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Jaffa is the old port city that Tel Aviv grew out of, and it is close enough to walk to. From our door it is roughly 40 minutes south along the seafront, or about fifteen on a bike. Go in the afternoon, so you finish in the golden hour and come back along the water in the dark.

The short version

• Walk south along the promenade. It is flat, it is by the sea, and it takes about 40 minutes.
• Start at the clock tower, work up into the old town, finish at the harbour.
• The flea market is the best part and is busiest in the late afternoon.
• Come back at dusk for the view of the skyline from the sea wall.

Getting there

The promenade runs unbroken from our stretch of beach all the way south. There is no navigation involved - keep the sea on your right and walk. The character shifts as you go, from the hotel beaches to the quieter southern sands and then to the sea wall with the old town rising behind it.

If walking both ways is too much, walk down and take a taxi or a bike back. The one thing worth doing on foot is the arrival, because Jaffa appears gradually as you come round the bay.

The clock tower and Yefet Street

The Ottoman clock tower is the obvious starting point and the thing everyone photographs. Around it are the bakeries and the food that Jaffa is known for; this end of the walk is best done hungry.

The flea market

Shuk HaPishpeshim is the heart of it. Genuine junk, genuine antiques, furniture, records, clothes, and a great many bars and restaurants that have grown up among the stalls. It is one of the few markets that has become fashionable without entirely losing the point.

Late afternoon is the best time. The trading is still going, the light is good in the narrow streets, and the places that turn into bars in the evening are just starting to fill.

The old town and the harbour

Above the market the alleys climb through restored stone lanes towards the top of the hill, and then drop down to the harbour on the other side. This is the postcard Jaffa: pale stone, arches, cats, and small galleries in old buildings. It is compact enough that getting lost is part of the plan rather than a problem.

The old port at the bottom is a working harbour with fishing boats, plus hangars converted into restaurants and event spaces. Fish, eaten by the water, is the obvious thing to do here.

The view back

The single best thing in Jaffa is free. Stand on the sea wall at the top and look north: the whole curve of the Tel Aviv coastline, the beaches you walked down, and the towers behind them. At dusk, with the lights coming on, it is the picture people remember from the trip.

Then walk home along the water, which takes about the same 40 minutes and is better in the dark than it is in daylight.

Practical notes

• The old town is cobbled and steep in places. Sensible shoes.
• The flea market is quiet on Saturdays, and Friday afternoons wind down early.
• Opening hours for individual places change constantly - check on the day.