48 Hours In Tel Aviv

From pleasant weather to great beaches, friendly people to delicious food, Tel Aviv ticks all the boxes that discerning travellers look for. Throw into the mix some beguiling history, eclectic architecture and a vibrant nightlife scene and it is not surprising why Israel’s second-largest city is fast emerging as the party capital of the Middle Eastern region. 

- Charukesi Ramadurai

DIP INTO HISTORY IN JAFFA

While Tel Aviv itself was founded just over a century ago, the port of Jaffa – originally a  separate town, but now a suburb - goes back several millennia, and is believed to be one of the oldest port cities in the world. Some records date it as far back as 7500 BC, with a colourful history peppered with Biblical references and Greek legends. Say “boker tov” (good morning) to the city by getting lost in Jaffa’s narrow, cobblestoned alleys, with the aquamarines of the Mediterranean always within touching distance. Browse through Shuk Hapishpeshim, the local flea market, for great bargains on antiques and bric-a-brac; by night, the area turns into a buzzing beehive of al fresco restaurants and bars that both locals and tourists flock to. For a taste of the truly quirky, drop by the Ilana Goor Museum, a private collection of sculptures, paintings and artifacts, located in a gorgeous 18th century building.

SILICON ALLEY STROLL

Rothschild Boulevard is known as the Startup Central of this part of the world, the place where some of the most exciting new tech ideas come to life. Fittingly, this is also where modern day Tel Aviv was born, the very road on which Israel’s first Prime Minister, Ben Gurion, declared it an independent country, in a quick ceremony in 1948. The site, now known as the Independence Hall, is one of the many museums on this broad avenue, where offices, apartments, bars and cafés sit cheek by jowl.

WHITE CITY WALK