Tel Aviv Itineraries for 2 to 5 Days
Travel advice. A trip to Israel needs more checking than most. Read your own government’s current travel advice before you book, check it again in the week you travel, and keep flights and accommodation flexible, because alerts, flight cancellations and airspace closures can come at short notice. The UK government advice is a good starting point. Know where the nearest shelter is wherever you sleep.
Two to three days cover Tel Aviv itself. Longer plans make sense when the city is a base for day trips, with Jerusalem the main one. Prices are in shekels (₪), and Shabbat shapes every itinerary: trains and standard buses stop from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening, and markets close on Saturday.
Days 1 to 3 in the city
Day 1: White City and the sea. Start with a Bauhaus walk along Rothschild Boulevard and Dizengoff Street, then eat at Carmel Market before it closes. Spend the afternoon on the Tayelet. In the evening go to Jaffa for the sunset and the old port.
Day 2: art and neighbourhoods. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art opens at 10:00 on weekdays, and it is open on Saturday but closed on Sunday. Adult tickets are ₪55. Move on to Neve Tzedek, which dates from 1887, and then to the street art of Florentin in the south.
Day 3: Jerusalem or the coast. Take the early fast train to Jerusalem, about 30 to 35 minutes, and return the same evening. On Saturday, when trains do not run, spend the day at Caesarea by car or tour, or visit museums that stay open, such as the Eretz Israel Museum from 10:00 to 16:00.
Days 4 and 5 as a regional base
Day 4: Masada and the Dead Sea. The drive is about two hours each way, and an organised tour saves the effort. Float at Ein Bokek, keep your face dry and carry water.
Day 5: Akko and Haifa. A coastal train reaches Akko in roughly 75 minutes. Add Haifa’s Bahá’í Gardens on the way back if you start early. If you prefer to stay put, choose a surf morning at Hilton Beach in season, or a long lunch in Jaffa.
Timing and cost
Hotel prices rise around Pride Week in June and around the autumn Jewish holidays, and transport is reduced on holidays as well as on Shabbat. The bathing season is May to October, with lifeguards at about 07:15 to 16:45, so a beach day in winter means walking, not swimming. Cards work almost everywhere, and public transport needs a Rav-Kav card or an app because buses and trains do not take cash.
Arrival
Visa-exempt visitors need an ETA-IL before travelling, at about ₪25 for 2 years. The airport train to Tel Aviv costs about ₪14 and takes 15 to 20 minutes, running around the clock Sunday to Thursday. A taxi from Terminal 3 is a flat ₪150, and the train does not run on Shabbat. See the municipal airport page .
Compare multi-day options through Tel Aviv multi-day tours , and book rooms through Tel Aviv hotels .
Read more: day trips from Tel Aviv and the 3-day Tel Aviv itinerary .