World City Guide

Further Distractions

Shuk HaCarmel (Carmel Market)
Situated on the edge of the Yemenite Quarter, this daily market extends along narrow HaCarmel Street (and neighbouring lanes), which branches off Allenby Street at Magen David Circle. Despite the lack of traffic, it is noisy with stall-holders’ cries and busy with the extraordinary crush of people. Huge piles of fresh fruits, vegetables, olives, herbs, spices and meats are on sale for the lowest prices in the city. Stalls often specialise in just one item, offering only crates of nectarines, for example, or olives or oranges. The market is a perfect location to observe the bringing together of East European shtetls (Jewish villages), the Jewish quarters of Arabia, the sophistication of European Jewry and the raucous energy of the sabras (Jews born in Israel), all of whom are pressed shoulder to shoulder in this crowded market. It is especially hectic and colourful on Fridays, as people shop for Shabbat. A more sedate craft market can be found in parallel Nahalat Binyamin.

HaCarmel Street, south Tel Aviv
Transport: Bus 4.
Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 0830-1900, Fri 0900-1300.
Admission: Free.

Azrieli Center
For a phenomenal view over the unplanned sprawl of still-growing Tel Aviv and Jaffa and far beyond the city limits, visitors should take the high-speed lift (travelling at 6m/20ft per second!) to the 49th floor Observatory of the downtown Azrieli Center. On a clear day, it is possible to see – with the aid of the powerful telescopes – Jerusalem in one direction and Haifa in another. Although its 84-window Observatory is the highest in Israel, this remarkable circular tower – with 50 floors above ground and seven below – is not quite the country’s tallest building, having already been exceeded by the City Gate Tower (opened in Ramat Gan in 2001). The Azrieli Center in fact consists of three separate buildings, housing hundreds of offices, three embassies and a shopping mall, attracting 40,000 visitors a day.

132 Petach Tikvah Road
Tel: (03) 608 1179.
Website: www.azrielicenter.co.il
Transport: Bus 63.
Opening hours: Observatory Tues-Sun 1000-2000 (Fri closes 1800).
Admission: NIS20.