Tel Aviv has been named by Lonely Planet as its number 3 city for 2011.
Lonely Planet noted the international cosmopolitan nature of Tel Aviv, its diversity and cultural scene.
The full announcement can be found at Tel Aviv Lonely Planet Award
The following is the complete Lonely Planet’s “Top 10 Cities for 2011”:
- New York, USA
- Tangiers, Morocco
- Tel Aviv, Israel
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Valencia, Spain
- Iquitos, Peru
- Ghent, Belgium
- Delhi, India
- Newcastle, Australia
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
Here’s Lonely Planet’s assessment of Tel Aviv:
“Tel Aviv is the total flipside of Jerusalem, a modern Sin City on the sea rather than an ancient Holy City on a hill. Hedonism is the one religion that unites its inhabitants. There are more bars than synagogues, God is a DJ and everyone’s body is a temple. Yet, scratch underneath the surface and Tel Aviv, or TLV, reveals itself as a truly diverse 21st-century Mediterranean hub. By far the most international city in Israel, Tel Aviv is also home to a large gay community, a kind of San Francisco in the Middle East. Thanks to its university and museums, it is also the greenhouse for Israel’s growing art, film and music scenes.”
(Check out the link of the entire article – Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities for 2011)
Why choose Tel Aviv as your next international travel destination?
Of course, Israelis are excited and happy to hear this piece of good news from Lonely Planet. However, they are not shocked. After all, Tel Aviv (also called Tel Aviv-Yafo) is a super-cosmopolitan city — full of life and rich in culture. It enjoys the best of both worlds — the historical and the modern — the ancient port of Jaffa on one end, and the towering modern skyscrapers in Tel Aviv’s business district on the other. It is Israel’s technical and economic hub.
Its lively nightlife and 24-hour culture have earned Tel Aviv the moniker “The Party Capital” and deservedly so. Truly, this is the city that never sleeps!
It also has places for kosher, vegetarian and vegan travelers to eat and enjoy — Tel Aviv has the highest per capita population of vegans in the world, with many restaurants in the city offering completely vegan menu.
Tel Aviv is also one of the few LGBT-friendly cities in the world. Its “Tel Aviv Pride” parade is the largest annual pride parade not just in the Middle East but also in the entire Asia.
In short, Tel Aviv has something for everyone!
Tel Aviv is definitely far removed from all the political debates and bloody conflicts which have become synonymous with Israel. Tel Aviv is the second largest city after the capital Jerusalem, even though it is often referred to as Israel’s capital, which is really not. But Tel Aviv is definitely Israel’s capital of the good life.
In the recent years Tel Aviv has become a much more desirable tourist destination and is probably the most recommended place (in Israel and worldwide) for those who want to experience the definition of what a “vibrant city life” really is.