We arrived in Tel Aviv on August 10th and stayed until August 18th. This was enough time for us to make day trips from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Palestine (the West Bank), and the Dead Sea of which I will discuss on separate posts. Tel Aviv was not our favorite place, however, we recommend traveling there for the experience. We traveled to Israel because we were very curious to see what life was like in a country that has been in conflict politically and religiously. It is an eye opener of the current situation between the Israeli and Palestinians. There is definitely a lot to learn here and to draw your own conclusions rather than believe everything the media shows. Feel free to contact us for more on our personal thoughts regarding the conflict that is ongoing! Without getting deep into politics and religion and because this is a travel blog I will tell you more of our time in Tel Aviv.
Our Experience
If you have traveled to Tel Aviv you might be in love with it or had a very good time at nightclubs, bars, and restaurants. This is the case for most people that visit Tel Aviv. Many young people from all over the world have made Tel Aviv their home and have careless attitude towards their surroundings. We felt a heavy atmosphere from the moment we arrived at the airport; people were not smiling (we smile all the time so this was not a good sign), it was so true that when someone did smile at us a couple days later we were amazed! Some parts of the city smelled very bad, homeless people doing drugs everywhere at night, and there was always a broken pipe somewhere along the way releasing some bad smells.
The contrast between old and new was very traumatizing for us. We would see a very old building that looked like it was about to fall apart and when you enter it is something modern and completely different. This was the case of our airbnb and many other buildings around. Very weird. We stayed near the old town about 5 min walk from Florentine street (hipster artsy neighborhood). All this, plus the idea of knowing that at any moment you can have a terrorist attack and people did not seem to notice any of it, like they are used to it and they live in paradise blew our minds!
It is definitely an uncomfortable feeling that took us about 2 days to digest. I would describe it as a city that wants to be free and grow, the young want to be liberal and live in peace, sadly, from what we could see there is still a long way to go. I have to clarify that locals were very nice to us always. It’s just a mix of things that do not go together. At the same time you can sense that in Tel Aviv they are trying to make things work.
The people
In case you did not know, people in Tel Aviv are mainly Jews. Their religion is Judaism and speak Hebrew. In Tel Aviv people are more liberal. Gays and lesbians are encouraged and marihuana is legal. Religion is not followed by all in Tel Aviv and some don’t even care of what is happening in other areas of the country. But you will see soldiers walk around with their shoulder strapped M-16s and you will be checked at all transportation terminals before entering back into the city.
Shabbat
It is very important that when traveling to Israel you keep in mind Shabbat when making plans. Shabbat or Sabbath is a Jewish holiday. In Judaism it is the seventh day of the week and day of rest. They refrain from work and many businesses are closed and transportation can be hard to find except for taxis which you can find. It is a time for Jews to rest and spend time with family. Traditional meals are prepared and festivities begin with a blessing. Shabbat starts right before sunset on Friday night so expect many places to close and public transportation to stop about a couple hours before sunset until the appearance of three stars on Saturday night. At this time things will start to go back to normal with many restaurants /bars opening up as late as 8 or 9pm and Sunday is the first day of the week and everyone goes back to work. In Tel Aviv we noticed it is not observed as strictly as in Jerusalem for example. This is because Tel Aviv is more modern and some of the younger people don’t follow it. Also because in some areas there are Muslims living.
Our recommendation is to book your plans such as tours and visiting religious sites between Sunday through Thursday and for early Friday before 4pm. Don’t plan much on Saturday, stay local, resting or exploring around the area where you are staying.
Transportation
Taxi from Ben Gurion airport will cost about 200 shekels (almost $60usd). There is also a bus from the airport for 9.30 shekels ($2.70usd). To move around the city you can use taxis, buses, bikes, tram, and electric scooters. Make sure to get the Rav-Kav card that you can fill for rides. We mainly walked and used the bus system which is very good.
Food
Tel Aviv has very good restaurants and many options when it comes to food. We enjoyed the food and even ate much healthier than normal. The food is fresh and prepared using healthier options and many dishes are dairy free. People are vegan and some Kosher (if religious). Kosher foods are foods that are suitable for a Jew to eat as stated in the Torah (Hebrew bible). There’s a lot of delicious international restaurants. One of our favorites was Saluf & Sons which is Yemen, very lively and truly great experience. They concentrate on home style cooking with many rice dishes, great salads, stews, and more. We also visited some of the markets and tried all sorts of local foods. Carmel Market and the upscale Sarona Market have many options. In Carmel Market you can find the famous Hummus HaCarmel featured in Netflix on the series “Somebody feed Phil”, this is the place to try the best authentic hummus (don’t miss it!).
Tip: Tel Aviv and Israel in general is expensive. Sometimes way too expensive! Keep this is mind when planning a trip there.
Places to visit
While in Tel Aviv we visited the Jaffa Flea Market, Carmel Market, the upscale Sarona Market, Tel Aviv Boardwalk, Jaffa Old City, and walked around Rothschild Boulevard. The boardwalk was our favorite and is very nice walk along the beach.
Remember, to visit our Instagram and Facebook pages to see more about Tel Aviv. @everywhereabroad
