Tel Aviv Travel Guide
How To Get Around
The busses in Tel Aviv are actually very easy to navigate and come extremely often, you can buy a bus card at most convenience stores! I used the Google Maps app to track the bus schedule and find the closest stops. When the bus was inconvenient, I used Gett Taxi, which is essentially Israeli Uber. It’s connected to your credit card which I love when travelling, so I don’t have to keep cash on hand.
Where To Stay
On my most recent trip, I stayed at the Mendeli Street Hotel, which is a 2-minute walk from the beach. It’s in a great location, and probably has the best Israeli breakfast you will ever find. It was UNREAL! I would say it’s worth it to stay here just for the breakfast! Another great area to stay in would be around Rothschild Boulevard. It’s a great area to walk around and has a great variety of restaurants and bars to visit without being too far from the beach.
Where To Shop
Neve Tzedek
Neve Tzedek is a neighborhood filled with fashion, jewelry and craft stores. It’s filled with a combination of both local and international designers and is lovely to walk through.
Shuks (Markets)
The Carmel Market is one of the most famous “shuks" in Israel. They offer local produce, spices, food, as well as a variety of small Israeli items (jewelry, Judaica, etc.) that make great gifts. To be completely honest, I find this shuk to be fairly touristy, but it’s still fun to walk around, and I did get some small gifts for friends and family. Nachalat Binyamin is another handicraft and art shuk that is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays. The artists are required to sell their own work personally, so it makes it so much more special and authentic. Levinsky Market is a food market filled with a variety of stalls and cafes. This was where we found the best spices and halva!
Fashion Mall TLV
There are actually quite a few malls in Tel Aviv, but the Fashion Mall is hands down the best. They have a mix of lower and higher end stores and definitely had the best Zara in Tel Aviv (yes, I did go to all of them).
What To Do
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
I have visited Tel Aviv a few times, but I visited this modern and contemporary art museum for the first time on my most recent trip. The building and museum itself are quite beautiful, but the collections include a variety of extremely famous artists and pieces which I really enjoyed.
Port of Jaffa
The Jaffa port is an ancient city and fishing port, a short walk (or drive!) from Tel Aviv. They have great restaurants and shops and is very pretty to walk around during the day or at night.
Tel Aviv Port
Another port that I visited was the Tel Aviv port, which has become quite developed in the last few years. There’s a boardwalk as well as stores, restaurants, and bars.
Where To Eat
This section should maybe be titled where NOT to eat because Tel Aviv seriously has an unreal food scene! I was in heaven. Here’s my list of favs, in no particular order:
Mashya (restaurant in the Mendeli Hotel)
Sabich Frishman
Cafeteria
Romano
Citizen
North Abraxas
Doctor Shakshuka
Port Said
Tamara