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Tel Aviv



Hornblower

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
1,707
Got to go to Tel Aviv on a business trip for 5 days. Anyone out there got any experience of the city and any practical tips.
 


bhafc4eva

Well-known member
Nov 21, 2003
2,242
Bombs are good this time of year. Just don't get on a bus no matter how safe it looks. :wave:
 




Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,323
Uffern
I spent a week there in 1999: it's a mad place. The Israeli attitude to business is sell, sell, sell. I came out of several meetings feeling as if I'd been battered. Don't expect a social life; even going for drinks or a meal turned into a meeting.

Having said that, it's an interesting place to walk around - although I can't say it's beautiful. A cafe that I went to one evening was blown to pieces a few years later - you always get the sense that you're in a war-zone.

Pretty good food though, nearly everyone speaks English and there are some very good looking women there.

And allow LOTS of time to check in your flight, particularly going back. I arrived three and a half hours before my flight left and got on it by the skin of my teeth (and hadn't visited a bar or a duty-free).
 


trueblue

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
10,350
Hove
Went there twice last year.

The worst part is the travel. Big security on the way out, and a real grilling from several different people on the way back. Make sure you know where you're staying and exactly why you're there, who you're seeing etc With nothing to hide there's nothing to worry about, but make sure you leave loads of time.

As for the city, most of the time I felt it was just like any other Mediterranean resort. It's got a nice beach although some people warned me against swimming in the sea because of pollution. You'll see plenty of guards with guns but certainly when I was there most locals were intent on having as enjoyable a time as possible and the West Bank seemed a world away. Just don't talk politics - it's not worth getting started.

Granted, I came back before the market bomb - which I think was the first major attack for a long time - and that may have made it slightly more edgy. Everyone is very welcoming though. You'll almost certainly be gald you've been to see it for yourself.

(PS Be careful about what you eat. Both times I had stomach trouble after - the second time full on 'campylobactor' food poisioning, almost certainly from a salad cross-infected with raw chicken). Because it's so much like other major European cities it's easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. I'd treat it as a risky destination hygiene-wise and stick only to food and water that's been heated thoroughly/boiled and/or peeled. Even in the top hotels you have to be careful - I had a coffee in the Sheraton made with lukewarm rather than boiling water which may have been the cause of my other stomach upset).
 




Jul 5, 2003
109
London
Went to Tel Aviv last spring.

It would be wrong to suggest that you aren't aware of the security situation there but it shouldn't really affect you. You may have to queue for a couple of minutes before entering a shopping mall but that's about it.

Shopping is quite good there and Israel is great for food.

The beach is lovely but probably a bit cold at the moment.

Jaffa (15 minutes walk South) is definitely worth a visit and if you haven't been before I'd try and visit the old city in Jerusalem - it's not much more than an hours drive.
 




Hornblower

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
1,707
Thanks for the useful stuff guys. I'm not sure whether to look forward to this or to dread it.
 






trueblue

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
10,350
Hove
Hornblower said:
Thanks for the useful stuff guys. I'm not sure whether to look forward to this or to dread it.

It'll be fine. You'll enjoy it. Far less dangerous than walking up West Street on a Friday night.
 



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