Starting your trip at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv-Yafo means everything around the region sits within an easy drive. Tel Aviv is a young, hedonistic Mediterranean city with a nonstop beach, a Bauhaus skyline, and a nightlife that starts near midnight. Old Jaffa, with its stone port and flea market, anchors the south end, and the rest is cafes, cycle lanes, and sun.

Standout experiences around Tel Aviv: - Bike the seafront promenade from the port to Jaffa - Wander Old Jaffa's alleys and bargain in the Jaffa flea market - Eat hummus, shakshuka, and sabich at Carmel Market stalls - Walk Rothschild Boulevard and the White City's Bauhaus buildings, a UNESCO site - Browse the boutiques and ice cream of Neve Tzedek - Hunt for street art in Florentin - Swim or play matkot paddle ball on Gordon and Frishman beaches - Have Friday brunch in Sarona or the Tel Aviv Port - Dance until dawn in the clubs along the port and south Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is also the hub for the whole country. Jerusalem's Old City is about an hour east, the Roman ruins and beaches of Caesarea forty-five minutes north, and Haifa's Bahai gardens around an hour beyond. Rehovot's Weizmann Institute and the old town of Ramla are half an hour away, and the Dead Sea can be reached in about two hours. On Friday afternoon the city slows for Shabbat and the markets empty, then everything restarts on Saturday night. Order a cold limonana, mint lemonade, and watch the sunset from the beach. Tel Aviv is pure Mediterranean energy.