Tel Aviv Travelers Recommend

The second saltiest major body of water on earth, the Dead Sea possesses such high salinity that it makes swimmers become super-buoyant. Here’s what you need to know about visiting one of Israel’s top attractions from Tel Aviv.

Full-Day Tours

Located 61 miles (98 kilometers) from Tel Aviv at 1,312 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea makes a relatively easy day trip. Tours often include stops in the Judean Desert such as the Inn of the Good Samaritan, the mountaintop Masada fort, the Ein Gedi Oasis, the ancient settlement of Qumran, and the city of Jericho—one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. No matter what tour you choose, you’ll have free time to float in the salty water or take a therapeutic mud bath.

Multi-Day Tours

With so much to see in the region surrounding the Dead Sea, a multi-day tour becomes an enticing option for those with more time to spare. Lasting anywhere from two to five days, a Dead Sea tour from Tel Aviv might include Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masada, the caves of Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found), Nazareth, and the Sea of Galilee.

Things to Know

• Day trips to the Dead Sea can last upwards of 12 hours, depending on the option chosen.

• Combine your visit to the Dead Sea with stops at sites like Masada and Old Jerusalem.

• A guided tour allows you to see other points of interest on the way to and from the Dead Sea.

• Multi-day tours take you to Israel’s highlights, including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Masada.

• Some tours include pickup and drop-off at Tel Aviv hotels.

As one of the world’s oldest cities and an important spiritual center of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jerusalem is an undisputed highlight for visitors to Israel. Here’s what you need to know about visiting Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, about an hour’s drive.

Full-Day Tours

Jerusalem is jam-packed with sights to see, but it’s possible to catch all the highlights on a half- or full-day trip from Tel Aviv. On a typical city tour, you’ll visit the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), Jewish Quarter, King David’s Tomb, Via Dolorosa, the Garden of Gethsemane, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Mount of Olives, and extend your visit to nearby Bethlehem to explore the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square. Depending on the tour, you might also stop at the Dead Sea.

Multi-Day Tours

Almost all multi-day small-group or private tours through Israel’s Holy Land take you to the top attractions in Jerusalem’s old city, as well as Bethlehem, Masada, and the Dead Sea. Those who have couple extra days to spare will also be able to see the biblical landmarks of Nazareth as well as the Sea of Galilee and towns like Caesarea, Haifa, Rosh Hanikra, and Acre.

Things to Know

• Jerusalem is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) southeast of Tel Aviv.

• Day tours to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv can last anywhere from six to 12 hours depending on the option chosen.

• Choose a day trip or a guided multi-day tour of Israel’s highlights.

• Many tours include hotel pickup and drop-off in Tel Aviv.

With three days in Tel Aviv, you can get a taste of the city old and new—from Jaffa old town and the Bauhaus district to clubs and street art. If you plan carefully, you can also check off signature sights of the biblical Holy Land, including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, and Masada, a cliff-top fortress built by King Herod. Here’s how.

Day 1: Tel Aviv Taster

The modern city of Tel Aviv originated with the ancient port of Jaffa, so start your explorations here, with breakfast by the port and a morning spent shopping the Jaffa Flea Market. Besides junk, vintage, and antiques, the market is home to lively cafés, bars, and restaurants. After lunch, check off Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus downtown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a walking tour, then soak up impressionist and postimpressionist masterpieces at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Come evening, make your way to the hipster district of Florentin. Absorb vibrant street art and explore indie galleries, then eat and drink your way through the neighborhood’s lively bar and café scene.

Day 2: Bible Adventures

If your time in Israel is limited, spend your second day in Tel Aviv exploring two of the Bible’s most important sites: Bethlehem, where Jesus is believed to have been born, and Jerusalem, a holy city to Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike. Start the day in Jerusalem, exploring the medieval streets of its magical Old Town and checking off sights such as the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock. Cross into the West Bank to visit Bethlehem and see religious highlights such as the Church of the Nativity. Back in Tel Aviv, head to Carmel Market, the city’s largest market, for a street-food feast for dinner.

Day 3: Dead Sea and Masada

Set 1,412 feet (430 meters) below sea level, the hypersalinated Dead Sea is one of the wonders of the world: not just because it’s impossible to sink in it, but for the incredible softness of its mineral-rich clay. At only two hours from Tel Aviv, it makes an easy day trip. Couple it with Masada, a dramatic cliff-top fortress built by King Herod that may have been the site of a mass suicide during Jewish resistance to the Romans, and Ein Gedi, a green nature reserve nestled amid the desert. For your last night in Tel Aviv, savor dinner on the beach, then experience the city’s vibrant bar scene. Discover the beer gardens and cocktail bars on Dizengoff Street before you wrap up your stay at one of the rooftop clubs that spring to life each summer.

With two days in Tel Aviv, you can get a taste of the city old and new, from historic Jaffa and the Bauhaus district to high-energy rooftop clubs and a world-class art museum, and still have enough time left over to sample highlights of the biblical Holy Land. Here’s how to make the most of 48 hours in Tel Aviv.

Day 1: Tel Aviv Taster

**Morning:**Start your Tel Aviv adventure by exploring the ancient port city of Jaffa, which Tel Aviv grew up around. After breakfast by the port, shop the Jaffa Flea Market, with its cafés, bars, boutiques, and restaurants, as well as street stalls packed with everything from junk to vintage gems. Lunch on seafood on the beach.

**Afternoon:**Tel Aviv is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its sinuous white buildings designed in an adapted Bauhaus style. Check off highlights of the White City on a walking tour. Next, soak up the world-class art collection at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, with works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin, Matisse, and more.

**Night:**Dine early on hearty Israeli fare around the Carmel Market produce market, then discover a different side of Tel Aviv: the hipster district of Florentin. Admire the colorful street art, pop into independent galleries, then sip and snack your way through the area’s bustling bar and café scene.

Day 2: Into the Holy Land

**Morning:**If you only have a short time in Israel, spend your second day checking off the Holy Land’s signature sites. Start in Jerusalem, touring sacred sights such as the Mount of Olives, the Dome of the Rock, the Wailing Wall, and Via Dolorosa and strolling the streets of the Jewish Quarter.

**Afternoon:**Cross into the West Bank to visit Bethlehem, where Christians and Muslims believe Jesus was born. Tour highlights of Manger Square, including the Church of the Nativity, built on Jesus’ birthplace; see the Shepherds’ Fields; and learn about the long history of the Mosque of Omar.

**Night:**Back in Tel Aviv, spend your last night discovering the city’s vibrant nightlife. Start by exploring Dizengoff Street, with its bustling beer gardens and stylish cocktail bars, then wrap up the night at one of the rooftop party bars that appear across Tel Aviv each summer.

A vibrant beach city that’s home to probably the world’s best-preserved Bauhaus architecture, Tel Aviv’s cosmopolitan energy is hard to resist. One day in Tel Aviv gives you time to explore the ancient port city of Jaffa and the Bauhaus district, tour the world-class art museum, and get a taster of the city’s buzzing nightlife. Here’s how.

Morning: Jaffa Explorations

Start the day with a Middle Eastern breakfast of hummus and pita bread by Jaffa Port, then soak up the atmosphere as you explore this ancient city that long predates Tel Aviv. Next, venture to the Jaffa Flea Market, an intoxicating warren of street stalls, cafés, bars, boutiques, and restaurants, where you can buy everything from ancient irons and Arabic brassware to vintage clothes and antique wood carvings (the market closes on Saturdays). For lunch, enjoy a seafood feast on the golden sands of laid-back Alma Beach.

Afternoon: White City

During the 1930s, Jewish refugees fled en masse from Germany to Tel Aviv, bringing with them the modernist Bauhaus architectural style but adapting it to the desert climate. UNESCO has recognized the White City that they built, with over 4,000 structures, as a World Heritage Site; be sure to explore some of the highlights on a walking tour. After architecture, turn your attentions to the spectacular geometry of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, home to a world-class collection of works by the likes of Max Ernst, Vincent Van Gogh, and Wassily Kandinsky.

Night: Barhopping

Tel Aviv’s nightlife scene is the region’s buzziest, with beautiful people partying until dawn in cafés, bars, and clubs and on rooftops—and you’d be remiss not to join in. Load up on hearty Israeli fare at the eateries in and around Carmel Market, then head for the bright lights of the city center. Lively Dizengoff Street offers something for almost everyone, from beer gardens to classy cocktail joints, and makes a great place to start the evening off. Later, make a beeline for the rooftop bars that spring up across the city every summer.