30 last minute things to do in Tel Aviv to not feel as if you've wasted your summer

With a welcoming coastline and a selection of some of the best beaches in Israel, we’ve highlighted the most happening Tel Aviv beaches spanning from Jaffa in the south to Tel Aviv Port in the north. For your sand-filled pleasure, spend the day like a local sweating through an intense matkot session, play some volleyball on the Gordon Beach strip, or just lay down and soak up the sun. You don't have to spend a shekel at these beaches; they offer some fun in the sun things to do in Tel Aviv at zero cost. After dark, head for a quick shower at your Tel Aviv boutique hotel or hostel and hit the town for a post-beach bite at some of the best Tel Aviv restaurants serving everything from seafood to Italian. 

Drinking is fun. But drinking on a rooftop is exponentially more kickass. It feels like summer even when it's not and having a view to gaze out at, whether overlooking Rothschild boulevard or nestled in Neve Tzedek, makes it so much better. Thankfully, Tel Avivians love to get their drink on atop buildings with the beaches of Tel aviv or the Jaffa Port as their backdrop. If wine is your undisputed drink of choice, head to the miles of vineyards in the Golan Heights where Israeli wineries offer a taste of local history, culture and vino. The major party animals, though, will want to stick to the White City where Tel Aviv's nightlife is non-stop and the words 'last call' do not exist unless drunk munch restaurants are in the foreseeable future.

Tel Avivians wait anxiously all winter long for those suffocating plastic patio covers to come down and the fresh White City air to flow in. With the sun shining bright and the rain out of the picture, there is nothing more satisfying than soaking up some rays while drinking the day away on a patio. Watch the people walk by on Rothschild Boulevard, experience front row seats to the new kikar Dizengoff in the making, hipster it up happy hour style around the Great Synagogue, or sip veuve clicquot at Neve Tzedek’s Parisian-packed Israeli wine bars. There’s no going wrong with our list of the best bars in Tel Aviv with outdoor patios.

Despite Tel Aviv's short culinary history, the White City has already established a local mythology of dishes that you can't help but return to time and again. So what makes a dish iconic? An 'iconic dish' is classified as a dish that has been featured in a Tel Aviv restaurant for several years, a dish that customers return to on multiple occasions, a dish that becomes a role model in the culinary scene. These 30 iconic dishes featured in some of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv–from Tel Aviv street food establishments to boutique hotel restaurants and classy eateries–have stood the test of time, the test of passing trends, and held true to their names as local legends.

By now, you must know the gist... if not, we'll take a moment to mourn your losses, but only a short moment because September is continuing the outdoor cinema fun.   Documentaries - check.   Musicals - check.   Cult classics - check.   Next up........drum roll please.............Teenage cult movies!

Get your legs moving or start your engines and enjoy this special spot on the river in Park Hayarkon. With two offerings, visitors can choose the more active route and paddle their pedal boat manually, or go the motor boat route, allowing for a more casual way to explore the river. Park Hayarkon Paddle / Motor Boat Rentals is perfect for all ages, so don’t be shy. It’s worth a detour from the salty ocean to explore the sweet water. So grab your lifejackets, get ready to get your tan on, and spend a calming morning paddling downstream.  

Onza is one of Jaffa’s most popular spots for those who want to eat and party at the same time–and it has just got in touch with its feminine side. This is all thanks to its new dessert menu, which focuses on the desserts of a select group of Turkish women.

Surfing is more than just a pastime, it is a lifestyle, and we understand just how important location is when trying to catch those waves. That’s why we’ve combed the beaches in Tel Aviv, Herzliya and farther, in search of the absolute top five surfer’s oases. And guess what? We found them. So grab those surf boards, slip on those wetsuits and get ready for an amazingly active day at these beaches in Israel.

You love the hustle and bustle of the city, you savor the sheer Israeliness of the screaming traffic, yet sometimes you yearn for a bit of good old peace and quiet. Enter Israel Railways, the only place where you feel like you’re no longer in Israel, but somewhere slightly more civilized. Sit back in a wide berth and listen to the quiet hum of the train as you take in the country’s breathtaking scenery.

While Midburn takes the cake for summer desert festivals, there’s an equally exciting three-day event down south closing off the summer festival sandwich.

It's summertime, which means many things in Tel Aviv: bustling beaches, longer days, ice cream galore...but summertime only means one thing for the White City bar scene: new cocktails! We've summoned Tel Aviv's cocktail Gods to grace us with their newest, wildest, wackiest summer creations. From fabulously fruity gardens of Eden to IV "blood baths" filled with the tomato-inspired classic Bloody Mary, these mixologists are leaving nothing behind. Here's a sneak peek at the sensational summer concoctions to imbibe from June to July and even August.

Between outdoor markets and indoor food halls, you might think Israel has every type of market covered, until now.   Last weekend marked the opening of Food Truck Disco Tel Aviv, Israel’s first outdoor food truck market on the promenade facing Frishman Beach.

MishloHof, or TapLaya as they are known internationally, are a location-based delivery service of beach-related goods. Via their app, beach-goers can pick from a selection of snacks, drinks, and beach products, which will be delivered within thirty minutes to their specific location. This ingenious solution means more fun in the sun, and ice cold drinks – sounds good to us.    

Zichron Ya’akov may be less than hour away from Tel Aviv, but this quaint little town seems worlds away from the hectic hustle and bustle of the center of the country. As well as being steeped in history and offering a picturesque European feel, Zichron (as Israelis like to call it) and the surrounding area, including neighboring Binyamina, is known as Israel’s wine country.

Google “future of food” and you’re bound to see a plethora of articles and newsworthy stories describing plant-based restaurants. Today, culinary heavyweights in the likes of Jose Andreas, are opening plant-based restaurants from San Francisco, to Toronto, to Paris in what is sure to be a force that takes over the culinary world. Now Tel Aviv can proudly say that they join the ranks of a plant-based movement with an exemplary team leading the way. Dan Arvatz, a gastronomic pistol, joins culinary forces Ben Rothschild, Chanoch Schecter and Donna Yarzin to bring Bana, a splendid meeting point of design, atmosphere, and extraordinary food. Applying a keen understanding of technique, precision and application, this restaurant proves that plants can do anything meat does, and perhaps even more.

Offering a wide array of massage and facial packages, this spa and facial center is the perfect spot to recharge, relax, and beautify. Notably, for those interested in taking their  "Day of Rest" to the next level, Spa Neve Tzedek is also unabashedly open on Saturdays.

Walking by Cremerie de L’Eclair your senses are hit with the smells of baking pastries and sugary sweet ice creams. This heavenly dessert spot serves sixty tasty ice cream flavors and French pastries, such as Eclair puffs, croissants, brioches, and cookies, with warm chocolate, nuts, and other toppings. Most of the dishes cost only NIS 18, making the prices hard to say no to. Located in the busiest part of the bustling King George Street, Cremerie de L'Eclair is just minutes away from the Dizengoff bar scene, and late night hours ensure that those Thursday 4 am "drunchies" are satisfied.

No camera can quite capture the gallery-worthy watercolour paintings one calls mediterranean sunsets; however, these instagram photos come pretty damn close. Grab a bottle of Israeli wine, pack an evening picnic from Sarona or grab takeout from one of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv for delivery and head down to any beach in Tel Aviv from the Tel Aviv Port to Jaffa. While any sunset in Israel is spectacular, there’s something truly special about a White City sunset. In the meantime, to whet your visual appetite, check out these spectacular sunsets.