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Israel : Tel Aviv - February 2010

Country Code: Dial 2 for Israel

Israel celebrates new year for trees in February with the festival of Tu B’Shevat, marking the date from which fruit can be harvested. And there’s nowhere better to commune with some of the country’s most splendid leafy specimens than Tel Aviv’s tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard. Anthea Gerrie puts her best foot forward

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).

ROTHSCHILD

Its modernist Bauhaus buildings have earned Tel Aviv World Heritage Site status and the soubriquet White City. In truth, few of the buildings are white, and many remain in need of restoration. Tucked behind this long, handsome boulevard that wraps round Tel Aviv, however, are some of the hippest places to stay, eat and party.

Sleep soundly – The Montefiore (36 Montefiore, tel. , hotelmontefiore.co.il, rooms from €280), just off Rothschild near the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, is a chic hotel with a buzzy bar and restaurant that’s strong on seafood and Thai-flavoured dishes.

Culture vultures – Rubberneck the fine lines of the buildings of Rothschild Boulevard, noting examples of the Oriental style, such as Sotheby’s. Pause to join the dog walkers, boules players and café society along the central reservation.

Must eat – Orna v’Ella (33 Sheinkin Street, tel. ) is Natalie Portman’s favourite. It’s worth queuing for the signature dish of yam pancakes with sour cream and other delicious light meals, in this airy room best for lunch and people spotting.

Shop til you drop – Turn down Sheinkin Street, a hive of young and affordable fashion. Cross star-shaped Kikar Magen David at the end into Carmel Market and trade a few shekels for cheap reading glasses or some of the world’s most beautiful Mediterranean veg. If it’s Tuesday or Friday, continue to the street market selling local art and jewellery on nearby Nachalat Binyamin.

PORT

Tel Aviv’s redeveloped port area is lined with cafés, restaurants and yoga centres, and home to great nightlife. Stroll there from the northernmost hotels along the beach strip.

Sleep soundly – Recently revamped, The Carlton (10 Eliezer Peri Street, tel. , carlton.co.il, rooms from €180) is now a handsome and well-priced contemporary option, with a boutique hotel feel and its own beach café. The Melody (220 Hayarkon Street, tel. , atlas.co.il, rooms from €140 incl. breakfast) is a cheap and cheerful boutique hotel with free Wi-Fi – rare in Israeli hotels – and a rooftop bar for when the sun shines.

Must eat – Agadir Burger Bar (3 Hata’arucha Street, tel. ) serves Tel Aviv’s best burgers, including a veggie version, served into the small hours in stylish art nouveau surroundings.

Dance the night away – Shalvata (also 3 Hata’arucha Street) is the buzziest and most beautiful of all Tel Aviv’s beach bars, especially when it’s warm enough to enjoy the sand between your toes.

SOUTH END

Head down the fabulous miles of promenade that lead from the port to ancient Jaffa and turn left by the Dan Panorama to discover Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s original neighbourhood, just inland from the beach. Newly regentrified, it’s the most arty and happening part of town.

Sleep soundly – The Nina Café Suites Hotel (29 Shabazi Street, tel. , ninacafehotel.com, rooms from €140) is an eclectic and little-known option right in the heart of the action, with a charming French café feel.

Must eat – Manta Ray (9 Shabazi Street, tel. ) sits at the end of Neve Tzedek’s best shopping street (opposite the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre) and is a great place for a courtyard lunch topped off with bright green ‘nana’ tea, infused with plenty of fresh mint.

Dance the night away – Abraxas (40 Lilienblum Street) remains one of the most popular lounge and dance bars in Tel Aviv, with hot DJs and cool eats.

Shop til you drop – Orit Ivshin (53 Shabazi Street) makes stunning contemporary jewellery that harks back to ancient designs, and is surrounded by great fashion boutiques on Tel Aviv’s most eclectic shopping strip.

Compiled by Anthea Gerrie