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Tel Aviv has one long beach, and everybody who lives here treats it as about eight different ones. The names refer to the stretch in front of a particular street, and each has picked up its own character. Here is which is which, starting from the one at the end of our road.

The short version

• Gordon is the closest to us and the most conventional: chairs, cafes, lifeguards.
• Metzitzim, further north, is the family one.
• Hilton beach has a quieter northern end and is the main surfing stretch.
• Red flag means do not swim, and it is not a suggestion.

Gordon and Frishman, the ones nearest us

Straight down from the apartments. These are the central beaches: sun loungers for hire, a couple of cafes, showers, and lifeguards through the season. It is the busiest and most convenient stretch, with the marina at the northern end of it.

Gordon Pool sits right there on the front - a seawater pool if you would rather swim lengths than deal with waves. It is the obvious morning walk from here.

Hilton beach, north

Below the bluff at the north end of the central beaches. The northern part is the main surf break in the city, so it is where the boards congregate, and it has a well-established reputation as the city's gay beach. There is also a dog beach along this stretch, which is worth knowing if you have brought one.

Metzitzim, further north again

The sheltered one, tucked in by the port. Calmer water, shallower entry, a playground, and consequently full of families. If you are travelling with small children this is the one to aim for, even though it is further to walk.

South towards Jaffa

Walk south along the promenade and the beaches keep going - past Bugrashov and Banana Beach and on towards Jaffa. Banana has a long-standing reputation as the laid-back end of things. Keep going far enough and you arrive at Jaffa itself, which is a walk worth doing at least once.

Things nobody tells you

The flags matter. Black means the beach is closed and swimming is forbidden. Red means dangerous conditions. White means go ahead. The currents here are stronger than the flat-looking water suggests, and the lifeguards are not being cautious for the sake of it.

Matkot. The paddle-ball game with the relentless thock-thock-thock is a national institution and is played on the hard sand at the water's edge. Walking through a game is on you, not on them.

Shade runs out. The rentable loungers come with umbrellas and they go early on a hot day. Bring your own if you are coming at noon in summer.

Showers and taps are dotted along the promenade, which matters more than you would think when the walk home is three minutes and the sand comes with you.

When to go

Swimming season is roughly late spring to October. In the middle of summer the sensible pattern is early morning or after four, because the middle of the day is genuinely punishing. The compensation is that the beach stays busy long after dark.

See when to visit for how the seasons work more generally.