Things to do in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is a beach city; a broad expanse of fine sand that extends more than 10kms along the seashore. Its wide promenade is a magnificent sight and runs for miles, all the way from the port in north Tel Aviv to the old quarter of Jaffa. All the various quarters of central Tel Aviv have their own unique attractions, and to get a flavour of the city, spend time wandering the streets.

Old Jaffa

Jaffa has ceased to be a hostile Arab town and has become a popular waterside dining and leisure district of Tel Aviv. With its art galleries, flea market, antique shops and restaurants, Jaffa is a pleasant place to stroll and relax. The most enjoyable way to and from Jaffa is along the waterfront walkway from Tel Aviv, and for those arriving by car, the entrance to the Old Town is marked by the Ottoman Clock Tower, a small landmark built in 1906 in honour of Palestine’s Turkish ruler, Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

Around the corner from the clock tower, rise the minaret and domes of the Mahmoudiyeh Mosque, constructed by the Turks in 1809. A few paces uphill lay Abrasha Park and Kedumim Square, Old Jaffa’s main plaza that is dominated by St Peter’s Monastery. Narrow steps and lanes named after signs of the Zodiac zigzag from here to the historic harbour, which has been busy with traders and mariners for thousands of years.

Florentin Quarter

The Florentin Quarter is lively and attractive, and has 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.

Independence Hall

Formerly the home of Meir Dizengoff, the city’s first mayor, the building that houses Independence Hall is one of Tel Aviv’s original structures. On 14 May 1948, it served as the venue for the historic declaration that brought the State of Israel into being. The house has since become a museum, recalling that momentous day and the events that led up to it, and giving a rousing and patriotic history of Zionism. Phone: +972 3 517 3942.

Ben Gurion House

The two-storey former home of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion and his wife Paula, remains as when the couple lived here. Ben Gurion left the house and contents, including their personal library of some 20,000 books, to the State of Israel. Upstairs, used solely by Ben Gurion, there is four library rooms and a bedroom. Downstairs, visitors can view the kitchen and ‘Paula’s room’, where the leader spent his final days. Phone: +972 3 522 4925.

Neve Tzedek

South of the Yemenite Quarter, this stylish neighbourhood was the first built in the ‘new’ city of Tel Aviv, in around 1887. Neve Tzedek was the first Jewish neighbourhood outside Jaffa, and over the years, it has served as a home for numerous artists. It now houses various different galleries and of particular note is the architecture of old houses on the quiet streets.

Azrieli Centre

For a phenomenal view over the unplanned sprawl of still-growing Tel Aviv, Jaffa and far beyond the city limits, take the high-speed lift to the 49th floor observatory of the downtown Azrieli Centre. On a clear day, it is possible to see Jerusalem and Haifa with the aid of the powerful telescopes.

Although its 84-window observatory is the highest in Israel, this remarkable circular tower, with 50 floors above ground and seven below, the Azrieli Centre in fact consists of three separate buildings, housing hundreds of offices, three embassies and a shopping mall, and attracting 40,000 visitors a day. Phone: +972 3 608 1179; website: www.azrielicenter.co.il.

Migdal Shalom

At the north end of Tel Aviv’s first road, Herzl street, the Shalom Tower (Tower of Peace) sits on the one-time site of Israel’s first secular Hebrew language grammar school. Shalom Tower, with government and private offices, has shops on the ground floor. Phone: +972 3 517 7305.

Shuk HaCarmel (Carmel Market)

Situated on the edge of the Yemenite Quarter, this daily market extends along narrow HaCarmel street and neighbouring lanes, branching 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.

The Carmel Market is especially hectic and colourful on Fridays, as people shop for Shabbat. A more sedate craft market can be found in parallel Nahalat Binyamin, which is open on Sundays to Thursdays, and on Fridays.

Shalom Aleichem House

Preserved in this modern building are the works of Shalom Aleichem, the Yiddish author whose stories provided the groundwork for Fiddler on the Roof. The permanent exhibit includes an archive of manuscripts and unpublished works, correspondence, photographs, first editions, documents and personal artefacts. Phone: +972 3 695 6513.

Museums
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art has boasted Israel’s leading exhibition of modern art since its inception in 1932. A permanent collection of European and American art features prominent Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings by Chagall, Dali, Cezanne and Monet. The museum also has an active programme of changing exhibitions as well as cultural music, dance, cinema and lecture programmes. Phone: +972 3 607 7020; website: www.tamuseum.com.

The Eretz Israel (‘Land of Israel’) Museum has a unique layout and character, in the nature of a museum park clustered around the ancient mound of the Tel Kasile. The museum consists of various pavilions, each displaying different cultural facets and collections. Visitors can purchase a map to help them navigate through this fascinating campus, which covers 3,000 years of history, culture and art relating to Israel. Phone: +972 3 641 5244; website: www.eretzmuseum.org.il.

The focus of the Beit Hatefutsoth (‘Jewish Diaspora’) Museum is to convey the story of the Jewish people, from the time of the expulsion of the Jews from Israel by the Romans 2,500 years ago to their subsequent return to Israel. Multi-storey displays and exhibitions reflect the diverse Jewish communities that have been sustained over time by common cultural and religious links.

The Jewish Music Centre has thousands of recordings of Jewish music, from traditional to the music of communities that were wiped out in the Holocaust as well as works by Jewish composers. At the Genealogy Centre, visitors can explore their ancestry from thousands of records of Jewish families from around the world and register their own family trees for future generations. Phone: +972 3 640 8000; website: www.bh.org.il.