City Rating: Tel Aviv
Population: 430’000
Date of visit: October 2016
Attractions & sights: 3/5
Nightlife: 5/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 3/5
Low budget factor: 2/5
Total: 👍👍👍👍👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Tel Aviv is one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s not a city where you can sightseeing for two weeks, but it’s one of the best cities to hang out and enjoy life. I often call Tel Aviv the Miami of the Middle East: a vibrant city with amazing nightlife and beautiful people.
Where to stay:
Staying somewhere near the beach is the way to go. Ideally, you take a hotel or an apartment in the middle between Old Jaffa and Tel Aviv Marina so that you can enjoy both sides of the beach. The last time I had a hotel close to the US embassy (which was in Tel Aviv back then), which was a perfect location.
The Good:
Tel Aviv is one of the cities you have to love. I often recommend this city to people who are asking me for a destination and they were never disappointed! It’s just a city with an amazing vibe, beautiful people and world-class nightlife.
Of course, Tel Aviv has a few good sights such as old-Jaffa, but the main attraction is the beach. Many city beaches are rather poor ones (I’m looking at you, Nice), but the golden beaches in Tel Aviv are fantastic. There are several bars and restaurants located at the beach front so that this is the area where all the people meet.
Going out is another main activity in Tel Aviv. You will find a party every night of the week. However, you have to know where to go. Tel Aviv doesn’t have a nightlife district, in which all the bars and nightclubs are located. Nightlife starts late and most of the nightclubs are empty at 1 AM. Most of the parties start around 2.30 AM and finish at 7-8 AM. Don’t go too early.
Contrary to the belief of many people, the city is very safe. Incidents happen of course, but I guess there are more of them in London or Paris nowadays. Chances that something will happen to you in Israel are very small actually.
Tel Aviv is also a good base to visit places like Jerusalem, Haifa, Bethlehem or Ramallah. So, if you have enough time and you want a better cultural experience then head to one of these places.
The Bad & The Ugly:
Security procedures at Ben Gurion airport are just annoying when leaving the country. Arrive at the airport at least three hours before your flight home.
Another minus: people can be rude sometimes. I had several “bad” experiences in Israel with the locals, but after a while you find out that they don’t mean it that way. Israeli are rather loud and confronting, which is not considered rude in Israel. However, it’s irritating in the beginning.
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