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After spending the perfect day in the center of Tlv, you are now ready to head south and discover the beautiful and unique Jaffa. Jaffa (if you don’t want to sound like a complete tourist say: Yafo) is one of the most ancient port cities in the world and you can feel this antique atmosphere the minute you cross over from Tlv to Jaffa.

Morning
When embarking on your Jaffa day, I strongly recommend waking up a little earlier then usual and walking on the Tlv promenade towards Jaffa. It’s not too long of a walk and it will start your day in the right ambience. It really is interesting to notice the changes in the people, smells and architecture as you walk along the beach, and you will absolutely know when you have reached Jaffa! If for some reason you didn’t get it, look for a big clock tower and then you will know for sure.

A two minute walk from there you will find the best breakfast in Jaffa, Dr Shakshuka (3 Beit Ashel St., 03-6822842) this is THE place to eat the traditional Israeli dish, the Shakshuka, made of cooked tomatoes, peppers, spices and eggs. The Dr. worked very hard to gain this title, but since he officially owns it, there are no objections. There are lots of other options on the menu, but don’t get confused, stick to the good old classic Shakshuka.

A two minute walk south will lead you street to the Jaffa Flea Market. This is a great place to get lost in. The market is not in a closed or bounded area, so you really just have to walk around, going into the different antique stores, searching for the best finds in the clothing or souvenir booths and bargaining with the sales people in order not to come out a complete sucker. I’ve been living in Tlv all my life and I still come here every month to check out what’s new.

When you are totally pooped after tiring your legs exploring the Flea Market alleys and you are dying for a cold drink, look for Puah (3 Rabi Yohanan St, 03-6823821) a very cool café that is located right in the middle of the flea market and is designed in the market’s style. I’m almost sure all the furniture was actually bought at the market. Although Pauh has some very good food, don’t be tempted, I have a much more serious lunch planned for later on…

Noon
Now the time has come to continue west and reach Old Jaffa itself. The area is situated on a high hill, overlooking the sea and Tlv, it is a beautiful, almost breathtaking sight. Kikar Kedumim is situated in the center of the area and there is a pretty good visitor center near it (03-5182680 Open daily. Sun-Thur: 9:00-22:00, Fri: 9:00-14:00, Sat: 10:00-22:00, free entrance) where a cool movie about the history of Jaffa is screened, it may sound really touristic and corny but it’s actually kind of fun.

The alleys of Old Jaffa are named after the signs of the Zodiac and they are filled with small artist galleries and Judaica shops. My absolute favorite is the Ilana Goor Museum (http://www.ilanagoor.com), the home of the world known artist Ilana Goor in which several of her amazing sculptures and other art is displayed. It is really a must!

After all this walking around and trying to make yourself sophisticated you have to eat! And in Jaffa the thing to eat is fish! Straight from the Mediterranean (and also imported for all kinds of other places…) the fish restaurants of the Jaffa port are to die for. Have your pick from the Fishermen restaurant (03-6824115), Babbi at the port (03-6813871) or Shabty’s (03-6813806), they’re all delicious, fun and inexpensive, grab a beer and watch the clear blue sea.

Evening
Ok, so I promised a complete perfect day but the truth is Tlv is so much better then Jaffa at night! So my honest recommendation to you is to take a cab back to the only real city, Tel Aviv and party in on of the great places I’ve suggested in former posts.

But if you are a freaky type that just has to finish the day where it started, I can recommend you check out what is playing at the Mayumana House (www.mayumana.com). Mayumana is a crazy dance, music theatre group that has been working together for many years, each time putting on a different spectacular show. The style is hard to explain but when you watch a Mayumana show you will be jumping and shooting the whole time and leave the theatre all loaded with energy.

This days Mayumana have joined up with the very famous Israeli Singer David Broza in a performance called Bejuntos, This show offers a combination of the creativity and skills of Mayumana group with those of David Broza, allowing the audience to experience new and exciting artistic aspects of them both.

If there is nothing going on there then head back to Tlv!!!!!