UltimateCity Guide Tel Aviv
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Yaacov Agam’s coloured kinetic fountain at the centre of Dizengoff Square The towers of Tel Aviv seen from Old Jaffa, with a minaret and old stone roofs in the foreground A plate of hummus topped with whole chickpeas, olive oil and parsley Gordon Beach and the hotels of the promenade seen across clear turquoise water The towers of Tel Aviv seen from Old Jaffa, with a minaret and old stone roofs in the foreground

The city guide to Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Best of Tel Aviv · This week

Article of the weekTel Aviv fun factsFun facts about Tel Aviv, each with its source: founded in 1909 beside Jaffa, the White City on UNESCO’s list since 2003, The Drisco’s 1866 story…Read the article In depthTel Aviv-Yafo, the port and the white cityA portrait of Tel Aviv-Yafo today: Old Jaffa and its port, the UNESCO-listed White City, Neve Tzedek, the promenade and the beaches, the Carmel…Read the article In depthEating in Tel Aviv: hummus at noon, a chef’s table at tenMarket produce, Eyal Shani’s tomatoes, Jaffa’s chef kitchens and hotel tables by the sea: how Tel Aviv eats.Read the article In depthThe hotels of Tel Aviv, from Jaffa’s old walls to the promenadeAn Ottoman police station on Clock Square, a neo-Renaissance hospital by John Pawson, an 1866 colony house, Bauhaus townhouses and the towers of the…Read the article In depthTel Aviv-Yafo: the old port and the white cityAn ancient port on its hill, a city founded on the dunes in 1909, a UNESCO-listed ensemble of the Modern Movement and fourteen kilometres of beach.Read the article

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe great train journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels and ski schools, resort by resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyBauhaus flats, Neve Tzedek, Jaffa and the first steps

Tel Aviv-Yafo, the old port and the white city by the sea

Tel Aviv-Yafo is two cities in one: Jaffa, the ancient port on its hill, and Tel Aviv, founded in 1909 on the dunes to its north, whose White City of the Modern Movement is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here are its hotels from Clock Square to the promenade, the chef’s tables and market kitchens, the bars, eight areas from Jaffa to the port, and day trips to Jerusalem, Caesarea, Haifa, Masada and the Dead Sea. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Curved white balconies of a Bauhaus building on Dizengoff Street

In depth

The old port and the white city

Tel Aviv·In depth

Jaffa on its hill, the UNESCO-listed Bauhaus city, the promenade and the markets: how to read Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Read the story

Areas

Tel Aviv by area

From the stone lanes of Jaffa and the low houses of Neve Tzedek to the Bauhaus boulevards of the White City, the markets, Florentin’s murals and the hotels on the promenade: each area has its own guide.

A stepped lane of honey-coloured stone in Old Jaffa, with galleries and an archArea guideJaffaThe old port on the hillPainted figures sitting on a bench by blue shutters on a house in Neve TzedekArea guideNeve TzedekLow houses and danceThe tree-lined walk and cycle path down the middle of Rothschild BoulevardArea guideThe White CityThe Bauhaus cityCherry tomatoes, garlic and artichokes piled on a stall in the Carmel MarketArea guideCarmel MarketThe great food marketA large painted mural of a face crowned with roses on a wall in FlorentinArea guideFlorentinMurals and spices

Getting about

Tel Aviv is flat and made for walking: the promenade links Jaffa to the port, and shared bikes and the light rail do the rest.

  1. Area guideDizengoffThe fountain and the Old North

Practical

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: the ETA-IL, Shabbat hours, trains and the light rail, and itineraries from a first day to a weekend on Clock Square.

Striped parasols and loungers on Frishman Beach, with a lifeguard tower by the seaBefore you goTel Aviv essentialsThe ETA-IL, Shabbat, money and the numbers to callRed double-deck Israel Railways trains at Tel Aviv Savidor Center stationGetting aroundGetting around Tel AvivThe airport, trains, light rail and bikesItineraryA day in Tel AvivFrom the market to Jaffa at sunsetOld Jaffa and St Peter’s bell tower lit against an orange sunset over the seaLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe promenade and beach at sunset, with hotels along the shoreItineraryThe Gold weekendClock Square, OCD and the spa
  1. ItineraryJerusalem for the dayThe Old City and Yad Vashem

Our advice

Old Jaffa at sunset

Climb from the Clock Tower through the stone lanes to St Peter’s Church as the sun goes down over the sea, then walk down to the port for dinner. Our Jaffa guide

Day trips

Beyond the city

Jerusalem’s Old City and Yad Vashem, Caesarea’s Roman port on the coast, the Bahá’í Gardens of Haifa, and Masada above the Dead Sea.

Jaffa Gate in the stone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City in early lightBeyond the cityJerusalemThe Old City and Yad VashemThe restored Roman theatre of Caesarea under a blue skyBeyond the cityCaesareaThe Roman portA fountain and stairs rising through the terraces of the Bahá’í Gardens to the domed Shrine of the BábBeyond the cityHaifaThe Bahá’í Gardens
  1. Beyond the cityMasada & the Dead SeaHerod’s fortress

Our advice

Book the national parks ahead

Caesarea and Masada ask you to reserve your visit on the Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s site, and Yad Vashem asks for registration in advance. Go on a weekday, and plan around Shabbat. Masada and the Dead Sea

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In depth

In depth: the stories of Tel Aviv

The old port and the white city, the museums and stages, the market kitchens and chef’s tables, the hotels, getting around and where to buy.

The towers of Tel Aviv seen from Old Jaffa, with a minaret and old stone roofs in the foregroundFeatureThe port and the white cityJaffa, the Bauhaus city and the seaThe plaza and arched entrance of the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, home of the Israeli OperaIn depthMuseums and stagesFrom the art museum to BatshevaHummus, falafel, tabbouleh and grilled meats on one platterIn depthEating in Tel AvivMarket kitchens and chef’s tables

Shabbat

From Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, trains and most buses stop and many shops close; much of the city’s café and restaurant life carries on.

  1. In depthThe hotelsFrom Jaffa to the promenade

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HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

What readers are saying about Tel Aviv: the best chef’s tables, the beaches, Old Jaffa, the markets, Shabbat hours and the day trips.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    Old Jaffa

    This week's pick

    Old Jaffa

    Jaffa·Old city

    Old Jaffa at dusk: climb from the Clock Tower through the stone lanes to Kedumim Square and St Peter’s Church as the lamps come on, then walk down to the port for dinner.

    Find out more

    Itineraries

    Plan your day

    The main building of the Suzanne Dellal Centre under a dramatic skyItineraryForty-eight hours in Tel AvivTwo daysMurals painted on the shutters of a stone building in the Jaffa flea marketItineraryJaffa and the seaAn afternoon and eveningA white Modern Movement apartment building with a glazed stair tower and long balconiesItineraryBauhaus and the White CityOne day
    1. ItineraryA property viewing day: the White City, Neve Tzedek and JaffaOne day

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Eating in Tel Aviv: hummus at noon, a chef’s table at tenTel Aviv · In depth
    2. 2OCDJaffa · Progressive Israeli
    3. 3ShilaWhite City · Mediterranean
    See all 17

    Cafés

    1. 1XohoThe Old North · Café
    2. 2CafelixCitywide · Coffee roaster
    3. 3LoveatCitywide · Coffee roaster
    See all 6

    Bars

    1. 1BellboyWhite City · Cocktail bar
    2. 2Mike’s PlaceThe promenade · Bar and live music
    3. 3The Library BarWhite City · Hotel bar
    See all 7

    Hotels

    1. 1The hotels of Tel Aviv, from Jaffa’s old walls to the promenadeTel Aviv · In depth
    2. 2The Setai Tel AvivJaffa · Luxury hotel
    3. 3The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection HotelJaffa · Luxury hotel
    See all 19

    Sights

    1. 1Tel Aviv-Yafo: the old port and the white cityTel Aviv · In depth
    2. 2Old JaffaJaffa · Old city
    3. 3Jaffa PortJaffa · Harbour
    See all 21

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Tel Aviv’s museums, stages and the Bauhaus cityTel Aviv · In depth
    2. 2Tel Aviv Museum of ArtShaul HaMelech Boulevard · Art museum
    3. 3MUZA, the Eretz Israel MuseumRamat Aviv · Museum
    See all 21

    Outdoors

    1. 1Yarkon ParkTel Aviv Port · City park
    2. 2Independence ParkIndependence Park · Clifftop park
    3. 3Charles Clore ParkJaffa · Seafront park
    See all 4

    Walks

    1. 1The White City: Rothschild to BialikWhite City · Walk
    2. 2Old Jaffa to the portJaffa · Walk
    3. 3Neve Tzedek on footNeve Tzedek · Walk
    See all 5

    Shopping

    1. 1Dizengoff CenterDizengoff · Shopping centre
    2. 2Sarona MarketSarona · Food market
    3. 3MaskitDizengoff · Fashion house
    See all 8

    Health

    1. 1Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov)Tel Aviv · Hospital
    2. 2Daria Spa, The DriscoAmerican–German Colony · Spa
    3. 3Ronit Raphael Beauty Spa, The JaffaJaffa · Spa
    See all 7

    Property

    1. 1Buying in Tel Aviv: neighbourhoods and the first stepsTel Aviv · In depth
    2. 2Anglo-Saxon Real EstateTel Aviv · Estate agency
    3. 3RE/MAX IsraelTel Aviv · Estate agency
    See all 2

    Developments

    1. 1The George Tel AvivEast Montefiore · Project
    2. 2Isrotel Dizengoff 99Dizengoff · Project
    3. 3Tel Aviv light railCitywide · Project
    See all 4

    Bikes & Boats

    1. 1Tel Aviv on two wheels, on the water and on the roadTel Aviv · In depth
    2. 2MetrofunCitywide · Bike share
    3. 3Herzliya MarinaHerzliya · Marina
    See all 3

    Getting Around

    1. 1Tel Aviv by train, light rail, bus and bikeTel Aviv · In depth
    2. 2Ben Gurion AirportLod · Airport
    3. 3Israel RailwaysCitywide · Rail
    See all 4