Café Puaa
A relaxed café in the middle of the flea market, furnished with vintage pieces.
Is Jaffa part of Tel Aviv?
Yes. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged in 1950 and have been one city ever since, officially Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Really, it is the other way round: Tel Aviv grew out of Jaffa. The first Jewish neighborhoods outside its walls, such as Neve Tzedek, were built in the 1880s, and Tel Aviv itself followed in 1909.
Jaffa lies at the southern end of the beach promenade. From the center of Tel Aviv you can walk there along the sea, about 2 km or 25 minutes from the Carmel Market.
One of the oldest ports in the world
People have lived on the hill of Jaffa for thousands of years, and its port has been in use since ancient times. The clock tower at the entrance to the Old City was completed in 1906, under Ottoman rule.
Today the Old City is full of galleries and studios, and the port has restaurants, a fish market and boats again.
Living in Jaffa
Jaffa is not one place but several. The Old City on the hill, with its galleries.
The streets around the flea market, with cafés and design shops. Ajami further south, with views over the sea and a neighborhood in the middle of change. Homes range from restored Arab stone houses to new buildings with sea views, and prices can differ a lot within a few streets.
In Jaffa, Jewish, Muslim and Christian families live side by side, many of them for generations. If you move here, you move into a neighborhood, not a backdrop.
Jaffa suits buyers who want history, the sea and a lively, multicultural neighborhood, and who like a place with character more than a polished one. It suits less if you want calm, uniform streets or a short trip to the business districts in the north.
Flea market and port
The Jaffa flea market is a maze of small streets with furniture, lamps, carpets and everything in between, with bars and restaurants that stay open late. A few minutes away, the old port is the place for fish, a walk on the pier and the sunset.
Ron's favorites
Where Ron goes in Jaffa
Jaffa flea market
Ron's tip: go in the morning for the stalls, in the evening for the bars.
Abrasha Park
Ron's tip: come for the sunset.
The Old Man and the Sea
Fish restaurant at the Jaffa port. Before the main course, the table fills up with small salads, warm pita and lemonade.
Abu Hassan
One of the best-known hummus places in Israel. Go early: once the hummus is gone, it closes.
Jaffa in pictures
What it costs
Old Jaffa
New build–
Existing₪65,200≈ $21,300
North Jaffa
New build₪55,800≈ $18,300
Existing₪48,800≈ $16,000
Ajami
New build₪41,300≈ $13,500
Existing₪36,400≈ $11,900
Jaffa varies a lot from one part to the next, so we show each part separately.
FAQ
Questions about Jaffa
Is Jaffa part of Tel Aviv?
Yes. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged in 1950 and are officially one city, Tel Aviv-Yafo.
How far is Jaffa from Tel Aviv?
Jaffa is the southern part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, at the end of the beach promenade. You can walk there from the center along the sea, about 2 km or 25 minutes from the Carmel Market.
Is Jaffa a good place to live?
Yes, if you know where. The Old City, the streets around the flea market and Ajami are very different from each other, and so are their prices. A local view helps before you buy.
What is there to do in Jaffa?
Walk through the Old City and its galleries, browse the flea market, eat fish at the port and watch the sunset from the Abrasha Park on the hill.
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