<< Back
Tel Aviv and Jaffa
Tel Aviv is the total opposite compared to Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. It’s a modern city and hospitality of the local people is much better than in the rest of the country. A stay for three nights at least is advised. Easy trips can be made to Ramla and Jaffa. Ramla is known because of the historical Ramla Tower and the 8th-century cisterns. The old cisterns are a little bit complicated to visit because from the outside you see nothing. You’ll have to wait in a long queue in a very narrow hallway which isn’t comfortable. A good alternative is a visit to the big local market.
Highlights in Tel Aviv are the Carmel Market, a walk next to the beach, and the old harbour. During Shabbat when there’s no public transport, the best way to travel is on foot. Only there’s no public transport, the majority of restaurants are still open which is the opposite compared to Jerusalem. Tel Aviv is also a place with history because the former prime minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin was killed here in 1995. The city has made a memorial for this event.
Important advice for Tel Aviv: know where you go if you back home from the airport. On the airport, six times or even more the same question is asked. Apart from questions, it is good to be on time because the airport relies on manual checks instead of using more technical assistance which is available nowadays. In short exactly the same answer every time on the questions. They’re even interested in your souvenirs.
Next to Tel Aviv is the old city of Jaffa situated. A historical place which has a harbour with restaurants which offer delicious fish and other seafood. Jaffa offers cosy squares and narrow streets which give enough pleasure when you walk around without a map. The old buildings are the opposite of modern architecture which you’ll mainly find in Tel Aviv. During the evening the lights add an extra atmosphere. Like Tel Aviv restaurants in Jaffa are still open during the Shabbat. From the south of Tel Aviv you can walk next to the coastline to Jaffa.
