Israel · Tel Aviv District · Tel Aviv
Jaffa, Tel Aviv — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Stone lanes climb from an ancient harbour at Jaffa, the old port quarter of southern Tel Aviv-Yafo, known for St. Peter's Church and Andromeda Rock.
About Jaffa
Where to stay in Jaffa
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Jaffa puts the old town of Tel Aviv-Yafo at your doorstep. The oldest lanes wind uphill from the port toward St. Peter's Church and the Ilana Goor Museum, a compact stone quarter of galleries, courtyards, and sea views over the anchorage. It suits travellers who want the harbour, the old town, and Andromeda Rock within walking distance.
The port edge lies lower down. Its streets around Abu Nabut Park sit closer to the water, the fishing quay, and the open shore of the Mediterranean, an easy walk downhill from the old town lanes.
About Jaffa
What are the main landmarks in Jaffa?
Jaffa gathers its landmarks around the old harbour and the hill above it. St. Peter's Church crowns the skyline over the port, near the Saint Nicholas Monastery and the Ilana Goor Museum in the old town lanes. Andromeda Rock breaks the surf just offshore.
Beyond the harbour the churches continue, with Immanuel Church and the Saint Anthony Catholic Church standing among the streets, while Abu Nabut Park spreads its greenery back from the shore.
What is the history of Jaffa?
Jaffa is one of the oldest harbours on the Levantine coast, long known in English as Japho, Joppa, or Joppe. The port grew on a naturally elevated outcrop above the Mediterranean, drawing traders and pilgrims across many centuries onto the rock behind its quay. Ships shaped it from the start.
St. Peter's Church and the Saint Nicholas Monastery mark the long presence of religious communities on the hill, while Andromeda Rock offshore carries a name tied to the old myths of this shore, long before Jaffa became the southern anchor of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Where is Jaffa?
Jaffa occupies the southern edge of Tel Aviv-Yafo, on a raised outcrop where the land meets the Mediterranean, with Andromeda Rock offshore to the west.
Part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, reached through the old town lanes below St. Peter's Church, defined by its ancient harbour and Andromeda Rock on the Mediterranean.
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Updated July 2026