Dead Sea · Where to stay

The northern shore, where the large hotels sit in a line above the water. You can walk to the sea, but everything you eat, drink or swim in is inside whichever gate you booked, at that gate's prices.

Thirty to forty minutes up the escarpment: a working town with churches, mosaics, small guesthouses and restaurants that are not buffets. You drive down to the water and back, which costs a taxi fare each way.

An hour away, and where most people who visit the Dead Sea actually sleep. You get a city with food and licensed bars, and you give up the early morning on the shore before the coaches.

There is no free public path down to the sea along this stretch, so pick your base by which gate you want to be behind. Agree the return car before you set off, because nothing scheduled runs back up after dark.