World City Guide

Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa city area is a long, narrow strip along the seashore. Jaffa (locally called, and written, Yafo) is located south of the modern city, while Ramat Aviv, home of Tel Aviv University and the extensive Eretz Israel Museum, is located on the outskirts of north Tel Aviv on the other side of the river Yarkon. Along the prized city-centre coastline are many upscale hotels, notably the Dan, Continental and Sheraton, with the Hilton a little further north, and prestigious residential and commercial centres, such as Opera Tower. To the east and south of the city are the residential suburbs of Ramat Gan, Giv’atayim, Holon and Bat Yam.

All the various quarters of central Tel Aviv have their own unique attractions and – to get a flavour of this enigmatic city – visitors should spend time wandering the streets. One good way to explore Tel Aviv is to follow its ‘orange routes’, four marked itineraries that can be walked (or in one case driven) with the aid of information plaques and a leaflet for each route (see Walking Tours in Tours of the City).

North Tel Aviv is generally more prosperous, while Allenby Street, which runs south from the city centre and beach, can be very seedy in places. In the adjacent central neighbourhood known as Little Tel Aviv, there are excellent examples of the city’s remarkable Bauhaus architecture – Tel Aviv has the world’s finest surviving collection of this distinctive 1920s/1930s style, totalling over 3500 buildings. The Florentin Quarter is lively and attractive, with a selection of some of the best local cuisine in the city. Restaurants located in this district are mainly run by the early settlers, who set up small family businesses – Elimelech, on Wolffson Street, has reputedly been serving the best Polish-Jewish food since 1936. Visitors should also feast their eyes on some of the bakeries, scattered throughout the area, which serve delicious borekas (savoury-filled pastries) and other traditional snacks. The narrow streets lined with crumbling buildings’ ’in the Yemenite Quarter, home to Jewish refugees from Yemen, is imbued with an Oriental, almost an Arabic style at odds with the modernism of the rest of the city. The large and busy Carmel Market – the city’s main open-air food market – runs alongside the Yemenite Quarter. Neve Zedek was the first Jewish neighbourhood outside Jaffa – established in 1867 – and it is currently under restoration. Over the years, it has served as a home for numerous artists and now houses various different galleries.

The Observatory in the downtown Azrieli Center offers a tremendous panoramic view of these neighbourhoods, revealing how rapid and unplanned the development of the modern city has been, as skyscrapers and suburbs stretch into the distance.

Tel Aviv’s major sights are its diverse and unusual museums, some focusing on Israel’s ancient history, some on landmarks in its 20th-century Zionist history, with very poignant records of the struggles of Jewish refugees, the conflict with the British and with the Arabs, and the first steps of the new state. Among the most impressive is the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, while in the old town of Jaffa, there are remnants of the history of the world’s oldest port, as well as another important museum. However, perhaps the best of Tel Aviv, though, is the more frivolous side, especially its superb beach and promenade. And Jaffa remains the Tel Avivians’ perennial favourite, with a host of galleries, craftshops and cafs set against the landmarks of the Mamoudiyeh Mosque and St Peter’s Monastery. Whether by car or by foot, strolling along the coastal walkway, all routes into Old Jaffa are busy as the evening begins. Climbing from the Ottoman Clock Tower to Kedumim Square, visitors can view the breathtaking coastline of Tel Aviv as the metropolis prepares for another vibrant night.

When sightseeing or just exploring, visitors should be aware of the intense campaign of terrorism being waged against Israel. Popular crowded venues – busy street markets, family restaurants and cafs, crowded buses, student canteens, teenage discos – have especially been targeted by suicide bombers. Security guards have now been posted at the doorways or entrances to most such locations and it is advisable to be wary of venues that have not put any security measures in place. To date, tourist sights have not been struck by the bombers, and Arab areas are unlikely to be hit.

Tourist Information
Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo/Association for Tourism
Information Desk, City Hall Lobby
69 Ibn Givrol Street
Tel: (03) 521 8500.
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 0900-1400.

Information Desk, Tel Aviv Promenade
46 Herbert Samuel Street
Tel: (03) 516 6188.
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 0930-1730.

Website: www.tel-aviv.gov.il/english/home.asp

There are also tourist information desks at the Central Bus Station (sixth floor) and Ben Gurion International Airport.

Passes
There are no dedicated tourist passes in Tel Aviv.