Tel Aviv and Jaffa

Tel Aviv and Jaffa make an engaging tour combination with the ancient port of Jaffa contrasting sharply with the fashionable modern metropolis of Tel Aviv. Both have played a significant part in the history of the country, and as you wander the alleyways of Jaffa and the bustling streets of Tel Aviv, your guide will bring the area to life as you learn about its history, culture, people and architecture. You’ll visit markets and modern boulevards, hear about renowned residents such as David Ben-Gurion, and see how cultural ideologies and the influence of immigrant communities have shaped society here.

Your private driver-guide will pick you up from your hotel on the morning of the tour and take you to Jaffa, the oldest part of Tel Aviv.

Your guide will tell you how this ancient port has been in use since the Bronze Age, acting as a gateway between Europe and the Levant for centuries, and as an important stop for Jerusalem-bound pilgrims during the days of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the buildings here date from Ottoman times and, as you wander the narrow alleyways with your guide, you’ll learn more about the district’s history, its renowned oranges, and its predominantly Arab population.

From here you’ll head into modern Tel Aviv, starting your tour in Neve Tzedek, the first of the city’s new districts, built by Jewish families who moved out of Jaffa in the late 19th century. Your guide will explain the background to these events, and how the district rose from the sand dunes to become one of modern Tel Aviv’s most handsome areas.

You’ll visit the lively Carmel Market which overflows with fresh produce, halva, baklava and olives. Your guide will take you around the stalls and describe how the contrasting cuisines of Israel’s immigrants have influenced food culture in the country over the centuries. You’ll stop here for a light lunch and get to taste some classic Israeli dishes and snacks.

From here, you’ll stroll along tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard, known for its Bauhaus architecture. This part of Tel Aviv is known as White City and grew rapidly in the 1930s when Tel Aviv became a safe haven for German-Jewish architects. Today it’s home to more Bauhaus buildings than any other city in the world and is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Your guide will explain more about this time and take you past Independence Hall where David Ben-Gurion famously declared the establishment of the modern State of Israel. You’ll hear about the political events leading up to the declaration and come away with a better understanding of modern Tel Aviv and how its long history has shaped its current form.

The entire tour takes five to six hours and at the end of the day your driver-guide will drop you back to your hotel.