A trip to Israel means a beach jaunt, whatever the time of year. With the exception of a few nasty winter days, the waters are always blue and the sun’s rays will warm you, even in the middle of January.

Given Israel’s toasty summer climate, the best beach trips are made in the spring and fall when skin doesn’t get burned from too much sun exposure. During the hotter summer months, plan some quality beach time for the early morning or late afternoon hours, when the salty sea breezes can be enjoyed from the safety of your beach chair, shaded by an umbrella, or in the water, catching a few waves. Evenings at the beach are perfect for a picnic or even better, a typical Sabra campfire with portable grill and kebabs, always available at any local makolet, the mom-and-pop groceries located on every corner.

For the adult set, try taking a walk on the beach promenade in Tel Aviv and choosing one of the bar-restaurants that are set right on the beach. Make sure to arrive right before sunset and order the perfect beach snack – beer and French fries, or chips as they’re called here, and consider dipping them in hummus. After enjoying your before-dinner drink, walk up to the port, known as the namal, at the northern end of the city, for dinner or to sit and admire the waves crashing over the seawall.

Go to Israel with Daat to Learn, Explore and Specialized Israel Tours. Consider leaving Tel Aviv’s urban beaches for quieter pastures, heading south for the perennial favorite beach of many, Nitzanim Beach. Set just below the city of Ashdod, the amenities are somewhat in need of improvement but this is the place for a quiet, meditative experience. Isolated tents dot the sand, generally inhabited by young ones camping out for a few days; otherwise, the sand and surf are yours – enjoy them.

Further south brings you to Eilat, where some beaches offer scuba diving to admire colorful fish and coral reefs close to shore. Try Coral Beach farther down the strip of hotels and beaches, veering closer to the Taba crossing into Egypt. The cooler blues of the Red Sea are colder and decidedly saltier than the Mediterranean, and the shoreline will remind you of the Riviera – rocky and shallow, without the soft, sandy shoreline of Tel Aviv and Herzliya. When it’s too hot to sit outside, admire fish at the Underwater Observatory or swim with the dolphins at the Dolphin Reef.

Time to make your way north, passing Tel Aviv and Herzliya toward two family beach favorites, the Yannai and Michmoret beaches, two quiet spots adjoining sleepy, beach towns that are a slice of old-time Israel. Plant yourself at Yannai Beach if you prefer waves unencumbered by wave breaks or swim at Michmoret’s protected shorefront – great for little ones and those who like to paddle in quieter waters. Just next door is the Alexander River reserve, a national park that is also home to giant tortoises that heave themselves out of the water during the cooler months.

Nearby Netanya is also a beach town that has grown exponentially with the Russian immigration of the 1990s, becoming a suburb of Tel Aviv with an ever-growing sprawl of surrounding neighborhoods. Home to a growing ex-pat French community, you’ll have your pick of beaches along the town’s shores, with Poleg Beach earning the vote from the locals, and your choice of cliffs for a spot of cliff diving, if so desired.

The beaches stretching toward Haifa are some of Israel’s most beautiful patches of coastline. Pitch a tent at the Habonim-Dor Beach, just south of Atlit. You’ll be mesmerized by the open space, the shallower pools by the shore that tame the surf and the quiet contemplative sunsets.

The coastal hook of Haifa offers crashing surf and an increasingly rocky coastline – as well as the un-lifeguarded but much heralded Student’s Beach, south of the city. Back on the road and traveling north, pass Akko and Nahariya before making your way to the famed Achziv Beach. Part of the Western Galilee, Achziv was once a Phoenician trading city that briefly became a Club Med village and is now a national park. With turquoise waters, cozy inlet bays and the stunning, white cliffs of Rosh Hanikra as a backdrop, Achziv is perfect for beachcombing, camping and sunbathing. Bike, walk or take a charming little train from the promenade of Achziv National Park to the 120-foot-high cliffs of Rosh Hanikra, where you can explore the fascinating limestone tunnels and caves.

Israel’s Lake Kinneret offers a lake rather than ocean experience on both sides of its shores. The lake has suffered from lower water levels over the last few years – scant winter rains have wrought havoc with its northern feeder rivers, notably the Jordan and its smaller tributaries. Nonetheless, it’s an impressive body of water with lovely beaches along the shores near Tiberias. For a more of an adventure, drive down the Kinneret’s eastern coast and stop in at Kibbutz Ein Gev, for the best swimming spot and beautiful sunsets over the water.

A stay in Jerusalem doesn’t mean you have to be beach-free. A day at the nearby Dead Sea will offer you a combination of thrills including a laze by the water’s long shoreline with time for a mud bath and salt scrub after floating in its salty waters. Marvel at the completely clear, intense blues of this special body of water and enjoy the healthful benefits of all those minerals. Return to your hotel replete – body and soul – beached and watered, soaked and salted, relaxed and restored by the sand, surf and seas of Israel.