Tel-Aviv Jaffa
We'll start the day exploring Old Jaffa, one of the most ancient port cities in the world. Our first stop will be Old Jaffa Visitor's Center. From there we'll proceed to visit St. Peter's Church and the House of Simon the Tanner. Walking along Jaffa's narrow allies we'll see the Floating Orange-Tree, and some galleries including Ilana Goor Museum. We'll proceed through the Crest Garden (Gan HaPisga), for a beautiful panoramic view of Tel-Aviv. Passing through the "Wishing Bridge", we'll head down to Jaffa's Port and hear the story of Andromeda and Perseus in Jaffa, and about Jonah, the Prophet that fled the city, avoiding a confrontation with the people of Nineveh. We'll continue to the Clock Tower Square, and over to the Flea Market. You'll have some free time to browse the market, and maybe grab something to eat. You may want to try the local "Shakshuka", an Israeli fry-up of tomatoes and eggs, or one of the excellent local "Humus" restaurants.
We'll proceed to the old train station, Hatachana, that operated between 1892 and 1948. The place is now a leisure and shopping complex.
Next, we'll explore Neve-Tzedek, the first neighborhood outside of Jaffa (1887), admiring its eclectic architecture, pleasant cafés and restaurants.
Well proceed to the first neighborhood of Tel-Aviv and see the first cinema, the first elevator, the first Kiosk, and the first skyscraper. If open we'll see Guttmann's mosaics, telling the story of Jaffa and Tel-Aviv.
Along Rothschild Boulevard, we'll visit the Independence Hall where the state of Israel was declared by its first prime minister – David Ben-Gurion. Then, to get to meet the locals, we'll proceed to the "Magen-David" Square, where you can spend some time walking along Nachalat Binyamin crafts fair (on Tuesdays and Fridays), Carmel Market and Shenkin St.
Next, we'll drive to Rabin Square and see the assassination site of the former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
We'll pass by the national theatre, "HaBima" and Tel-Aviv Museum of Art. Along the way we'll see some Bauhaus architecture, that has made Tel-Aviv a World Heritage Site and gave it the name "the white city".
Optional sites to include
Sarona Market
Ayalon Institute
Diaspora Museum
Latrun Armored corps museum (Yad La'Shiryon)
Rabin Museum
This is a long and busy day, please be dressed appropriately for entering holy sites, and wear comfortable walking shoes.
