainy or very hot day?
Head for a mall, the planetarium or the apartment. The Ir Yamim mall in the south of the city and the Sharon mall on the east side are air-conditioned and have cafés, play corners and cinemas. Planetanya, Netanya's small planetarium, runs sessions for children on selected days — book ahead, as it does not operate every day. A winter storm seen from the cliff-top promenade is a show of its own.
- Ir Yamim mall in the south and the Sharon mall on the east side — air-conditioned, with cafés, play corners and cinemas; check what is open on the day.
- Planetanya, the city's small planetarium, runs children's sessions — check opening days and book ahead.
- The apartment itself: board games, a smart TV, the Ussishkin Rooftop's walled rooftop terrace or the Park & Sea Tower balcony with the sea on the horizon.
- A winter storm on the promenade — waves over the breakwaters, watched from a safe distance on the cliff top.
Where do you eat with children in Netanya?
Around Kikar HaAtzmaut and along Herzl Street. Most restaurants on and around the square are kosher and used to families — high chairs, children's portions, chips with everything — and ice-cream parlours cluster in the same few streets and along the promenade. Shop on Friday morning: supermarkets close a few hours before sunset and reopen on Saturday night, so stock the fridge for Shabbat.
Cooking at home is the cheaper half of a family holiday, and every one of our apartments has a full kitchen and a washing machine. Seafront Panorama also has a dishwasher and a dryer, which is the difference between a holiday and a chore when eight people eat together.
Which Netanya apartment suits a family with children?
For a young family with a car, Park & Sea Tower: a shaded playground beside the building, two bathrooms, a washing machine, free parking, the beach about seven minutes on foot and the Winter Pond reserve about ten. For a family without a car, the Ussishkin Rooftop, two minutes from Sironit beach and Kikar HaAtzmaut. For eight people, Seafront Panorama on the beachfront.
For larger families: Seafront Panorama sleeps up to eight in three bedrooms, with the supervised-beach entrance at the foot of the building, a washer and dryer and free parking on the premises; the Sunset Jacuzzi Residence sleeps up to nine across three bedrooms — children use the balcony jacuzzi only with an adult present.
Questions parents ask
Which beach in Netanya is best for young children?
Sironit, below Kikar HaAtzmaut. Breakwaters keep its water calm and shallow, a public glass lift takes strollers down from the promenade without stairs, and there are lifeguards in season, kiosks, showers and umbrella rental. Go before 11:00 or after 16:00 in summer, and check the lift's current hours on site.
What can we do in Netanya with kids on a rainy day?
The Ir Yamim and Sharon malls have cafés, play corners and cinemas; Planetanya, the city's small planetarium, runs children's sessions on selected days, so book ahead; and the cliff-top promenade offers a dramatic storm-watching walk. Check current opening hours, which change with the season.
Is Utopia Orchid Park worth the drive from Netanya?
For children aged roughly three to twelve, yes. It is about a twenty-minute drive east at Kibbutz Bahan, with a large orchid greenhouse, carnivorous plants, an animal corner, a maze and a musical fountain show — a comfortable half-day. Check current opening days, show times and ticket prices before setting off.
Can we get a crib or a high chair in your Netanya apartments?
At the Ussishkin Rooftop a crib, high chair and baby bath are available on request. For the other apartments, mention what you need in the notes of your booking request and we confirm availability before you book. Every apartment has a full kitchen and a washing machine, which is what most families with babies actually need.
How far is the Winter Pond reserve from your apartments?
About ten minutes' walk from the Park & Sea Tower apartment in the south of the city; the beach is about seven minutes from the same apartment. From our central apartments near Kikar HaAtzmaut the Winter Pond is a drive or a long walk — tell us your dates and we will give you the real time.
Is Netanya a good destination for a family holiday with small children?
Yes, mainly because of the geography. The centre is flat and walkable, Sironit beach is calm and reachable by lift without stairs, the promenade has playgrounds every few hundred metres, and two nature reserves — the Winter Pond and Poleg — are inside the city. Apartments with kitchens and washing machines make a week with young children far easier than hotel rooms.
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