Jaffa district, Tel Aviv, Israel

Jaffa (Yafo in Hebrew, Yafa in Arabic) is one of the oldest port cities in the world: it appears in Egyptian records of the 15th century BC and in the Bible, where Jonah sets sail from here. In 1950 it was merged with the young city of Tel Aviv into Tel Aviv-Yafo, and today Old Jaffa forms the historic southern end of the city’s seafront.

The old town stands on a rocky hill above the harbor. Its restored stone alleys are full of galleries and craft studios, and several of them are named after the signs of the zodiac. At the top, Kedumim Square is overlooked by the Franciscan St. Peter’s Church, and beneath the square a small visitors’ centre displays excavations from Jaffa’s long history. The nearby HaPisga Garden, with its Wishing Bridge, offers views along the coast to the Tel Aviv skyline.

Below the hill lies the old port, now lined with fish restaurants and cafés, and just offshore is Andromeda’s Rock, where, according to Greek myth, Perseus rescued Andromeda from a sea monster. East of the old town stand the Ottoman clock tower of 1906 and the lively flea market, Shuk HaPishpeshim.

Jaffa is a pleasant walk south along the seafront promenade from central Tel Aviv, and from the central bus station it takes about 25–30 minutes on foot; buses and taxis also go there. The district is free to visit, and two to three hours are enough to see the main sights. It is quieter and greener than the city centre and makes a good contrast to modern Tel Aviv.