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Stretching along a wide, sandy Mediterranean beach, Tel Aviv is a vibrant, urbane city known for its dynamic outlook, innovative fusion food, celebrated nightlife and cultured metropolitan attitude. A far cry from Jerusalem, barely an hour's drive away, a visit is less about monuments and museums than it is about absorbing the city’s youthful, cultured ambiance.

It’s hailed as Israel’s hippest city, and is often compared to Miami or coastal California, its streets lined with chic bars and clubs, art and design studios, little galleries and independent stores. There’s an animated live music and performance scene, the world-class Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and it’s home to cosmopolitan residents from all over the globe.

I love how chic and lively Tel Aviv is. I love strolling Neve Tzedek, with its hanging baskets and boutiques, admiring the Bauhaus architecture in the White City, or people watching in a café while sipping a coffee.

Israel specialist Kerry-Ann

Things to see and do in Tel Aviv

Jaffa

The oldest part of Tel Aviv, the port of Jaffa has been in use since the Bronze Age and has, for centuries, been one of the most important ports on the Mediterranean. It makes an appearance in biblical stories as well as mythical legends and became an important stop for pilgrims going to Jerusalem during the days of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the buildings here date from Ottoman times and wandering its narrow streets, flea markets and galleries provides an immersive introduction to the city’s history. Jaffa is a predominantly Arab district and a place to browse craft shops, try the local oranges, or linger over lunch.

Neve Tzedek

In the late 1800s, Jewish families began to move out of Jaffa into settlements to the north. The first of these new Jewish districts to be built was Neve Tzedek, meaning ‘Oasis of Justice’. It lies at the heart of modern Tel Aviv and today, it’s the city’s chicest district, its streets littered with boutique hotels, upmarket restaurants, art galleries, sleek bars and trendy shops. At weekends, city residents flock here to hang out, lunch and carouse. It’s the place to find French pastries, Moroccan lamps, beachfront malls, performance spaces and international fashion outlets.

White City

By the 1930s, Germany was an increasingly dangerous place for Jews, and many German-Jewish architects fleeing Nazi persecution made their way to Tel Aviv. The city’s central area saw rapid development at this time and today is home to more buildings in the Bauhaus architectural style than any city in the world. Preservation of more than 1,000 of the original 4,000 structures earned the area a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2003. Tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard is best known for its modernist buildings and was one of the city’s first streets designed as a public space. Its central garden has benches, pathways and kiosks.

Tel Aviv’s markets

Wandering Tel Aviv’s markets is an invitation to experience local life. Carmel Market in the heart of the city is the best known and a great place to pick up baklava, halva, olives, fresh bread, fruit or even cheap beachwear. Tucked behind it is the Bohemian Florentin area, the former Yemenite Quarter and a good place to stop for a low-key lunch of hummus, bread and kebabs. Levinsky Market ― one of Tel Aviv’s oldest ― is here too. It’s a showcase of Tel Aviv’s different immigrant influences and runs the length of Levinsky Street. It’s full of attractive cooking ingredients, from herbs, spices, nuts and oils to dried fruit. For antiques and vintage clothes, try Jaffa Flea Market.

Tel Aviv’s beachfront

Sprawling the length of the city, the Tel Aviv’s Mediterranean beachfront of golden sand is one of the city’s most popular places to relax. As you wander along the waterfront promenade, the character of the beach changes from place to place with family-friendly, gay-friendly, sporty and segregated religious sections. Cafes and clubs offer loungers and parasols to rent, and in some sections there are artificial reefs popular with surfers and bodyboarders. There’s a saltwater swimming pool at Gordon Beach, plenty of water sports at Hilton Beach and safe sands for families at Frishman Beach. Sunset is a particularly popular time of day to go to the beach, with vivid skies, cocktails and alfresco meals drawing residents from around the city.

Best time to visit Tel Aviv

April to May and September to November are the most popular times to visit Tel Aviv with comfortable, warm weather and affordable prices. June to August is its busiest season, which is when the weather is hot and humid and everyone heads for the beach. The annual, week-long Tel Aviv Pride festival takes place in June.