Modern Tel Aviv and Jaffa in Photos – The Gateway to Israel

I’m here in modern Tel Aviv with Sharon Cracknell, author of Pringles, Vivas and a Glow in the Dark Jesus. We’re staying in an AirBnB on Dizengoff street, with our amazing secular Israeli host Val and his one-eyed dog, Masha.

I see Tel Aviv as the gateway to Israel due to the cheap and accessible Easyjet flights from Manchester to Tel Aviv. I actually saved so many Nectar Points that I didn’t even have to pay for it!

Welcome to Tel Aviv

Modern Tel Aviv is an amazing introduction to Israel, and the perfect relaxing break before you go on to absorb the intense history and culture of Jerusalem. It’s a modern, easy to navigate city with amazing culture and food. It’s forward thinking and diverse (see the essential guide to Gay Tel Aviv).

I was lucky enough to arrive in Tel Aviv on the weekend of the Purim celebrations. This Jewish holiday that traditionally celebrates the book of Esther has expanded to allow costumes that resemble something from the UK Comic Con or Halloween.

Tel Aviv is a city that you can enjoy in two or three days, but as it has a lovely beach and seafront, I recommend that you take more if you can!

 

View of #Jaffa #OldTown along the #TelAviv #beach! #ocean #oceanbeach #sea #travel #travelgram

A post shared by Globetrotter Guru (@theglobeguru) on Mar 13, 2017 at 8:01am PDT

Israeli Breakfast

On our first day, we walked for some time to find a good breakfast place. As it was Purim, many places were booked up or had queues outside. I was starting to get ‘hangry’ and Sharon said ‘just wait one more minute, there’s got to be something here where these canopy’s are!’ She was totally right, and we had the best Israeli breakfast ever, to help us to recover from the flight.

 

#Israeli #breakfast in #TelAviv! #eggs #sunnysideup #salad #nomnomnom #travel #israel??

A post shared by Globetrotter Guru (@theglobeguru) on Mar 10, 2017 at 5:07am PST

We then took a wonder around modern Tel Aviv, exploring the White city, extensive Bauhaus style buildings from the 1930’s.

The Seafront Walk to the Old Town

The following day, Sharon and I walked from modern Tel Aviv along the coastal promenade to the Old Town of Jaffa. It’s a beautiful walk, just under an hour.

 

The entrance to #Jaffa #OldTown in #TelAviv. #history #ancient #travel #israel??

A post shared by Globetrotter Guru (@theglobeguru) on Mar 13, 2017 at 8:02am PDT

The Old Town contains Biblical snippets, including Simon the Tanner’s house, where St Peter supposedly raised Tabitha from the dead.

 

#house of Simon the old #tanner in #Jaffa (#TelAviv #OldTown). This is said to be the place of the raising of Tabitha from the dead. #StPeter revived Tabitha from the dead on the roof of Simon the tanners house ‘by the sea’. #religion #history #Biblical #christianity #apostles

A post shared by Templeseeker (@templeseeker) on Mar 13, 2017 at 1:14pm PDT

Jaffa presents some phenomenal religious history, starting with the seafront Mosque and Armenian Church.

 

I always love to see a city view that combines #Christian and #Islamic #architecture. This is a view of #Jaffa #OldTown in #TelAviv from the #seafront. #israel #travel

A post shared by Templeseeker (@templeseeker) on Mar 13, 2017 at 8:07am PDT

 

The #Armenian #Church of #Jaffa, #TelAviv. #history #travel #religion #christianity

A post shared by Templeseeker (@templeseeker) on Mar 13, 2017 at 2:07pm PDT

My favourite religious building in Jaffa is the beautiful St Peter’s Church.

 

The #beautiful #StPeters #Church in #OldJaffa. #historical #port #history #religion #christianity #israel

A post shared by Templeseeker (@templeseeker) on Mar 13, 2017 at 8:21am PDT

Make sure that you walk to the top of Jaffa, the old town, for some stunning views of Tel Aviv Bay.

 

View of #modern #telaviv #bay from #jaffa. #yafo #sea #ocean #beach #seaview

A post shared by Globetrotter Guru (@theglobeguru) on Mar 13, 2017 at 8:30am PDT

Street Art of Modern Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is an extremely modern city and easy to navigate with popular street art. There are two main locations to visit for Tel Aviv Street Art: Carmel Market and the streets around Florentin.

 

These #steampunk #plaguedoctors are my favourite piece of #streetart in #TelAviv so far! #plaguedoctor #plaguedoctormask #artoftheday #art #cool #artistic #israel?? #travel #photography #backpacking

A post shared by Globetrotter Guru (@theglobeguru) on Mar 11, 2017 at 3:14am PST

I found Tel Aviv to be extremely safe to walk around and easy to navigate. Most people could speak English and were happy to stop to help.

One thing to note is that Israel is not exactly cheap. It’s basically higher than UK prices, so make sure that you take a healthy budget. You might also like to read my article on How to Budget for Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.