Jerusalem, one of the oldest cities in the world.

Tel Aviv, Israel

I have traveled to Israel many times over the years. I have family there and often stay with them in the North of Tel Aviv, an area called Ramat Aviv. Tel Aviv runs along the Mediterranean Sea and has many great beaches and walkways. A pedestrian and bike path runs along the beach. The sand is as soft as flour, and the water is warm in the spring and summer months. Israelis love the outdoors and take full advantage of the many outdoor restaurants and bars. One of my favorite things to do there is have coffee and cheese toast on the beach in one of the many restaurants, with my feet in the sand and umbrellas overhead for shade from the strong sun. The best weather is the spring as the summer can get busy with tourists from all over, especially from Europe since it is only a short flight. Winter is the rainy season and the weather can be cool, but you can also have some warm days.

Israel has a long and interesting history dating back to the Roman times. Most religions meshed together in conflict there.

Israel Sourced From Wikipedia:

The Land of Israel, also known as the Holy Land or Palestine, is the birthplace of the Jewish people, the place where the final form of the Hebrew Bible is thought to have been compiled, and the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity. It contains sites sacred to Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, Druze and the Bahá'í Faith.

The region has come under the sway of various empires and, as a result, has hosted a wide variety of ethnicities. However, the land was predominantly Jewish (who are themselves an outgrowth of the earlier Canaanites) from roughly 1,000 years before the Common Era (BCE) until the 3rd century of the Common Era (The adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire in the 4th century led to a Greco-Roman Christian majority which lasted not just until the 7th century when the area was conquered by the Arab Muslim Empires, but for another full six centuries. It gradually became predominantly Muslim after the end of the Crusader period (1099-1291), during which it was the focal point of conflict between Christianity and Islam. From the 13th century it was mainly Muslim with Arabic as the dominant language and was first part of the Syrian province of the Mamluk Sultanate and after 1516 part of the Ottoman Empire until the British conquest in 1917-18.

A Jewish national movement, Zionism, emerged in the late-19th century (partially in response to growing antisemitism), as part of which Aliyah (Jewish return from diaspora) increased. During World War I, the British government publicly committed to create a Jewish National Home and was granted a Mandate to rule Palestine by the League of Nations for this purpose. A rival Arab nationalism also claimed rights over the former Ottoman territories and sought to prevent Jewish migration into Palestine, leading to growing Arab–Jewish tensions. Israeli independence in 1948 was accompanied by an exodus of Arabs from Israel, the Arab–Israeli conflict and a subsequent Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries to Israel. About 43% of the world's Jews live in Israel today, the largest Jewish community in the world.

I have always felt safe because of the security that is visible everywhere. Most people are very nice and helpful and all the younger people speak English. The city has a wonderful mix of Modern and Ancient Architecture. Modern Art museums with contemporary art are plentiful and the historical museums are rich in history. My favorite museum is the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Israel has become more expensive in the last 5 years and is similar to New York City’s cost of living. It has also become much more international, as far as food and people moving there. My favorite food in Tel Aviv is grilled fish and their pita bread. In Jaffa, they make a bread that is baked in large brick ovens and the dough is stuck to the walls. When it is warm, it is amazing. The food in general is very good and fresh as Israel has many farms and Kubutzes that sell to the markets.

Some of the must-see places in Tel Aviv.

Old Jaffa

An historical area where artists live and work, it is made up of winding alleyways flanked by soapstone buildings that wind through the hills overlooking Jaffa Port. In the open square, there is a flea market, cafes, restaurants and many tourist shops. If you walk up the small streets, you cross a bridge that leads to the Statue of Faith which is a great lookout point. Past that is an Archaeology dig.

You can go to the Ilana Goor Museum to see the work of a well-renowned artist. The Jaffa port, which sits at the base of the old city, is also must-see.

Jaffa (also known as Yafo) is the ancient port city out of which Tel Aviv has now grown. Jaffa has, in recent years, like much of South Tel Aviv, been regenerated with the old narrow streets and courtyards becoming another highly desirable part of Tel Aviv’s urban tapestry.

Jaffa flea market is a well-known attraction of the area, with vendors selling a diverse range of interesting and unique products. Meanwhile, the narrow passageways and ancient buildings in the Old City of Jaffa are worlds away from modern Tel Aviv.

Florentine

Florentine has numerous artists' workshops, cool cafes, restaurants, markets and graffiti tours, where you can walk for blocks among the painted buildings. It is similar to The Village in New York City. The area is also an industrial zone and a garment district, where both Jewish and Arab wholesalers buy and sell clothing and furniture.

Neve Tzedk

Neve Tzedk, which predates Tel Aviv, was the first place to house Jewish settlers outside of Jaffa, in 1887. It has a diverse range of architecture. Along its winding streets are boutiques, restaurants and artist studios. The residents preferred to construct the new quarter with low-rise buildings along narrow streets. These homes frequently incorporated design elements from the Jugendstil/Art Nouveau and later Bauhaus Art movements.

Carmel Market or Shuk HaCarmel

Caramel Market is a chaotic market that sells mostly food, but also a variety of items such as home accessories and flowers. Tuesdays and Fridays are the best days at the market as independent artists and vendors sell art, crafts, and jewelry along Nahalat Binyamin Street.

Side trips

Israel is a small country with many, great side trips. Must-see places are Jerusalem, The Dead Sea, and Masada, which are amazing places with great history, museums and fun walking tours. All the tour guides are well educated and highly informative.