The coastal plain (Hebrew: מישור החוף) is a flat region in Israel that runs along the Mediterranean coast.
The Sharon Plain
the region extends along the Mediterranean Sea shoreline for 50 km, from the Carmel Range in the north to the Israeli Southern Coastal region in the south, and inland for circa 16-18 km until it reaches the West Bank. The urbanization of the Sharon plain region has intensified as the Gush Dan metropolitan continues to grow northward into the Sharon plain. The Sharon plain also consists of many natural beaches with sand dunes, limestone cliffs, and several streams. The region also has various archaeological sites, including Caesarea.
Gush Dan
The Tel Aviv metropolitan area is often referred to as Gush Dan, because the Biblical tribe of Dan lived here.
Southern Coastal Plain
The Israeli South Coast (Hebrew: מישור החוף הדרומי), extends along the Mediterranean Sea shoreline for 60 km, and is bound by the Sharon plain in the north, the Shfela region in the east, and the Negev region and the Gaza Strip in the south. Most of the Gush Dan metropolitan area is in this region of the country. Nowadays the population in the Gush Dan metropolitan area consists of about 1.8 million residents. Unlike the rest of the coastal regions of Israel, the region contains a significantly larger desert area and is the climate in this region tends to be more hot and dry.
From north to south, the Israeli Coastal Plain can be roughly divided into three groups:
The coastal plain stretches from south of Haifa in the north to the Gaza Strip in the south. It is the main economic centre of country, including the Tel Aviv metropolis as well as a number of smaller cities. But the region also contains other sites of interest, including beaches, nature reserves, and archaeological sites.
Historically, the coastal plain was an agricultural region. The northern half of the coastal plain, known as the Sharon, was known for its citrus orchards which exported the famous "Jaffa orange". The southern half, south of Jaffa, mostly consisted of sparsely populated sandy areas. Starting in the early 1900s, the coastal plain was the main destination of Jewish immigrants and refugees who came by boat. Over time this led Tel Aviv to become Israel's most economically important city, while the southern coastal plain became an intensely used agricultural area dotted with many villages, kibbutzim, and moshavim. Nowadays, the fields and orchards of the coastal plain are still present, but they have become economically insignificant compared to the commerce and industry of the Tel Aviv region.
Geographically, in much of the Sharon region, the beaches are lined with cliffs, and agricultural settlements begin immediately above these cliff. There are a number of permanent streams winding through the Sharon region. In the south, there are usually large sand dunes along the coast, with agriculture several kilometers inland. The south is drier, and all the streams are intermittent, flowing only after winter rains.
Most cities in the coastal plain are served by train lines connecting to Tel Aviv. However, the train stations are often inconveniently located on the outskirts of cities.
There are many bus lines coming from or going through major cities in the Sharon plain region (especially going through Hadera, Netanya and Herzliya) from many places outside the Sharon plain region. There are also express bus lines to various major cities in the Sharon plain region whom head out from Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tiberias.
Highways 2, 4, and 6 cross the coastal plain region from north to south. Highway 6, the Trans-Israel Highway, is a toll road. Highways 2 and 6 are motorways.
Buses and sheruts are the options of choice. Bus stops can be found at almost every junction and intersection.
Hitch-hiking is possible, but due to the many large highways, it can be quite difficult to find an appropriate place to catch a ride – best to try the slip road that leads to the highway, otherwise at a three lane highway you might wait forever.
Besides the sites mentioned for each city, the following are worth mentioning in this region.
The Turtle Bridge is part of the Alexander Stream National Park - Bet Yanai Beach and national park rules apply, although this sight requires no admission. The national park has camping options, but you might even consider camping at the rest area or on top of the viewing tower near the turtle bridge if you arrive late and leave early – review the relevant signposts.
Mostly covered by the cities mentioned above.
Mostly covered by the cities mentioned above, but for camping options review the national parks of that region and read the information on the Turtle Bridge and Dor HaBonim Beach above.