Tel Aviv 10th best party city in the world

November 25, 2009 - 10:36 AM by David

telaviv-club3 We have already known it for a long time, but now the authoritative Lonely Planet travel guide has officially coronated Tel Aviv as one of the 10 top party cities in the world. The list was compiled by Planet’s new book, The 1,000 Ultimate Experiences.

According to a report on Ynet, the book cites Tel Aviv’s relaxed and gay-friendly atmosphere among its attributes, writing “like elsewhere in the Mediterranean, Israel’s second largest city gets going late. The endless bars, pubs and cocktail venues start to fill up by midnight, from which point the nightclubs get revved up with dancing till dawn.”

“Nowadays an international crowd joins Israelis for a mixed bag of funk, pop, house and techno at the city’s dozens of entertainment hotspots. Tel Aviv has a relaxed air, and prides itself on being gay-friendly and outgoing.”

Tel Aviv was beaten out by the top five cities slot by Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, Montreal, Buenos Aires, and Dubai and the Greek city of Thessaloniki, and by a surprising number eight on the list, Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

Approaching Tel Aviv from Jerusalem, or I suppose, from any other direction, it does feel a little like entering another, faster-paced world. And I always look forward to my excursions there, although they rarely include the ‘bars, pubs and cocktail venues’ that the Lonely Planet celebrates. I mean, just having a beautiful beach in the middle of a big city is all it takes for me.

Tel Aviv’s attributes, though, are not being lost on those promoting Israel as a tourist destination.

“The world is starting to discover Tel Aviv and understand what we, the Tel Avivians, have known for a long time,” Tel Aviv City Council Member Yaniv Weizman, told Ynet.

Weizman, who is in charge of the tourism portfolio for the city, added, “Tel Aviv is a fun, free and attractive city for tourists, and especially for young tourists. Tel Aviv’s marketing potential is huge.”

So next time, when you’re considering New York, Paris or London as your nightlife destination, be sure to include Tel Aviv on the short list.

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