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Weekend in Tel Aviv

Weeeknd in Tel Aviv

First-timers to Tel Aviv need to plan their weekend break carefully. The city that never sleeps may party every night of the week, but it does close the doors on some of its cultural attractions for half the British weekend. Public employees expect their own day of rest on the Jewish Sabbath, yet it’s not as simple as every museum closing on Saturday like the shops do.

Tel Aviv weekends start Thursday night, first choice for weddings in a city where many white-collar workers take off Fridays as well as Saturdays. Friday morning is a good time to watch locals stocking up at Carmel Market, then visit the craft market on nearby Nachalat Binyamin.

Both converge at lively Kikkar Magen David, and on the other side of this convivial star-shaped square is Sheinkin Street. Not quite the fashionista draw as it once was, Sheinkin is nevertheless home to one of Tel Aviv’s hottest lunch spots, Orna v’Ella. You’ll know it by the queues which form throughout Friday afternoon; it's worth the wait.

While the devout can be seen hurrying to synagogue, many in magnificent black brocade coats and round fur hats, Tel Aviv’s mostly secular citizens are getting ready for the biggest night out of the week. The Chinky Beach party is a late Friday afternoon fixture, and party animals pack out the bars all along the several miles of beach as well as the clubs off the southern end of Rothschild Boulevard.

This splendid thoroughfare, lined with the Bauhas buildings which have made Tel Aviv a Word Heritage Site and earned it the nickname "White City", is a great place for a Saturday stroll in the company of families who wander with dogs and babies along the central reservation, stopping to kibbitz with neighbours, boules-players, other dog-owners and perhaps stop at one of the street cafes.

For much of the year, themed sculptures add interest to Rothschild’s green central path, and art aficionados may like to know that the excellent Tel Aviv Museum of Art does open Saturdays from 10am till 4pm - but inexplicably closes Sundays, which must surprise and disappoint many a foreign visitor drawn by its prized Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections.

Many Tel Avivites spend Saturday hanging out at the beach, and if that seems too unseasonal, it’s still good to walk the splendid miles of promenade in winter sunshine. Consider exploring the ancient alleys of Jaffa, to the south, particularly enchanting when lit up for late winter afternoons and evenings, or the lively port area to the north.

Where your interests lie should determine your hotel choice; the Hotel Dan Panorama at the south end is within a stroll of Jaffa, Rothschild Boulevard and the buzzy Neve Tzedek area, and offers excellent value. It’s a long way from the port, however - if nightlife and beach bars are your preference, consider the newly-revamped Carlton Hotel at the north end.



On Saturday the kosher restaurants join their many non-kosher rivals in opening for dinner with a more relaxing vibe, as Israelis come to the end of their weekend break. With a choice of so many good restaurants now in Tel Aviv, it would be a shame to always eat in the hotel.

Sunday is a good day to head for Ramat Aviv and the excellent Diaspora Museum, which engagingly tells the tale of the couple of million Jews scattered across the globe. So long as you’re up there, stroll the beautiful grounds of Tel Aviv’s university campus. Not far from here, the Palmach Museum stages an innovative and moving account of the fight to establish the State of Israel - but it’s necessary to book in advance (Tel: +972 3 643 6393), as tours are conducted only in groups, and last a full 90 minutes.

© TheTravelEditor.com

Reproduced with the kind permission of TheTravelEditor.com

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