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Israel : Tel Aviv - June 2009

Country Code: Dial 2 for Israel

Tel Aviv is a city that never sleeps and this year it will be marking its centenary with a year-long celebration. The calendar is crammed with festivities and this month will see the Blue Festival (17 June), a celebration of food, art, culture and music, taking over the alleys of old Jaffa before the relaunch of the port. Morwenna Ferrier packs her party bag

Getting around

Ben Gurion International Airport is 20km south-east of Tel Aviv.

Train: There’s a train station outside the terminal. The journey to the city centre takes 20 minutes and a single ticket costs €2/NIS 12.
Taxi: A taxi from the airport to the city centre takes about 20 minutes and should cost no more than €17-21/ NIS 100-120.
Tourist information: The main office is at 46 Herbert Samuel Street (tel. , visit-tlv.co.il).

JAFFA

This spruced-up garden suburb, once an ancient port, was designed to unite Israel’s Arab and Jewish communities. It’s now the hip and happening home of cultural Tel Aviv.

Culture vultures – Lose yourself in the art galleries of the jumbled Zodiac alleyways (the main thoroughfare of the Blue Festival) or wander into the Abulafia Bakery (8 Yeffeth Street), equally famed for its food as for being a symbol of Jewish-Arab coexistence.

Must eat – In an alley near to Jaffa’s flea market, cosy Cafe Puah (3 Rabbi Yohanan Street, tel. ) is filled with eclectic furniture and serves basic, local cuisine. Aladin (5 Mifratz Shlomoh, tel. ) is a superb Middle Eastern fish and seafood restaurant set in a 600-year-old blue domed building overlooking the port.

Must drink – Sample Israel’s finest plonk under the cavernous arches of Yoe’ezer Wine Bar (2 Yoe’ezar Ish Habira Street), a Crusades-era building owned by Israeli journalist and food writer Shaul Evron.

NEVE TZEDEK

This was the first neighbourhood built in the ‘new’ city of Tel Aviv in 1887, but just seven years ago it was run down. A renovation has bettered the district and it’s now home to boutiques, artists and hipsters.

Must eat – Tazza D’Oro (6 Ahad Haam, tel. ) is an Italian-style café serving the area’s finest coffee. Live music and contemporary Israeli fare have made it a hit among locals. Suzana (9 Shabazi Street, tel. ) serves organic salads and juices in a shady alfresco setting.

Dance the night away – Nanutchka (28 Lilienblum Street) is considered one of Tel Aviv’s finest hangouts. Expect gilt, mirrors and decadence.

Shop til you drop – Benefit from the burgeoning art scene in Neve Tzedek and visit Shlush Shloshim Ceramics Coop (30 Shlush (Chelouche) Street), where 11 female artists sell their work at studio prices.

NOGA NEIGHBOURHOOD

This newly renovated quarter to the north of Jaffa is a popular residential area for artists. The Noga Theatre lies at its heart on Jerusalem Boulevard.

Culture vultures – Football fans should visit Bloomfield Stadium (Central Yaffo), the home of three local teams – Hapoel, Maccabi and Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv – on the edge of the district. You can catch a match every Saturday (see budgetticket.eu for ticket information).

Must eat – Poyka (14 Tirtza Street, tel. ) is unique – it serves only cauldron cooking (old-fashioned peasant food), sometimes prepared at the table. Salona (17 Tirtza Street, tel. ) is a lounge bar and art space that serves Israeli nibbles and cocktails.

ROTHSCHILD BOULEVARD

Tel Aviv’s most affluent district is still one of the city’s biggest draws. The entire area is testament to the Bauhaus movement, with its white, glorious architecture and selection of urban cafés.

Sleep soundly – Hotel Cinema (1 Zamenhoff Street, tel. , cinemahotel.com, rooms from €143/ NIS 788) is the former home of the Esther Cinema, Tel Aviv’s first movie house. This elegant hotel is about as Bauhaus as it gets and still screens films in its lobby. Galileo Hotel (8 Hilel Hazaken, tel. , rooms from €63/NIS 347) is a boutique-style hotel. The rooftop offers a spectacular view of the beach.

Culture vultures – A must for history buffs is a trip to Eliahu Golomb House (23 Rothschild Boulevard), which tells the story of the city’s Jewish settlers.

Must eat – An obvious choice but still worth visiting is the understated Orna v’Ella (33 Sheinkin Street, tel. ), the celebrity restaurant where Israel’s finest exports, including actress Natalie Portman, show up when they’re in town.

Compiled by Morwenna Ferrier