Bucket List: Top 12 Best Things to See and Do in Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv is Israel’s most cosmopolitan and vibrant city, surrounded by miles of golden coastline and known for its active café culture and inventive restaurant scene. Tel Aviv’s main attractions are sun and beach, arty boutique shopping, and serious gourmet activity, and what the city lacks in major tourist attractions, it makes up for with its laid-back atmosphere. There are several art galleries and local, specialized museums to visit off the shore.

Here are the top 12 things to do in Tel Aviv if you want to have a memorable vacation!

1. Walk along the coastline of Tel Aviv Beaches

Few places are more appealing than a beach chair in front of the Mediterranean Sea. Tel Aviv’s beaches are unrivaled in their spectacular blue waves, white sand, and positive spirit. What makes the coastal attractions here even better is the diversity and distinct traits that each beach offers. At one of Tel Aviv’s many beaches, you’ll find everything you need, from family-friendly sites to surf spots to work out and sports activities.

2. Have fun at Neve Tzedek

In HaTachana, a refurbished railway station, Neve Tzedek offers avant-garde design businesses, fashion boutiques, and handicraft shops, as well as a weekly farmers’ market. At night, many of the area’s al fresco cafés transform into live jazz clubs and cocktail lounges, and trendy European restaurants merge with fashionable bistros. As a result, this area provides a wide range of things to engage in for a fun and exciting experience.

3. Visit the historical landmark of HaTachana

This location was an old train station but is now a popular tourist attraction brimming with unique shops and restaurants. HaTachana was established in 1892 to serve as the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway terminal. The property went into disrepair once the railway ceased, and it became an underutilized piece of great real estate. The complex comprises a collection of renovated rail carriages, freight terminals, and train tracks to nowhere. The renovation into what has become one of the city’s trendiest destinations has not neglected its legacy. There’s even an abandoned cement mill repurposed as store space, dating back to 1905.

4. Visit the ancient port of Tel Aviv, Jaffa’s Old City Port

Old Jaffa Port, also known as Namal Yafo, was the historic port of Jaffa, which gave rise to modern-day Tel Aviv. The Old Jaffa Port is one of the world’s oldest ports, having served as the departure point for Jonah in the classic Biblical story of Jonah and the Whale.

5. Experience the nightlife and productive mornings at the port of Tel Aviv

It has a little bit of everything that makes Tel Aviv so unique: deep blue seas, peaceful mornings, bustling markets, shops, and restaurants abounding, kid-friendly activities, outdoor events, and a vibrant nightlife with clubs and bars. And, best of all, it attracts many people of all ages who stroll, bike or simply relax in Namal Tel Aviv, as it is known in Hebrew. The port’s wooden decks are part of the 9-mile Tel Aviv Promenade. You may proceed south to Jaffa or north to Tel Aviv’s Hatzuk beach by walking down the promenade.

6. Visit the Great Synagogue of Tel Aviv

Allenby Street is home to this magnificent synagogue. It was initially built in 1926 and refurbished in 1970. The Great Synagogue was a significant center for prayer and practiced Orthodox Judaism. Simply walking into this synagogue transports you to another era. The Great Synagogue features a colossal dome with stained-glass windows. These stained glass windows are similar to those seen in synagogues across Europe. The arching glass windows are spectacular and make the synagogue stand out among the surrounding structures.

7. Explore the White City

The White City of Tel Aviv is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, yet it is far from dull, ancient, or old! Tel Aviv’s White City is home to the world’s biggest International or Bauhaus architecture collection. Since its designation as one of the world’s first modern UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2003, restoration of these structures built by German immigrants in the 1920s and 1930s has accelerated. This area is currently being restored.

8. Participate in the Gay Pride Parade

Tel Aviv Gay Pride has grown into one of the city’s most important annual events. Visitors from all around Israel and the world arrive in force to commemorate the occasion. The city comes alive with color and enthusiasm, confirming its status as the Middle East’s Gay Capital and possibly one of the world’s Gay Capitals. Every June, Tel Aviv Gay Pride Week kicks out with a flurry of gay-friendly activities across the city, concluding on Friday with the city’s famous pride parade.

9. Visit the charming neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Yemenite Quarter

Yemenite Quarter is perhaps Tel Aviv’s most attractive neighborhood and a fortress against the city’s continuous growth and modernization. The Kerem is a secret treasure waiting to be discovered, with its maze of little alleyways that are both worn down and charming, an assortment of traditional and modest restaurants, and busy nightlife.

10. See the historical artworks of Israeli and foreign artists at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art

With an extensive collection of permanent and temporary exhibits, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art is Israel’s largest art museum. The Museum was opened in 1932, long before Israel became a state, and a new exhibit opened in 2011. The Museum features works by Israeli and foreign artists and impressionism and post-impressionism. Cezanne, Chagall, Dali, Monet, Henri Moore, Auguste Rodin, Archipenko, Picasso, Klimt, and Kandinsky are permanently on exhibit. If you only have time to see one ancient art museum in Israel, this is the one to go to.

11. Have an exciting night at Teder. FM

Teder. FM, an internet radio station and traveling bar, has established roots in the Romano building. The pub, which is on the bottom level of the same courtyard as the restaurant Romano, is still broadcasting its unique subterranean radio to the globe via its website. With such a small range of beer on tap, it’s best to stick to bottled beers, wine, or mixers. Pizza slices are also available at the bar.

12. Visit the house of the late Haim Nachman Bialik at the Bialik House

In Tel Aviv, Bialik House is located at 27 Bialik Street. It is the former residence of Haim Nachman Bialik, who was Israel’s national poet. His home is now a museum devoted to him and his work. Yosef Minor designed Bialik House, completed in 1924, shortly after Bialik arrived in Israel. The exhibition provides visitors with a complete overview of Bialik’s work, achievements, and position as a social activist. In contrast, the home offers a look into the aesthetics of early twentieth-century Israel.

Our Top Hotel Picks for Tel Aviv, Israel

• The Norman Tel Aviv [Check rates and availability] – Housed in a pair of 1920s-inspired buildings, this luxury hotel is 2 km from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and 4 km from the Tel Aviv Port.
• The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Tel Aviv [Check rates and availability] – A 6-minute walk from the ancient, bustling Jaffa Port, this high-end hotel in a 19th-century building is 4 km from the Bauhaus structures in the White City and 24 km from Ben Gurion Airport.
• Hilton Tel Aviv [Check rates and availability] – Set in landscaped Gan Haatsmaut, this upmarket hotel is an 8-minute walk from a Mediterranean Sea beach and 5 km from Tel Aviv Center-Savidor train station.

Searching for the best hotels, resorts, tour packages, and affordable flights in Tel Aviv, Israel, and nearby cities? Check out our list of cheap Tel Aviv hotels and resorts via Agoda and Booking.

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