Jaffa Port – Visitors Guide with Photos

Jaffa Port is one of the oldest ports in the Middleterranean basin. Today, this small fishing port is a popular tourist attraction.

Note:

• Jaffa Port is also sometimes called old Jaffa Port due to its closeness to Old Jaffa. It is an old port, but since there is no new one, most locals remove the word old.
• This article focuses on Jaffa Port. If you want to see other places in Jaffa, check out Old Jaffa and Jaffa Flea Market.

Map

Jaffa Port is situated on the Mediterranean seashore near the Old Jaffa.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

And here is the map of attractions in Old Jaffa. You can see the port on the right side of the map.

Note: you can click on the maps to enlarge them.

You can see the big free port parking on the map I mentioned in the guide to Old Jaffa. Also, a public restroom is on the second floor at warehouse #1 (entrance from the side – between warehouses #1 and #2).

Directions and Parking

You can find full details in the guide to Old Jaffa. Here I will only mention the Jaffa Port parking we saw on the map above. It is free parking and is located at Nemal Yafo Street 24.

About Jaffa Port

Today Jaffa port, one of the most ancient ports in the world, serves as a small fishing port. And you can find seafood restaurants and several galleries in the area.

Jaffa port is mentioned in various ancient works, including the Hebrew Bible, such as the book of Jonah, and the works of Josephus describing Jewish history and the First Jewish Revolt against Rome. For over 7,000 years, it has been actively used, predating Muslims, Christians, Jews, and even Egyptians. Still functional as a small fishing port, the port is currently a recreational zone featuring restaurants and cafés. A lighthouse, Jaffa Light, is located above the harbor.

Source: Wikipedia

And now, let’s go over the points of interest in the order you see them when you start walking from the port parking, i.e., from south to north.

British Warehouses

The British Warehouses were built in 1931 as part of the new British port. And today, some are still in use, and others are undergoing reconstruction.

While passing near the warehouses, peek inside. Sometimes you can find unique stores or art exhibitions inside the warehouses.

Near the warehouses, you can find the weighing station.

The British Weighing Station

You can find restaurants, street artists, occasional galleries, and shops in the port. There are only a few remains of the industrial port, and The British Weighting Station is one of them.

The British built this weighting platform and used it to weigh trucks on their way into and out of the port. At the time of its construction, trucks weighed 15 tons at most. This amount is marked on the cast iron platform.

When we stood on the platform, the green digits on the screen changed. But the weight was not accurate. And as you can see, when nobody stood there, it showed 38 kg.

And as in every port, there is also a shipyard.

The Shipyard

This slipway was used to bring vessels from the marina to the shipyard area for periodic maintenance and service.

The concrete western wall of the shipyard was built to protect the shipyard from the high waves because the breakwaters do not shelter this area.

Source: sign

As you pass the shipyard, you will see additional warehouses and docks (shown in the featured image).

This is the area of the restaurants and the market. So let’s talk about them.

Jaffa Port Market

After the success of the Tel Aviv Port Market (for additional info about markets, see Best Tel Aviv and Jaffa Markets), similar markets started to pop us. And Jaffa Port Market was one of them. They opened it in warehouse #1 (see port map above), just opposite the pier. This small market featured about a dozen food stalls, restaurants, and shops. However, it did not turn out to be a success story as Tel Aviv Port Market. I remember reading a newspaper article where different parties told the public why this market did not gain traction. At some point, they even considered closing it.

Nevertheless, this complex is still operational today. But there is no market. Several restaurants, an ice cream cafe, and other empty areas occupy this building.

Note: do not mix up between Jaffa Port Market and Jaffa Flea Market. These are two different markets. And if you love markets, check out Best Tel Aviv and Jaffa Markets.

Restaurants

Ordinarily, I do not mention restaurants since their quality changes over time. Thus my usual suggestion is to check the rating on a website or an app (for example Google Maps). But due to the requests, I made a list of honorable mentions. And you can find it in my guide to Jaffa Flea Market.

Boat Trips at the Port

You can also take a sail. We sailed several times, and the kids loved it. We took our latest boat trip in 2019, and the price was 35 NIS per person.

The boat trip lasts about half an hour. You start from Jaffa port and sail into the sea towards Tel Aviv. And approximately when you reach the Opera Tower, the boat turns around and returns to the port. While on the ship, there are no explanations, just enjoying the views.

Events at the Port

You can check the official website of the port and see if there are upcoming events.

For example, they had live Friday events several years ago. During it, each Friday, you could see different street performers and musicians.

Let’s continue further to the north towards the lighthouse.

The Lighthouse

Jaffa Light was built by French engineers in 1865. It was built as part of operations carried out by the Ottoman authorities to improve the port facilities, mainly due to the increase in export of citrus fruit, and especially oranges, the well known “Jaffa oranges”.

In 1936 the British expanded the port and rebuilt the lighthouse.

During 1965, the Port of Ashdod was built, replacing Jaffa Port. In 1966 the crystal glass was taken to be used in the Ashdod Light, and the lighthouse was shut down. Jaffa Port become a small craft port.

The lighthouse keeper from 1875 was an Armenian who came from Jerusalem. He was trained by the same French company who built the lighthouse. Around 1938 his son was trained by the same French company and replaced him, probably resulting from the lighthouse being rebuilt. His grandson, Abu George, was the “technician,” responsible for keeping the lamp lit. The son was the official keeper until the lighthouse was shut down in 1966.

Source: Wikipedia

Photo of the port not far from the lighthouse:

The Ottoman Customs House

You will reach the customs house if you continue walking to the north. In the following photo, you can see the building closest to the water.

Today this building stands empty.

Note: during 2020, the Ottoman Customs House was demolished.

And if you continue walking to the north, towards Tel Aviv, you will get views like this.

Summary

Jaffa Port is a lovely place for a walk, getting something to eat, joining a boat trip, or seeing street performers. I suggest combining visiting the port with Old Jaffa and Jaffa Flea Market. Moreover, there are many additional points of interest nearby, like Graffiti At Florentin. See the map at the beginning of this post for additional suggestions.

Have you ever been to Jaffa Port? What is your favorite attraction? Tell us in the comments below.

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

For additional attractions nearby, see Tel Aviv-Yafo or browse the interactive map above.

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

• Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
• What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
• Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
• Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
• If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.