100 Years Young: Tel Aviv, a Tourist’s Guide

Tel Aviv, the White City, the City that Never Stops, kissing the beautiful Mediterranean to the west, is perhaps one of the best cities for tourists in the world. In this one city, tourists can go to concerts, films (in English!), go dancing, go to the beach, spend the day on a jet ski, and eat some of the best cuisine in the world. Tel Aviv is a cosmopolitan center for shopping, culture, arts, and leisure, and is also an architectural marvel. Though only one hundred years old, the Tel Aviv history is as rich as any rival city in Europe.

Tel Aviv is celebrating its centennial this year, and what a century it has been for the city that was born out of the sands just a little to the north of Jaffa. Tel Aviv was created to be the jewel of the Jewish resettlement of Israel, a center of culture and European sensibilities. Designed for beauty, wide boulevards and gardened houses were the first to be built. Tel Aviv grew haphazardly at first, but by the 1930′s it began to expand in a planned design. Some of the best examples of the Bauhaus Architecture school are built in Tel Aviv, and the city has recently been classified as a “White City” – a city in which Bauhaus architecture is restored and preserved by the Bauhaus International Foundation. A walk down Rothschild Boulevard, the first boulevard in Tel Aviv, provides dozens of examples of classic Bauhaus buildings with their rounded terraces.

If walking is your passion, Tel Aviv is one of the best places for it. A promenade stretches all the way from Jaffa in the south to the Tel Aviv harbor in the north following the beach, dotted with beach cafés and restaurants. The exquisite southern neighborhood of Newe Zedek is filled with lovely little alleys and houses, galleries and small shops, cafés and restaurants. A lovely path for bikes and hikes has recently been completed along the Yarkon stream banks, for over 5 miles of park and woodland. It is possible to rent bicycles and to ride for a day all the way to the eastern end of the Yarkon, where the old Ottoman water mills are still visible. It is even lovely just strolling along Nordau Boulevard under the tall fichus trees, stopping at any of the numerous kiosks for a glass of freshly squeezed juice.

Gourmets and gourmands will adore the variety of restaurants and cafés in Tel Aviv. Fusion is the latest range in local cuisine, and Asian restaurants sit side by side with French bistros and American style Diners with the best hamburgers just about anywhere. A short trip to Jaffa provides some of the best middle eastern food available in the world, whether your passion is hummus, baba ganoush, or the famous Israeli Salad with lots of olive oil and lemon and really fresh tomatoes. If you just want a little rest while wandering, sit in one of the hundreds of sidewalk cafés and order an espresso or latte, and just enjoy the sunshine while munching on a freshly made ciabetta roll and cheese. Some of the restaurants in hotels in Tel Aviv are considered to be world class, as well.

If art and culture is what you adore, you’ll find plenty of it in the White City. A short walk down Gordon street provides you with a multitude of galleries to wander into, exhibiting local and international artists. The Tel Aviv Museum shows some of the loveliest art in the world, and always has an intriguing exhibition. Music fans will love the Israeli Opera house and its internationally acclaimed productions, rock concerts in the Yarkon Park, and numerous jazz performances and local Israeli singers in the smaller venues.

And the best of all, getting to Tel Aviv is an absolute breeze. There are flights to Israel from hundreds of airports globally. When arriving, Ben Gurion International Airport welcomes tourists with a very comfortable and lovely terminal. A train can take you directly from the terminal to the center of Tel Aviv, where a taxi to your hotel can be found easily. The Airport is only a short 30-40 minute drive away, and the train can take even less time. Those who love shopping will be overjoyed when arriving at the airport on the way home, since the Israeli Duty Free shops are famed for their variety and low prices.

With all these advantages, why wait? If you’ve never considered Tel Aviv as a place to visit, re-think. Whatever you love doing for your holiday, you’ll find it in Tel Aviv, after all. Shopping is fantatsic with great selections of wrinkle serum. And since Israel is such a small country, Tel Aviv is only a hop and a skip away from other wonderful attractions such as Caesarea, Acre, Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, and even remote Eilat (only a 5 hour drive or 1 hour flight). Celebrate the Tel Aviv centennial, and discover the best city in the world!

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