Jaffa travel guide

Jaffa, Israel

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Jaffa

Introduction

Jaffa — also written Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English — is an ancient Levantine port city that forms the southern part of Tel Aviv-Yafo in Israel. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on the Mediterranean coastline, so the sea and the port below shape the setting of the older town.

Before you go

Jaffa is the ancient port and city centre at the heart of the Tel Aviv region, and it is worth understanding its place in the area before you arrive. Until Tel Aviv was founded in 1908 in the sand dunes to the north, Jaffa was the main settlement here, home to Arabs, Jews and successive waves of occupiers including the Turks and the British.

Today Jaffa is a southern suburb of Tel Aviv and the main concentration of Arab population in the Tel Aviv area. Like other nearby areas, it is beginning to undergo gentrification from downtown Tel Aviv, so expect a neighbourhood in transition rather than a fixed postcard.

Getting there

Jaffa sits directly south of central Tel Aviv, and getting there from the city is straightforward. On foot, follow the beach promenade south from central Tel Aviv until you reach the clock tower on Jaffa's northern outskirts. Cycling may be the best way to make the trip: Tel-O-Fun rental stations are plentiful across the Tel Aviv/Jaffa area, so you can pick up a bike and ride down.

Many bus routes connect central Tel Aviv with Jaffa. By train, some intercity services stop at Holon–Wolfson railway station in the extreme southern part of Jaffa, but note that it sits far from the old town.

Getting around

Walking is the best way to get between the sights in Jaffa: the interesting sites are very close together, so once you are in the old town you can cover the highlights on foot without needing any vehicle at all. Walking is also the simplest way to arrive from Tel Aviv — head south from the centre along the beach promenade until you reach the clock tower at the northern outskirts of Jaffa, which effectively delivers you to the edge of the historic quarter. If you want to explore Jaffa primarily on foot, base yourself in or near the old town, where the sites cluster tightly together.

Cycling may be the best way to visit Jaffa from Tel Aviv: the Tel-O-Fun bike rental scheme has many stations throughout the Tel Aviv/Jaffa area, making it easy to pick up a bike, ride along the coast and drop it off near your destination. Many bus routes also run to Jaffa from central Tel Aviv, a straightforward option for the short trip between the two halves of the city. Jaffa is served by Holon–Wolfson railway station, where some intercity trains stop, but be aware that it sits at the extreme southern part of Jaffa, well away from the old town and the historic sites, so it is not the most convenient arrival point if your destination is the port area; check whether it or a central Tel Aviv station better matches where you are staying. Taxis and ride-hailing services are a practical fallback for short hops, late nights, or reaching the railway station and other points outside the walkable core. From Ben Gurion Airport, the train is generally the simplest option for reaching central Tel Aviv, from where you can continue to Jaffa by bus, taxi, bicycle or on foot along the promenade; taxis and ride-hailing also run directly from the airport if you would rather travel door to door.

Where to stay

Jaffa's sleeping options are few but distinctive, and where you stay shapes your trip. For a budget base, the Old Jaffa Hostel sits in the heart of the flea market, a shabby-chic place that can be noisy from nearby bars. The Milk & Honey Hostel on Shalma Rd is friendly but basic, in a good location.

At the top end, The Drisco on Auerbach St is the grand old dame of Tel Aviv, originally the Jerusalem Hotel, built in 1866 and closed in 1940; it sat abandoned for decades before being painstakingly restored and reopened under its current name in 2018. The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, on Louis Pasteur St and The Setai Tel Aviv on David Razi'el St round out the splurge choices.

Food & drink

Jaffa rewards eating with appetite. Start your day at Abouelafia and Sons, the bakery near the clock tower that stays open around the clock and draws people from far beyond the city for its mounds of pastries and confectioneries. For lunch, join the crowds at Ali Karavan Abu Hassan, famous for hummus, massabaha (coarsely textured hummus with whole chick peas) and ful (cooked spicy fava beans) — many Israelis claim it is the best hummus in the country, and it serves until the hummus runs out. Cafe Puaa, on the edge of the flea market, is a local favourite for Israeli food, especially breakfast and brunch, and is known for its fried cauliflower.

For a fuller meal, Itzik HaGadol fills your table with an array of salads before bringing out steak, kebab or meat skewers. Onza, near the centre of the flea market, serves upscale modern Middle Eastern dinners with a Turkish flair and takes reservations. Aladin on the Mifrats Shlomo promenade offers seafood in a great location, though its food gets mixed reviews, while Goldman lets you take breakfast, lunch or dinner with a view of the beach and old Jaffa. For something unusual, Blackout serves a meal entirely in the dark, simulating the experience of blind people as part of the Nalaga'at Center — reserve ahead. In the evening, Saloona is a neighbourhood bar with an art orientation, often showing work by local artists on its walls, and Leo 5, beneath the Ilana Goor Museum, is a lively spot with a generous owner and a wide array of rock and roll memorabilia.

What to see and do

Most visitors come to Jaffa to wander: the restored Zodiac alleys, named for the signs of the zodiac, are lined with art galleries and lead down to the seaport, where the Old Jaffa and port district holds shops, restaurants and events. Near the water you can see Andromeda's rock, where Greek myth has Andromeda tied before Perseus rescued her, and cross the Wishing Bridge, where tradition says touching your zodiac sign while facing the sea makes your wish come true. The al-Bahr Sea Mosque, built in 1675, is the oldest surviving mosque in Jaffa and is still used by fishermen and sailors. St. Peter's Catholic Church, a Franciscan church built on the remains of a Crusaders' fortress, is said to have hosted Napoleon when it served as a hostel. Elsewhere in the city you can find the Jaffa Clock Tower, a local landmark from 1903, the Old Jaffa Museum in a 13th-century complex that once served as the Ottoman government headquarters and now hosts art exhibitions, and the Ramesses Gate, archaeological remains from the 16th century BCE that are freely viewed but hard to appreciate without a guide. A cluster of churches and monasteries rewards a walking tour, among them the Armenian Saint Nicholas Monastery, at least a thousand years old, and the Greek Orthodox Saint Archangel Michael Monastery, rebuilt after a fire.

To understand the history and significance of particular places, a guided tour is worthwhile. For entertainment, the Nalaga'at Theater stages performances entirely by deaf-blind people, blending circus arts and sign language with regular theater. You can rent regular or electric bikes near the clock tower, or take a guided inner journey in a video dome at the port. Givat HaAliyah is the quietest of Tel Aviv's beaches, and Bloomfield Stadium hosts the city's football clubs.

Three days in Jaffa

Day one: Start in Jaffa itself, the old port city known through history as Japho, Joppa, Joppe and Yafo, and still called Yafo in Hebrew. Wander the old town and the port, where the Mediterranean sets the pace, and take in the layers left by Arabs, Jews, Turks, the British and others who have passed through. In the evening, stay in Jaffa rather than commuting: the Old Jaffa Hostel and The Milk and Honey Hostel are both in the city, and Shalma Rd is a good base for an evening stroll.

Day two: Give the day to the coast and the city around you. Walking and cycling are easy ways to link Jaffa with Tel Aviv, which grew out of Jaffa and now runs into it along the shore. If you want a slower day, stay local and explore Jaffa's streets and markets on foot. For a comfortable stay, The Drisco on Auerbach St and the Jerusalem Hotel are options in the city.

Day three: Use your last day to look outward. Holon and Wolfson are within reach, and taxis make short hops simple; from Ben Gurion Airport you can connect onward when your trip ends. Until Tel Aviv took the spotlight, Jaffa was the centre of gravity here, and today Jaffa keeps its own character within Israel. Finish with a last walk by the Mediterranean before you leave.

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