Florentin, Tel Aviv

Florentin is Tel Aviv's grittiest and most creative neighbourhood, a former workshop district in the south of the city that has become the centre of its alternative culture. Often compared to Berlin's edgier quarters, it trades polish for personality and draws a young, bohemian crowd of artists, students and night-owls.

Its roots are working-class and immigrant. Founded in the 1920s and named after David Florentin, it was settled largely by Jewish refugees from Salonika and filled with small factories, carpenters, upholsterers and hardware stores. Many of those workshops still clatter away at street level, giving the area a raw, industrious feel beneath its newer layers of cafés and bars, and lending it a texture the polished north of the city lacks.

Today it is best known for street art and nightlife. Its walls carry some of the densest concentrations of murals, stencils and political graffiti in Israel, an open-air gallery that changes constantly and is best explored on a dedicated walking tour. After dark, bars, live-music venues and cheap eateries pull crowds into the narrow streets, while by day cafés, galleries and design studios fill the gaps between the workshops.

For travellers, Florentin rewards curiosity over ticking off sights. Wander the lanes to read the ever-shifting murals, browse the vintage and design shops, and eat at the hummus joints, bakeries and Balkan grills that locals favour. It sits within walking distance of Jaffa and the Carmel Market and is easy to reach by bus or rental bike. Streets can be scruffy and are liveliest at night; come with an open mind, comfortable shoes and a willingness to explore properly on foot. Sunday-morning markets and pop-up galleries add another layer for those who linger beyond the bars and painted walls.