Tel Aviv Port (Namal Tel Aviv) – Full Visitors Guide with Photos

Tel Aviv Port is a lovely place for all types of outings. There are restaurants, shops, various attractions, parks, and sports facilities.

About Tel Aviv Port

The Northern part of the Tel Aviv promenade, Tel Aviv port, has experienced and is undergoing significant changes. From the old port area, it became a fancy shopping area and entertainment space. Many Israelis like to spend time there, and we are no exception.

Note: Namal Tel Aviv means Tel Aviv port in Hebrew. Also, some refer to this place as the old port. But most people leave out the word old since there is no new one.

Map

There are many entrances to Tel Aviv Port. The most popular ones are Kaf Gimel Yordei HaSira 1, Kikar Plumer Street, and HaTa’arucha Bridge (32.098941, 34.778035).

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

Interactive map of the area:

Here is a map of the compound.

And here are the maps with descriptions of what can be found in each building.

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

Parking

There are two main parking areas. And here are their details.

Parking Name	Description	Entrance Fee	Walking time to the Port (minutes)
The port parking	You can enter the port parking at either Kikar Plumer Street or Kaf Gimel Yordei HaSira 1. Once inside, you can find many small parking areas.	Sunday – Thursday: 10 NIS per hour and 3 NIS per every additional fifteen minutes. Weekends: 15 NIS per hour and 4 NIS per every additional fifteen minutes. Night parking – seven days a week (from 20:00 till 05:00): 25 NIS	You park within the port. Thus you can reach within several minutes of the port’s buildings.
Reading Parking	There are three parking lots around Reading Terminal. One parking lot to the north. And the other two are west and east Reading parking lots.	24 per entrance (valid for 24 hours). And free for public commuters using Rav-Kav.	West Reading parking lot is by HaTa’arucha Bridge. Thus you can be in the port within several minutes. The other two parking lots are further away, and it takes 5-10 minutes to reach the port.

Note: Reading parking lots used to be free. And finding a free spot was problematic during the evenings and weekends. But during 2021, those parking lots became paid. It is both a downside and an upside (maybe it will be easier to find parking).

After a short walk from the Reading Parking, you will get to HaTa’arucha Bridge over the Yarkon River. In the mornings, there are usually athletes training. Daniel Rowing Center is not far, and many athletes row along the Yarkon River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Opening Hours

The port is an open area. Thus you can visit it any day and any hour. But if you are interested in a specific shop or a restaurant, check its opening hours.

Restrooms

There are several restrooms in the port, and they operate daily from 06:00 to 22:00. Here are their locations:

• Building #3 (at the bottom of the last map)
• Hangar #25 (at the top of the last map)
• Container restrooms near the children’s playground (not far from building #16).

Restaurants and Shops

There are many shops and restaurants. But there are also businesses, spaces for exhibitions, and of course, the Tel Aviv Port Market.

If you are looking for a complete list of restaurants and shops, you can find it on the official site. And in this guide, I will list all of them, only the best ones.

Restaurants

Here are my favorites:

• Mayson Kayzer
• Higher-end seafood restaurant: Yulia
• Burgers: Agadir
• Cafe: Cafe Nimrod
• Ice cream: Neve Tzedek Gelato

Here are all the restaurants that have a rating of 3.5 or more on TripAdvisor (and more than ten reviews):

• Max Brenner – Dessert, Cafe
• Derby Bar – Seafood, Mediterranean
• Original Pancake House – for pancake lovers
• Meat and Eat – steakhouse
• Sherry Herring – fish sandwiches
• Delicious Deli bar – American bar, burgers
• Local Italian – Italian, seafood
• Benny HaDayag – Seafood, Mediterranean
• Landwer Cafe – cafe
• Cafe Cafe – cafe
• The White Pergola – Seafood, Mediterranean

Tel Aviv Port Market

Port Market in Tel Aviv was opened in 2008. And it is the first one to open and start a new trend of “new” markets.

You can find additional info at Tel Aviv Port Market.

Sport Activities

As you can see in the following panorama, big parts of the promenade are covered with wood, and there are running and cycling trails.

You can also see the reconstructed lighthouse (on the left). It is not open for visitors at this stage, but as far as I know, the opening is planned for the near future.

Sde Dov (Dov Hoz) airport was next to the Reading power station. Thus, you could see planes landing and taking off.

According to the governmental plan, the Sde Dov airport and the Reading power station will be moved to other locations, and a new neighborhood will be built. That should start in two years, but the actual date was already postponed several times. So, this might take more than two years.

Note: Sde Dov airport was closed in 2019.

The main sports activities in this area are walking, running, or cycling. But the promenade might be a little busy (depending on the time) since many people will do the same. Thus, you can start at the port and hike along the Yarkon River.

Also, near the bigger children’s playground, you can find a free outdoor gym that you can use.

Activities for Children

There are several playgrounds for kids. Here are several photos:

Besides the playgrounds, there is a Sky Jump, a toy store, and you can rent small electric cars (suitable for little kids, probably till 5-6 years old).

Moreover, near McDonald’s, you can find a fountain. Jets of water with various power is an attraction that children love. And after they get in, it is impossible to get them out.

Events

Tel Aviv Promenade holds different events. Small events occur only in one place, and the bigger ones occur around the whole area. Here are several examples of smaller events.

Bigger events are held in different places in Tel Aviv port. For instance, Purim Celebrations.

For a complete list of upcoming events, check the official site.

But not all people are looking for events. Some are coming to enjoy the sea and the sunset.

Or for the Tashlich prayer during sunset.

History

Active port and decline

In the wake of the general strike of the Arabs of Mandatory Palestine at the outbreak of their 1936–39 revolt, an alternative was needed for Jaffa Port. The new port, founded by Otzar Mif’alei Yam (lit. “Treasure-of-Sea Works”), opened on a small scale in 1936 and was finally completed and inaugurated at its current size on February 23, 1938.

The port remained fully operational for less than two years. The outbreak of the Second World War put an end to its civilian use, as the British Navy took over the facilities. After the end of the war in Europe, an attempt to reactivate the port remained unsuccessful due to the lack of shipping at the time. During the civil war between Jews and Arabs from November 1947 and until Israel declared independence in May 1948 and in the ensuing 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Jewish, then Israeli forces imported a substantial amount of equipment and weapons via the Tel Aviv port.

After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the port operated on a partial basis and was finally closed down on October 25, 1965, when its operations moved to the newly built Ashdod Port. After that followed a period of decay, and by the end of the century, the area was used by day as a low-key shopping place for tiles and plumbing supplies, while at night it attracted prostitutes and drug addicts.

Namal as Entertainment Area

A change came with architect Orna Angel’s appointment at the helm of the Marine Trust Company that owns the port area. After completely overhauling the infrastructure by 2002, the administration attracted shop owners to move to the upgraded area by charging token rents. An open competition for the landscaping of the space around the buildings was organized in 2003, and by 2008 the new boardwalk in wavy shapes evocative of the dunes that once stood at this place was opened to the public. As a result of the transformation, the Tel Aviv Port, known in short as the Namal, has become the most popular attraction in Tel Aviv with 4.3 million visitors annually. In 2011, it was announced that the site would be developed to become a major tourist site with recreational and cultural venues similar to Times Square in New York.

Source of History quotes: Wikipedia

Summary

Tel Aviv Port offers a variety of activities. You can enjoy sports activities, spend time with your family, dine, shop, attend an event, or visit the market. All these possibilities make the port one of the most popular places in Tel Aviv.

Have you ever visited Tel Aviv Port? What are your favorite activities? Tell us in the comments below.

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

Stay Tuned!

For additional points of interest nearby, see Tel Aviv-Yafo.

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.