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Shenkin Street – one of the most popular Tel Aviv streets

Tel Aviv travel guide

Shenkin (Sheinkin) St. has been considered a local attraction for over 20 years, and one of the most popular Tel Aviv tourist attractions. The street that epitomized the “Tel Aviv Spirit” and from which the most exciting mainstream and alternative music, theater and dance groups emerged during the 80s, has become more conservative in recent years, but still offers some of the best Tel Aviv stores and coffee shops. A proof of its lasting popularity can be found in its recent portrayal as the background (if not an actual character) in the successful Eytan Fox & Gal Uchovsky feature film – The Bubble (2006).

Not ready to give up its mythic status in the Tel Aviv consciousness, and since very little of the culture center’s fame has actually remained in the street, a massive amount of great stores and cafes have managed to keep that ever stimulating street alive.

If it is clothes shopping you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. Some of the leading Israeli designers chose Shenkin for their stores: Ronen Chen (49 Sheinkin St.), Naama Bezalel and Banot – Lulu Liam (40 Sheinkin St.) are just few examples. For accessories and jewelry don’t miss the world famous jewelry designer Michal Negrin (37 Sheinkin St.) or Daniella Lehavi (35 Sheinkin St.), who’s famous for her leather bags and shoes.

Not quite ready to give up on culture? Pay a visit to Krembo, the ever-trendy music shop on 18 Shenkin St. The Western part of Shenkin, closer to the Carmel Market and Allenby, features many shoe stores, among which you’ll find some global brands as well (Camper, Aldo & Adidas, to name a few) but with all the original Israeli offerings, why bother?

By now you probably need to sit down and calm down a bit. A nice place to catch your breath is Ginat Shenkin, the tiny park located half way thru the street. Another option is one of the many coffee shops, starting from one of the Tel Aviv cultural landmarks – Café Tamar (57 Sheinkin St.) that has been serving stale coffee to a mix of Israel’s top politicians, journalists and artists for over 40 years. Sus Etz (20 Sheinkin St.) and Aroma (30 Sheinkin St.) are other options for a nice coffee break. But if you’re slightly hungrier than that, don’t miss Orna and Ella, without a doubt the best restaurant on the street.

Virtual tour of Shenkin Street >>

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Tel Aviv celebrates it's 100th birthday

Tel Aviv's 100th birthday celebrations kicked off on April 4th in Rabin Square before a crowd of 400,000, who came to celebrate in the most energetic, optimistic, liberated, and colorful city in the Middle East, and some say it's the most bustling, youthful and fun city in the whole world. The gala event started with a stunning concert highlighted with a multi-media sound & light show and performances by top Israeli artists: the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta, Barry Saharof, Matti Caspi, Shlomo Gronich, Miri Massika, Monica Sex, dancers and acrobats. Rock bands played on the roofs of nearby buildings, while impressive historical pictures of the first Hebrew city were displayed on huge screens. This amazing happening concluded with an impressive fireworks display and a massive street party. Tel Aviv features sky-scraping towers and stylish hotels by the Mediterranean Sea front promenade, offering one of the world’s most spectacular urban beaches of vast and pristine golden sands. Fashionable nightclubs, hip bars, fine restaurants and colorful cafés make it hard to imagine that exactly 100 years ago, there was nothing here but sand dunes and a few dreamers who started building the first Hebrew city of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv 100 celebrations from gigagil on Vimeo. Over the next nine months, more than 400 special events will be held all over the city, including music and art festivals, sporting events, special historic exhibitions amidst community projects, and many others. Some of the main 100th birthday events promise a lot of fun and surprises! In honor of Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, a special statue of him riding his horse will be erected in front of his historic home on Rothschild Boulevard, created by the sculptor David Zangelovitch. Sports: Tel Aviv will host the international marathon on April 24th and in June the European Windsurfing competition, takes place on Gordon Beach. Olympic medalists and contenders are expected to participate in this world class event. The 18th Maccabi Games will be held in the city in July. Architecture: The annual "White Night" celebration will take place on May 27th. Stunning Rothschild Boulevard, the location of some of the most beautiful Bauhaus buildings, will become one big street theatre with professional actors playing scenes from the early 1920s. Culinary fairs: The city's famous fruit and vegetable market will be open till dawn, as well as the nearby Nahalat Binyamin Street with its arts & crafts fair. Restaurants and bars will be open all night. Blues Festival: Music, art and food will be celebrated in Old Jaffa. A happening featuring street music, art galleries and fine restaurants will be open at the renewed Old Jaffa Port. On July 16th, for the first time in Israel, Milan's La Scala opera house will perform Verdi's Requiem in HaYarkon Park for free. The Rosh Hashana holiday will be celebrated at Rabin Square with a spectacular flower carpeted square.

Ben-Gurion St. Tel Aviv

Ben-Gurion St. is one of Tel Aviv's nicest places to have a walk and a cup of coffee in the middle of the Street. There are a couple of places along the boulevard worth visiting. Ben-Gurion's house (17 Ben-Gurion St.) is the former residence of Israel's first Prime Minister. It is a very modest house converted into museum, and has an impressive library that contains thousands of books. The design of the house is interesting, and reflects the simple lifestyle of its former residents which were the common values at the early years of the state of Israel. Alongside Ben-Gurion St., you will see many small outdoor cafes, with people sitting and chatting. All of them serve quality coffee and sandwiches. If you are looking for a nice restaurant in the area, Goocha (171 Dizengoff St.) is probably the place you were looking for. It is situated at the cross point of Ben-Gurion St. and Dizengoff St. and serves nice seafood dishes. The restaurant is well known for its pleasant atmosphere and reasonable prices. Kikar Atarim, a small plaza with nice seafront view, is a popular hangout place for tourists during the summer months, and is situated at the west end of Ben-Gurion St. In the middle of the plaza there is a successful Mega-Bar named "La Kikar", which is jammed every evening with fine looking crowd. The Marina hotel, overlooking the plaza and the Mediterranean, is located in the northern side of Kikar Atarim, and offers renovated rooms and underground parking lot for its guests, which is a rare feature in Tel Aviv. For couples traveling with small children, there is the Dyada center at 17 Ben-Gurion St.. It offers a wide selection of children pass-times throughout the day and many types of amusements for kids. In Dyada the young ones can have some fun while you are sitting in the garden and having a peaceful light meal in the restaurant located inside the complex.

Yad Harutzim nightlife center in downtown Tel Aviv

Yad Harutzim is probably not the best place to visit during the day, when it offers the not-too-sexy blend of auto repair shops, noisy multi-lane roads and old office buildings. But when the sun goes down, this area becomes one of the city's nightlife centers. Restaurants are packed, bars are massive and the nightclubs are lined one next to the other. Some of the biggest names in the city's nightlife scene are located here, and some excellent restaurants too, so if it's past 7 PM, it is definitely an area worth a visit. When it comes to the combination of casual atmosphere, great food and superb design the Coffee Bar (13 Yad Harutzim St., Tel 03-6889696) is probably among the best places to dine in Tel Aviv. This mostly French cuisine bistro is accompanied by a rich wine list and friendly service, in what is often referred to as one of the best casual restaurants in the country. Another culinary treat nearby is Vince and Tamar (10 Hazfira St., Tel: 03-6390407), which is an industrial-chic Italian restaurant. You will find no formal menus here, but daily specials listed on a blackboard. The moderate prices are more than reasonable for your diner value. Yad Harutzim hosts many nightclubs in a pretty condensed area. The Dome is one of the city's well established Mega-clubs, usually playing house and techno music. Prices are not cheap, but you will get your money's worth if Mega-Clubs are your cup of tea. Nearby are the SO and the VOX nightclubs, both offering the same type of music to similar crowd, happy and friendly (especially after a couple of drinks). If the underground scene and some experimental music are your thing, Café Barzilay is a smaller club that frequently hosts great DJs from abroad. Sometimes there are live performances of alternative Israeli artists too. If you're looking for mega-bars, mega-clubs or good restaurants in a downtown atmosphere, then Yad Harutzim is the place for you to visit. Bare in mind that traffic is pretty crowded there so you'd better come with Sherut (service) shared taxis, which has stops nearby on its way to the Central Bus Station. More about Tel Aviv bars and night life >>

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