Travel to Tel Aviv

Travel to Tel Aviv

A relatively new city, packed with entertainment and modern amenities, Tel Aviv may seem incongruous as Israels political and business centre. Nearby Jaffa, which has always offered an impressive range of historic sites, is now a part of the Big Orange. Tel Aviv has a flourishing arts scene, plenty of modern shops, upscale high-rises and renewed beaches for sun-worshippers.

Transportation to Tel Aviv

Beyond the city limits at Lod is the Ben Gurion International Airport, from which transfers to the city can be made by taxi or public bus numbers 475 and 222. Tel Aviv is also easily accessible from all around Israel by train or bus, and by highway from Jerusalem, Haifa and Ashkelon.

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What to see

Tel Aviv is home to many good museums such as the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which contains works from the 16th century to the present; the Eretz Israel Museum Complex; and the Diaspora Museum, which highlights the history of Jewish culture from around the world.

Daytrips

Within walking distance of Dizengoff Square is the Tel Aviv seashore, with its promenade that runs the length of the beach. The cleanest beaches are behind the area between Frishman and Gordon Streets, and to get away from the mad throng, catch the number 10 bus from Ben Yehuda Street to get to Bat Yam Beach, which is just seven kilometres south of Jaffa. Otherwise, take a trip to Hof Hadarim (Orange Beach), where you can rent lockers and deck chairs, while the use of changing rooms is free.

Activities and leisure

There is a good selection of restaurants and nightspots to choose from in Old Jaffa, and central Tel Avivs Moghrabi Square has a modern vibe, with plenty of bars, nightclubs, restaurants and hotels. Dizengoff Street and the Herbert Samuel Esplanade-Ha-Tayelet are excellent vantage points for watching people go by as the sun goes down.

Safety issues

Many parts of Israel can be dangerous due its continuing volatile relationship with Palestine. Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli reprisal strikes are random, and violence can erupt without caution. Swimming at Israeli beaches can also be dangerous due to undertows, so tourists are advised to pay attention to safety symbols, to swim at beaches that have stationed guards and to take out adequate travel insurance before visiting.

Similar guides available in Israel include

Travel to Eilat
Travel to Jerusalem

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