TEL AVIV-YAFO

Tel Aviv in Hebrew means 'Hill of Spring', and it wears the name well. One third of its inhabitants are between 18 and 35 years old. A young population that gleefully enjoys its 14 km of beachfront and its festive nights. But far from being the Ibiza of the Middle East, the white city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 2003) for its Bauhaus architecture, unique in the world.

A secular city, Tel Aviv actively presents itself as a fountain of youth. It radiates energy and good living. Its history, so young and so rich, began on 11 April 1909 with the drawing of lots for the plots of land that 66 families bought, north of Jaffa. Since then, the city has made Horace's famous "carpe diem" a precept of life: here you savour the present, in perpetual springtime.

Jaffa – today a southern district of the city – is the place to start, for soaking up the historical character, continuing on with Sheinkin and its very 'Soho' atmosphere, before strolling around Neve Tzedek and its trendy addresses. Renting a bike is a great way to discover the countless cycling trails of Tayelet, and if you are athletic, a run along the beach will put you in the path of as many briefcases as surfboards. Fancy a dip in the waves, or do you prefer antiquing in Dizengoff Square? Or maybe go for a walk on the old port of Jaffa? A few dozen meters from the shore, you will perceive Andromeda's rock, beaten by the waves. That's where the princess was chained, to appease the gods' wrath. In Tel Aviv too, mythology is front and centre.