DESTINATIONS TEL AVIV & JERUSALEM ISRAEL
ASK THE EXPERTS
Angela
Eleftheriou, Middle East sales manager, Cyplon Everybody should visit Israel once. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are diverse and iconic
cities. Jerusalem has an unmistakeable energy, and once the markets have closed for the day, they turn into bars.
Owen Walker, Middle East product manager, Cox & Kings Israel is growing in popularity, with record numbers of UK visitors. The best times to visit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are spring and autumn as the weather tends to be mild and the sites less crowded. Try to avoid the major Jewish celebrations such as the High Holy Days, Sukkot and Passover.
now make up the artists’ quarter, full of studios and art galleries. Keep heading upwards for a
fantastic view of the modern city of Tel Aviv from Jaffa’s highest point, then head back down to sea level to explore its famous flea market. With more than a few hints of Arabian bazaars, this busy outdoor market is home to stalls selling hand-woven carpets and glinting lanterns, as well as hole-in-the- wall cafes doling out fresh shawarma or sticky baklava, with groups of shisha-smoking men gathering to sit outside and watch the world go by. If the heat of the day sounds a bit
much to contend with, Jaffa is also the place to be after dark, when its outdoor courtyards and street art- filled alleys are lit up with fairy lights and packed with locals enjoying drinks or dinner alfresco, with the strains of buskers in the background. Homely cafe-restaurant Puaa is an
affordable choice here, with friendly service and simple dishes that show
Jaffa is also the place to be after dark, when its outdoor courtyards and street art-filled alleys are lit up with fairy lights
why Israel is famed for its food. Or if the bustling atmosphere of Jaffa is too busy, Spanish tapas restaurant Vicky Cristina is just a few moments away in the Old Train Station, a pleasant complex of shops and restaurants set around the old rail link to Jerusalem – the late-19th-century tracks are still visible – where small dishes come with big flavours. From there, it’s just a stone’s throw
to Neve Tzedek, a suburb of Jaffa founded in 1887, but which eventually became the first neighbourhood in
modern-day Tel Aviv. These days, it’s one of the city’s most expensive and sought-after residential areas, all wrought-iron railings and pretty little boutiques in between its historic houses. It’s perfect for a stroll with an ice cream in hand en route to the hubbub of Carmel Market, where you’ll find stalls piled high with pomegranates and dragon fruit, honey-soaked pastries and colourful mounds of exotic spices – albeit with a few less-than-authentic souvenir stalls in the mix too. It’s an altogether different sort of chaos in the busy city centre, where iconic Bauhaus buildings – a style brought over by German immigrants in the early 20th century – sit alongside modern glass-and-steel constructions devoted to finance or big business. The vibe transforms further from day to night, when this area teems with Tel Aviv’s trendiest types enjoying the late-night scene, which only gets going around 11pm.
LEFT: Center Chic Hotel
RIGHT: Carmel Market
BELOW: Tel Aviv beach
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travelweekly.co.uk 8 November 2018
PICTURES: SHUTTERSTOCK; ISRAEL MIINISTRY OF TOURISM/DANA FRIEDLANDER
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