033 Is Tel Aviv Relaxing?
In 2003 UNESCO designated the White City of Tel Aviv as a World Heritage Site. Since then, the city has celebrated its worldly status in what became an annual tradition. On the last Thursday of June, all businesses are encouraged to stay open throughout the night, joining outdoor celebrations and public events, some lasting until dawn and even after that. The celebrations grew to such massive proportions that Israelis flocked to the city on that one night a year, pushing locals to stay indoors hoping for the mayhem to pass over them. As time passed, any recollection that the events were orchestrated to celebrate Tel Aviv’s built heritage were all but lost, and merely uttering the words “White Night” made Tel Avivians cringe, reliving the memories of streets packed with aimless wanderers.
This year left many residents scratching their heads, not because it was chaotic, but because it wasn't chaotic enough. Pushed two months forward in the calendar, the 2025 White Night celebrations took place in late August due to the Israel-Iran War. For the first time in years, the event that once epitomized Tel Aviv's "non-stop city" reputation felt surprisingly... manageable. After 1 AM, most venues had already closed, party-goers walking the streets seemed to be in their usual numbers, and music shows and theatrical performances finished way before sunrise. The question hanging in the air is whether Tel Aviv is finally growing up - or growing tired.
In this case, the transformation was completely intentional. The lineup was deliberately curated for niche audiences and culture-seeking locals, rather than the masses who came to party in the city in previous years. Gone were the scenes that turned previous White Nights into events most Tel Avivians actively avoided. Though the light rail made its debut all night service, in the hours after midnight almost nothing remained open, so trains carried only few people in the late hours. Even the regular nightlife scene, with Tel Aviv’s clubs and pubs, wasn’t strong enough to make it feel like a true all-nighter.
Is the non-stop city coming to a halt? Is Tel Aviv relaxing? The city that once prided itself on the fact that "here the party reaches full swing not before 2am" seems to be consciously moderating its pace.
Perhaps the most telling sign of this cultural shift is what young folks are looking for these days. If it isn’t street parties and nightly raves, what is it that they seek? A new trend has emerged among young Tel Avivians: evenings without smartphones. Radikal House, a left-wing think-tank, publishing house and socio-political community based in Tel Aviv, is hosting "screen-free nights", where visitors surrender their phones, put them in sealed envelopes and engage in workshops, lectures, masterclasses and book clubs. Some of these evenings include board games, a relaxing sound bath and more. It's nightlife, but intellectualized, contained, and deliberately analog.
In a city that built its international reputation on spontaneous street energy and 24/7 accessibility, young people are now paying to be locked away from their devices and finish the party early - much earlier than the time that their own parents used to, when they were young. Structured programming over wandering, curated experiences over chaos and mindful engagement over mindless stimulation - Tel Aviv has to grow up, or rather go young, to deliver experiences people want to have.
Now, before we officially mark the end of Tel Aviv's non-stop spirit, it's worth noting that spending the night into the small hours is still very much possible. Some pubs and clubs still pulse until dawn. The difference is that these feel less like the defining characteristic of the city and more like convenient amenities for those who need them. Tel Aviv hasn't stopped being available around the clock; it just stopped making that availability the centerpiece of its identity. The question isn't whether the city can still party until dawn, but whether it still needs to prove it can.
I was thinking about this shift while walking through the unusually quiet streets during White Night, watching small groups move purposefully between cultural venues rather than flowing in the anarchic human rivers of previous years. Perhaps what we're witnessing isn't Tel Aviv becoming less vibrant, but becoming more intentional. Maybe Tel Aviv isn't relaxing - maybe it's just maturing, trading quantity of stimulation for quality of experience. The city that once celebrated excess is now experimenting with focus. The non-stop city is learning to pause, not because it's tired, but because it discovered that sometimes the most radical thing you can do in an always-on world is choose when to turn off.
My name is Tomer Chelouche and I've been guiding tours in Tel Aviv since 2008. I started out of fascination with my family history - the Chelouche family was one of the founding families of Tel Aviv. My ancestors built this city - and I'm telling its story.
The best way to get to know Tel Aviv better is by purchasing one of my audio tours. Here's one way to experience that -
The Gan HaHashmal area started as a luxury neighborhood constructed by the financial elite of 1920s Tel Aviv, but over the years it crumbled and was in a dire state of urban decay until the 1990s. Transforming from a particularly dubious area, the neighborhood made a remarkable comeback in recent years and is once again a highly coveted area in the heart of the city.
As you stroll through its streets today, you'll feel the positive vibes that ooze from the designer shops, cafes and restaurants. Tel Aviv’s nocturnal transformation is also evident in this area - once famous for its aggressive nightlife energy, today it offers more intimate wine bars and other venues that prioritize conversation over volume.
The neighborhood's landmark late-night establishment is One Bar on 1 Mikve Israel Street. The place’s tagline - “a place not for everybody but for every one” - barely scratches the surface of trying to understand the kind of experience that One Bar offers. Here, no one (or nobody?) has heard about the city relaxing its non-stop attitude. Described as a neighborly bar for friends, it’s the go-to bar to end a night of bar hopping, saving the best for last. A noticeable and inexplicable love for Julio Iglesias, of all celebrities, remains a mystery that doesn't need solving. Each visit offers a different kind of live music experience - which is exactly what makes people return again and again. I can suggest simply going there for a drink to admire the community - it’ll probably be even more mesmerizing than the music production you’ll drop on.
My Gan HaHashmal audio tour reveals the magnificent history lurking behind the stylish buildings of this area. This DIY tour unveils intriguing stories that lie dormant in the architecture, showing how a luxury neighborhood turned slum has been rediscovered as one of the most electrifying places in Tel Aviv. Since you can choose when to start exploring, you can also do so in the middle of the night. When you finish this 40-minute audio tour, you’d be ideally positioned to walk towards One Bar and enjoy the show there.
You can make sure you've downloaded my Gan HaHashmal audio tour before you head out, or you can download it on the go if you're set with a data package allowing for uninterrupted internet access. There's a link in the show notes to purchase my audio tour -
The Electrifying Story of Gan HaHashmal and Its Architecture
If you have any questions - you’ll find all the ways to contact me on telaviv.tours (telaviv as one word, no space, no hyphen) and there’s a link in the show notes for your digital convenience.
Tel Aviv's reputation as one of the world's most expensive cities shouldn't deter budget travelers - there are numerous ways to experience this vibrant metropolis without breaking the bank. The fall season marks the perfect time to visit Tel Aviv for budget-conscious travelers, particularly after the conclusion of the Jewish High Holy Days on October 15th, 2025. November travellers to Tel Aviv will have an optimal experience, balancing near-ideal weather conditions and a substantial price drop in flight prices and hotel rates.
The city's greatest free attraction remains its 14-kilometer stretch of Mediterranean coastline. These golden sand beaches offer unlimited hours of swimming and sunbathing, and this is possible even in November, thanks to the Middle Eastern climate Tel Aviv enjoys. You can rent a sunlounger or an umbrella, but you can also just bring a towel and lay it over the sand, preferably in the shade of one of the many wooden sheds scattered on the beach.
Transportation savings come naturally when you embrace Tel Aviv's cycling revolution. You can rent a bicycle for as little as 17 shekels (about 5 USD) for a 30 minute ride. Just make sure you’re renting out the regular mechanically-powered bicycles (the electric ones are a bit more expensive to rent). There are also daily and weekly passes, which allow you to hop on and hop off. Metro-Fun stations are scattered across town, so it’s easy to pick up a bicycle when you need one and drop them off wherever you need to get to. If you enjoy the ride itself, then I especially recommend buying such a pass. Walking and public buses provide additional affordable ways to get around, which integrate well with bike renting. Bus fares are on the rise, but still subsidized by the government, so a bus ride costs 9 Shekels - that’s about 2.5 USD. Stay away from taxis and e-scooters, because even short rides are considered expensive.
The Carmel Market becomes a budget traveler's paradise, especially on Friday afternoons when vendors dramatically reduce prices to clear their weekly stock before Shabbat. Fresh fruits, vegetables, local cheeses, freshly squeezed juices, sweet treats and prepared meals are available at remarkably low prices, with room to haggle. Travelers staying for a longer period of time, I’d recommend preparing your own meals from time to time using market ingredients. Local grocery stores are considered expensive in comparison to what you can get at the market. This doesn’t just save you money but also provides you healthier eating while discovering local flavors.
When you do eat out, look for the "business meal" (it’s called “eeskit” in Hebrew). During lunchtime, most restaurants will offer restaurant-quality dishes with free starters or salads included, providing excellent value. Another option is the local street food, such as falafel and sabich - a mix of fried vegetables served in pitta bread. Even half a meal can be satisfying, so don’t discourage the cheapest item on the menu thinking it’s just an appetizer. My favorite low cost meal is hummus, served at specialty eateries. One of the longest standing arguments in the city is which hummus place is the best, but I just recommend going to the nearest one you can find, as they’re all spectacular, and leave the highly nuanced hummus comparison to the locals.
When buying a drink in Tel Aviv, some people first encounter what can only be described as culture shock. Yes, it is acceptable to sell a glass of beer or a glass of wine for more than 10 USD in this city. Yes, the locals also complain about it, but for some reason prices aren’t expected to lower any time soon. My suggestion is to aim for happy hours. Some places start as early as 5pm. If you do a little research in advance you can choose between two nearby places, but only in one of them will you get up to 40% discount if you come at the right time. In some pubs and restaurants you should order a table in advance, so plan wisely. When on vacation you shouldn’t feel like you need to be stingy, but it is possible to prioritise and make an informed decision. I put a link in the show notes for a local app called “ontopo”, with which you can find places in Tel Aviv with Happy Hours and book a table if you’d like. Most happy hours finish by 7 or 8 pm and can have a discount or a two-for-one offer, making even upscale restaurants or cocktail bars accessible to budget travelers. The One Bar in Gan HaHashmal has its Happy Hours even later, unsurprisingly.
My audio tours in Tel Aviv, as well as the one I created for the Old City of Jerusalem, are the best way to save money on historical walking tours. Not only can you do them at your own pace, but you get all the information that you can get from a real life guide for a fraction of a privately guided tour. Look for my audio tours on the app called VoiceMap - I put a link in the show notes. They cost up to 10 USD and people leave great reviews after they take them.
Budget accommodation has improved dramatically with several excellent options now available. Abraham Hostel right by the Allenby light rail station is one of the first places in Tel Aviv to offer low cost rooms. The Spot Hostel near the Tel Aviv Port also provides affordable beds with contemporary design and communal spaces perfect for meeting fellow travelers. Tel Aviv has also embraced the pod hotel concept, featuring highly compact living quarters with shared facilities.
Thanks for listening and you’ll hear from me again when the next episode comes out next week.Until then - I am Tel Aviv tour guide Tomer Chelouche, signing off and hoping to see you soon in Tel Aviv.
Show note:
• The Electrifying Story of Gan HaHashmal and Its Architecture
• One Bar
