Discover Tel Aviv

The heart of town

The seeds of Tel Aviv were planted in the area around Rothschild Boulevard and Herzl Street. “Little Tel Aviv”, as this area is known, is still, in many ways, the beating heart of the town.

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Rothschild Boulevard is undeniably the most beautiful street in the city. The buildings at the western end of the boulevard are mostly Eclectic Style – the architectural trend that was prominent at the turn of the 20th century. Further to the east, the buildings are notably International Style (Bauhaus). The tree-shaded, busy lane is engraved with the country’s history, as it was here, in the Hall of Independence (former home of the city’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff), where the establishment of the State of Israel was famously proclaimed.

Just off of Rothschild Boulevard, on Ahad HaAm Street, stands the Shalom Tower, built in 1965. For a long time it was the tallest skyscraper in the Middle East, a title that has since been relinquished to other high-rise buildings in the region. .

The Carmel Market, located off of hectic Allenby Street, is a colorful mixture of food, clothes and home ware at cheap prices. Nearby, Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian street hosts an arts and crafts bazaar twice a week. Check it out on Tuesdays and Fridays, when it fills up with artists and designers selling their original creations.

Once a bastion of underground culture, today, Sheinkin Street is a place to drink coffee and “see and be seen.” Shops line the street alongside numerous restaurants and cafés that offer ample chances to bask in some urban cool.

Bialik Street is home to the first city hall, Bialik Museum and Felicja Blumethal Music Center and makes for a stunning compound.

The “White City” – named in reference to the city’s wealth of white-colored International Style buildings – stretches between Allenby Street in the south, Begin Road and Ibn Gavirol Street in the east, the Yarkon River in the north and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Tourists exploring the city may be baffled by the name, as many of these buildings are veiled by a façade of soot and grime, old plastic blinds, electric cables, cracks and peeling plaster.
Fortunately, the Tel Aviv Municipality has launched a program to identify buildings intended for preservation and drafted severe regulations ensuring that these renovations are carried out in keeping with Bauhaus design.

A number of characteristics will help you identify Bauhaus and International Style buildings. Bauhaus architects shunned “bourgeois” details such as cornices, eaves and decorative details in favor of functionality – creating buildings devoid of any ornamentation.
Instead, they used asymmetry, cubic dimensions and right angles embellished with rounded features, such as curved corners and balconies.

International Style buildings boast smooth façades and open floor plans. Some local Bauhaus adaptations include narrow horizontal “strip windows” to block out the sun, stilt-type columns to raise buildings off the street and flat roofs.

The city’s major squares are all located within the city center. Most notably, Rabin Square, beside City Hall and the City Garden shopping mall, has become a must-see spot on the tourist path, since the assassination of Israel’s Prime Minister, Itzhak Rabin, in 1995.
A landmark site long before the turbulence caused by the political assassination, Rabin Square is home to a Holocaust monument, created by the Israeli artist, Igal Tumarkin, in 1975.

South

Extending southward from Neve Tzedek and Rothschild Boulevard, the southern part of the city is small yet distinct in character. This section of town has nothing touristy about it. In fact, it’s all about hard work and industry. It is, however, an interesting area for wandering about and getting to know an unseen side of the city.

The ramshackle Florentin neighborhood was considered a promising area back in the 1990s, when real-estate investors followed the advice of experts who hailed the neighborhood as the next hotspot. So far, these expectations have not materialized and aside from some classy residential buildings and several bars and restaurants catering to a young, urban crowd, Florentin has generally retained its tattered look and feel.
The low prices and edgy character have nevertheless attracted quite a few bars, restaurants, designers, craftsmen and artisans, who maintain thriving studios in the area. Check out the Levinsky Market, which is exceptional for quality spices and authentic delicacies. This is an excellent locale for a cheap yet filling lunch.

The park also features several nature-related attractions. HaMeimadion is an exhilarating water park with a choice of slides and pools. The wet activities are ideal for overheated young ones in the summer. The Rock Country sprawls out over about 10 acres and holds dozens of types of rocks brought from all parts of the country.
The Farm at “Rosh Tzipor” (Bird’s Head) offers a taste of nature in the form of a petting zoo, butterfly dome and other activities for children.

Among the rocks, hundreds of plant species were planted to form a heterogeneous collage of the flora in Israel. For an impressive view of cacti from all corners of the globe, head to the Cactus World. Lush vegetation is on view at HaBustan (“The Orchard”) – a spacious garden that combines formal, classic and Mediterranean gardening into one – while Tropical World houses an orchid greenhouse as well as fish and aquatic vegetation pools.

The Tel Aviv Port was founded in 1936, receiving its first traffic in the form of a Yugoslavian freighter, the Chatworthy. Two years later, it welcomed its first immigrants. For the next three decades it continued to serve as one of the nation’s major port facilities. By 1965, the Port loaded its last cargo, replaced in prominence by Ashdod’s newer and more capable port.

For almost 30 years, the Port languished, a victim of general disinterest and a lack of imaginative thinking. In 2001, it underwent one of the most important urban renewal programs in the country. The idea was to renovate and upgrade the Port, transforming it into a leisure and commercial destination for all seasons.
Today, the Port hosts an antique market on Saturdays, a farmer’s market on Tuesdays and Fridays, and is home to a plethora of restaurants, cafés, nightclubs and bars, along with shops offering everything from fashion to jewelry and fine design.

Built relatively recently, the northern part of Tel Aviv is largely residential, but is also home to several important museums. Additionally, the lush, green HaYarkon Park offers many outdoor activities and is a perfect place for a day of fun.

From Tel Aviv Visitor’s Guide (Time Out Tel Aviv).