Jaffa

Exploring Jaffa is a wonderful reason to visit this ancient city, as it's ideal for strolling and a dinner at one of the no-frills fish restaurants that line the quay. High above is the restored part of town, where art galleries and shops now occupy the centuries-old beach-rock buildings along the narrow roads. At the Jaffa flea market, you can be part of the trading and bargaining for treasures—real and perceived—that are a hallmark of the Middle East.

History buffs will be at home here, too: some claim the town was named after its founder, Japhet, son of Noah, others think its name is from the Hebrew yafeh (beautiful). What is certain is its status as one of the oldest ports in the world—perhaps the oldest. The Bible says the cedars used in the construction of the Temple passed through Jaffa on their way to Jerusalem; the prophet Jonah set off from Jaffa before being swallowed by the whale; and St. Peter raised Tabitha from the dead here. Napoléon was but one of a succession of invaders who brought the city walls down; these walls were rebuilt for the last time in the early 19th century by the Turks and torn down yet again as recently as 1888.

Now part of the municipality of Tel Aviv, Jaffa is a mosaic of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, accented by communities of foreign guest-workers mainly from Asia and Africa.

South of Jaffa is the newly-hip Florentine. In a city where housing is painfully unaffordable, this neighborhood is popular with students. You'll find pubs popular with the twenties- to thirties-crowd, so the best time to go is late at night, especially on weekends.