Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 on the sand dunes north of Jaffa. In the 1930s it grew at incredible speed, just as many Jewish architects who had trained in Europe - some at the Bauhaus school in Germany - arrived as immigrants or refugees. They brought modernism with them and adapted it to the Mediterranean sun.
The result is the "White City": around 4,000 buildings in the International Style, the largest concentration anywhere in the world. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2003. The city plan behind it came from the Scottish planner Patrick Geddes in 1925, with its green boulevards and small neighborhood gardens.
What to look for: flat roofs (used as shared terraces), long horizontal "ribbon" balconies that throw shade, narrow "thermometer" windows lighting the stairwells, rounded corners, and buildings raised on pillars (pilotis) so the sea breeze can pass under them.
The best streets are Rothschild Boulevard, Bialik Street and the area around Dizengoff Square. Stop at the Bauhaus Center on Dizengoff for maps, and at Beit Bialik, the home of the national poet. Many buildings have been beautifully restored; others still wait, which is part of the charm.
Combine architecture with Carmel Market food and old Jaffa on our Tel Aviv & Jaffa private tour.
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