City guide: Tel Aviv

LAST year may have been its centenary, but that doesn't mean the celebrations have to stop.

Tel Aviv has a jazz festival in February, a beer festival, film festival and blues festival in July and a love parade in August, while John Lydon has just passed through as part of the Heineken Music Conference.

Add to all that the sun, the culture, the shopping, the beaches and the hedonistic, playful atmosphere and you have a destination that is a delightful assault on the senses.

The sights and sounds – from the flea market and art galleries to the architectural gems – of nearby old Jaffa provide a dramatic contrast to the skyscrapers and, if you want to travel further afield, Jerusalem is just an hour's drive away.

For a taste of something really surprising, you could take a tour to some of the country's small, family-run vineyards, which are receiving plaudits from respected commentators and giving the Israeli wine industry its moment in the sun.

Although this is undoubtedly Israel's most secular city, it might be best to avoid visiting during Yom Kippur, which this year falls on 17/18 September, as a lot of bars, restaurants and other venues may be closed.

BEST FOR SMELLING

If you can't resist the scent of the sea in your nostrils and the feel of sand between your toes, you've come to the right place. Tel Aviv's beaches are safe and clean; some are even exclusive, charging an entrance fee to ensure no riff-raff get in, while another respects the religious community by separating men from women. But the main public beaches are probably the most popular, providing a quiet spot to lounge through the week, then at weekends the locals descend and party. There's music, ball games and tanned, muscular flesh as far as the eye can see.

BEST FOR TASTING

Its spot on the seafront, with the sound of waves crashing on the sand, means Manta Ray (Alma Beach, tel: [phone]) is already on to a winner. Ask for a table on the veranda (you'll be lucky, it's usually packed out) and feast on its famous, ever-changing mezze – aubergine with goat's cheese, sardines, tahini, salmon tartar, calamari (around NIS13/2 each) – all accompanied by homemade Balkan bread and the killer house mojitos.

Rediscover your most neglected senses, and learn to recognise the others more fully, at the Nalaga'at Centre (Jaffa Port, www.nalagaat.org.il). As well as providing a space for theatrical performances by deaf-blind actors, the BlackOut restaurant is exactly as it sounds: a pitch black eating experience, where diners are guided and served by blind waiters. The idea is that you truly appreciate the tastes and textures of the food when your eyes are disengaged. The upstairs cafe is less intense (and almost certainly less messy), though guests are encouraged to order their meals from the deaf waiters using sign language. It's a one-of-a-kind experience that is both humbling and hilarious.

The Bauhaus influence is everywhere, which is why in 2003 the city was declared a World Cultural Heritage site by Unesco. The more than 4,000 Bauhaus buildings have turned Tel Aviv into the White City it is known as today. Free walking tours meet every Saturday at 11am at Rothschild Boulevard, focusing on some of the most notable examples of the architectural style. Find out more at www.visit-tlv.com. For a living, breathing taste of the style, stay at the Cinema Hotel (www.cinemahotel.com), housed – you've guessed it – in a former 1930s picture house. Restored into an elegant boutique hotel, it boasts an old projector in the lobby, black and white movie posters on the walls and a fabulous roof terrace-cum-sun trap. Layer on the factor 30 and order another home-made lemonade. Prices around 130 per room, bed and breakfast.

Tel Aviv has become a major stop-off for international musicians on tour. Elton John, Rod Stewart and Seal have all played recently and Ozzy Osborne flies in at the end of the month. However, controversy continues to plague the city, and Gil Scott Heron announced his decision to pull out of a concert, saying he wouldn't play in Israel "until everyone is welcome", a reference to the Palestinian conflict.

Its spot on the seafront, with the sound of waves crashing on the sand, means Manta Ray (Alma Beach, tel: [phone]) is already on to a winner. Ask for a table on the veranda (you'll be lucky, it's usually packed out) and feast on its famous, ever-changing mezze – aubergine with goat's cheese, sardines, tahini, salmon tartare, calamari (around 2 each) – all accompanied by homemade Balkan bread and the killer house mojitos.

If you can't resist the scent of the sea in your nostrils and the feel of sand between your toes, you've come to the right place. Tel Aviv's beaches are safe and clean; some are even exclusive, charging an entrance fee to ensure no riff-raff get in, while another respects the religious community by separating men from women. But the main public beaches are probably most popular, providing a quiet spot to lounge through the week, then at weekends the locals descend and party. There's ball games and tanned, muscular flesh as far as the eye can see.

This article was first published in Scotland On Sunday on Sunday, 5 September, 2010