Markets and Shopping in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv’s markets are the best show in town, and they’re bustling all day long. A Middle Eastern mélange of tastes, scents, sounds, colors – and lots of people.
Markets in Tel Aviv:
- The Carmel Market
- The Flea Market
- The Nahalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall
- Creative Artists Fair
- Antiques and Secondhand items fair
- Levinsky Market in Florentin — the best place in Tel Aviv to buy spices, dried fruits, and different kinds of legume. This small market is stretched along Levinsky Street in southern Tel Aviv, between Hertzel and Ha-Aliya streets, ten minutes of walking from the Central Bus Station.
- Hatikva Market in HaTiqva — a good place for Jewish-Iraqi cuisine, in the south-eastern “Hatikva” neighbourhood.
Malls in Tel Aviv:
Israel has the highest ratio of shopping mall sqm per capita, in the world. As malls are good places to catch some air-conditioning in the hot Israeli climate, they have quickly become a preferable place of entertainment for the locals. The variety is usually mid-range, mainstream, with both international and local brands.
- Azriely, the biggest mall, Dizengoff Center, the first mall and Gan Ha’ir are located in the center.
- Ramat Aviv mall is a slightly more upmarket than your usual mall located in the north.
- Central Bus Station is a huge, mostly bargain stores mall located in the south.
Shopping Streets in Tel Aviv:
The air-conditioned malls threaten to destroy the concept of shopping streets, but some of the more special ones still survive.
Most of the shopping streets can be found in the center, Allenby Street and Dizengoff Street is popular with the shoppers as the street is peppered with numerous specialty shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as the sprawling Dizengoff Center Mall.
One of the cities best second hand clothing shops can be found at the corner of Dizengoff and Frishman Streets in the covered passageway. Second-hand clothing shops are getting very popular in Tel Aviv and you’ll find them scattered all over the city.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Tel Aviv in February or August, you can find the city’s most talented designers gathered together in one place with the best of their collections on display – and for sale. Twice a year, for three days each time, a giant fashion fair called City Designers’ Market is held in Tel Aviv. Whatever you do, don’t miss this colorful carnival of cutting-edge fashion!
Books and music in Tel Aviv:
The country’s widespread Steimatzky and Zomet Sfarim chains are a good source for current books. Almost every shop has at least a selection in English. Allenby St. has a number of second hand bookshops, most sell (and buy) English books. For music, check out Tower Records shop in the opera tower, on the corner of Alenby and Herbert Samuel. For the more alternative crowd, Krembo Records in Shenkin Street and Third Ear on King George Street will satisfy your needs.
Art, Craft, Judaica, Jewelry in Tel Aviv:
Gordon Street is famous for its art galleries. Ben-Yehuda Street has several Judaica\Jewelery\souvenirs shops. You can buy jewelry from Michal Negrin, a world-famous Israeli designer, in her shops at the Azriely mall and on Sheinkin st. The prices are much better than abroad. For more original crafts and Judaica, try the Nahlat Binyamin craft market mentioned above.
