Tel Aviv in a day: what to see

The Rothschild Boulevard remains the first appointment of the day: the tree-lined avenue that crosses the heart of the White City concentrates some of the most recognizable examples of Bauhaus architecture brought to the city by European Jewish architects in the 1930s.

A few steps away is the Carmel Market, the covered and open-air market where stalls of spices, fruit, and street food intertwine in one of the city's most lively neighborhoods.

Continuing to Neve Tzedek, the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the walls of Jaffa in the nineteenth century, you cross alleys with low houses now occupied by boutiques and art galleries.

For lunch, the restaurants around the Carmel Market or Neve Tzedek offer some of the city's best hummus and falafel.

The rest of the day is played out on the beach and waterfront, where the Tayelet, the coastal promenade, runs for kilometers along the Mediterranean.

Old Jaffa, the ancient port at the base of Tel Aviv, preserves instead its Ottoman clock tower, flea market, and stone alleyways overlooking the sea.

As evening falls, heading back to the center, the restaurants around Rothschild Boulevard become the point of reference for dinner, before moving on to the city's nightlife.

Rothschild Boulevard, Carmel Market, and Neve Tzedek are enough to tell Tel Aviv's Bauhaus soul, while an afternoon choice between the beach and Old Jaffa completes the picture with the seaside or historical side.

The Eretz Israel Museum and a trip to Jerusalem, not far away, remain chapters for a second journey. Watching the white facades of Rothschild Boulevard framed by palms at sunset is perhaps the clearest memory of Tel Aviv.