PREVIOUS PAGE:
DIZENGOFF IS
THE PLACE TO GO SHOPPING.
TOP LEFT:
THE OLD TRAIN
STATION, NOW A SHOP STOP.
TOP RIGHT:
ON ROTHSCHILD
BOULEVARD.
ABOVE:
THE OLD
TOWN OF JAFFA
FEATURE
TEL AVIV
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2012/13
WIZZ MAGAZINE
27
I
s there a beach city more intriguing
than Tel Aviv? Edging a three-mile
expanse of golden sand that stretches
along the Mediterranean coast, Tel Aviv
gazes due west across the waves into the
fieriest of sunsets. Couple that with some
of the Med’s best nightlife, a liberal and
hedonistic attitude, top-notch dining, and
a hatful of culture, and the big question is,
when should you book your flight?
Tel Aviv was founded in 1909, as
overflow from the cramped town of Jaffa,
a trading hub and Mediterranean port
dating back to Old Testament times. Today,
Jaffa has been absorbed and gentrified, a
shadow of its former biblical self – while
its modern neighbour has become a
cosmopolitan city in its own right.
It is oriented north to south, covering
several blocks inland from the long beach
on its western edge. Key areas are, in the
north, the former port, now home to beach
restaurants and nightlife; in the centre, the
shop-packed zone between Dizengoff Square
and the Yemenite Quarter; and, in the south,
the café bars and ethnic restaurants of Neve
Tzedek and Florentin, on the way to what’s
left of old Jaffa.
Start out – of course! – with the beach,
free and open to all. Pick more or less
anywhere and you’ll come across beach bars
and cafés. Frishman Beach, in the centre, is a
favourite, with good facilities and a cheerful
atmosphere. Hilton Beach, further north, has
a more sporty ambience and is also popular
with Tel Aviv’s thriving gay community. You’ll
find bronzed sun-worshippers eyeing each
other up, surfer dudes catching the waves
just offshore and dog walkers galore.
At the northern end of town, maritime
commerce has long abandoned Tel Aviv’s
port, which is now rejuvenated as a seafront
quarter of cafés, shops and restaurants.
Stroll the wooden boardwalks with an
ice cream, as you dodge bladers and
promenading families, or settle down at
Shalvata (26 Yordei Hasira, +972 3544 1279,
shalvata.co.il), hippest of the boardwalk
bars, offering sofas and chill-out beats to
accompany a sunset cocktail.
Back in the centre, Sheinkin has long been
one of Tel Aviv’s hippest streets, packed
with artists, creative types and wannabes
lounging at terrace cafés amid designer
stores and galleries. Wander eastwards,
past the pastry-munching locals at Orna &
Ella Restaurant at 33 Sheinkin Street (+972
3620 4753)
to hit the curving sweep of
glamorous Rothschild Boulevard. This is the
centre of Tel Aviv’s ‘White City’, a visually
stunning district of more than 4,000
buildings designed in 1930s’ Bauhaus style
“
TEL AVIV IS HOT,
IT’S SEXY – WE LIKE
THINGS THAT ARE A
BIT TABOO. THIS PLACE
IS BLAZING!”
YORAM, BUSINESS OWNER
