Shopping in Israel & The Palestinian Territories
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Educational Bookshop
East Jerusalem’s best bookshop has an impressive range of books and DVDs pertaining to the Arab–Israeli conflict, as well as a good selection of magazines and Palestinian music CDs. It also boasts a reading balcony, cafe and function room. Journalists, aid workers, activists and other politically aware people make this place a regular stop on their East Jerusalem wanderings.
reviewed
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B
Carmel Market
Passionate free-marketeers pedal everything from fresh-cut flowers to piles of cumin in this frenetic market, squeezed between the old Yemenite Quarter and Nahalat Binyamin St. This bubbling cauldron of commerce starts at Kikar Magen David, where hippies strum guitars for shekels. You need to push your way past the first few metres of clothing (Sponge Bob Square Pants boxer shorts and knock-off Nikes) to reach the more aromatic and enticing stalls of fruits and vegetables, hot breads and spices.
When in form, the stallholders have an amusing sales patter, singing songs to promote their goods and often joining in with one another.
Each of the narrow sidestreets specialises…
reviewed
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C
Souq
Starting at the top of El-Bishara St and occupying a maze of steep and narrow, winding alleys, the Souq is a lively place to haggle over a dayglo Jesus for the car dashboard. In the lower part of the town, local authorities have taken steps to clean up the white-stone streets of the souq but it still retains a somewhat authentic Arabian air, particularly on Fridays.
reviewed
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D
Auditorium Mall
Auditorium Mall , Located in the Carmel Centre next to the Cinematheque. It's small, but handy if you are staying in the area, and contains a Steimatzky bookshop, supermarket and pharmacy.
reviewed
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E
Arts & Crafts Lane
The products here are mainly Judaica and of excellent quality. It's open daily except Shabbat.
reviewed
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F
Aweidah Gallery
Looks like a museum but is actually a gallery that sells artefacts dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. You get a certificate that allows you to take it out of the country. (While artefacts certainly look genuine only a real expert could spot a fake, so buy with caution before handing over your credit card.) There are also several other antique galleries down this street.
reviewed
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Sheinken St
Feeling beautiful? Join others who think they are too on Sheinken St, Tel Aviv's answer to Melrose Ave. Up and down this street you'll find boutique shops selling everything from designer sunglasses to the latest line of imported Brazilian bikinis. The main people watching point is Nafha St, a block in from Kikar Magen David, where you can dine al fresco on a sidewalk café.
reviewed
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G
HaMachteret
By refashioning old garments and designing new items (with vintage fabric), designer Assaf Pelleg has carved out a niche market for himself. The spacious showroom of HaMachteret (which means Underground) is a pleasure to browse, thanks to the colourful walls, and comfy lounge. Both men and women are catered for and you can accessorise with handmade wallets and jewellery.
reviewed
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H
Spa Mul HaYam
You no longer need to travel all the way to the Dead Sea for a good spa treatment. You can soak yourself and rejuvenate right here in Tel Aviv. The most central treatment centre is Spa Mul HaYam , here you can get treatments with sea water, meditation workshops, milk- and mud-baths, and various forms of massage. They also do workshops for feng shui and massage.
reviewed
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Jerusalem Mall
The Jerusalem Mall contains a supermarket, movie theatre, fast-food joints and retail outlets. It is attractively designed with arched skylights, but it’s a bit far from the city centre to be of much use to the casual traveller. Take bus 31 from King George V St or bus 6 from the Central Bus Station to get out here.
reviewed
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J
Dizengoff Centre
Israel's first mall, the Dizengoff Centre is a bustling centre of commerce filled with cafés, fast food joints and retail shops. It also has two cinemas, a supermarket a couple of fitness centres and an indoor pool. An Israeli food fair is held on Thursday and Friday. It has also an exchange desk at the top floor.
reviewed
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Crafts Fair
Held every Tuesday and Friday. Even if you're not in the mood to spend money, this is a great place to walk around and soak up Tel Aviv's exuberant atmosphere. You'll find paintings, ceramics, jewellery and glasswork. Interspersed among the craft sellers you'll spot buskers, mime artists and dancers.
reviewed
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K
Enki By VV
Specialising in handmade casual women's clothing this studio-shop, operated by VV Ben-Ezra, has a good selection of colourful summer and winter outfits. This is but one of several fashion studios on Mohaliver St, an excellent place to browse the latest designs and meet the people who create them.
reviewed
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Lametayel
A combination bookshop and camping store, specialising in travel books and maps. It carries a full range of Lonely Planet guidebooks and promotes loitering - there is a comfy sitting room with beanbags and cushions, and also a useful board posting messages to others looking for travel partners.
reviewed
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M
Halper's
A combination bookshop and camping store, specialising in travel books and maps. It carries a full range of Lonely Planet guidebooks and promotes loitering - there is a comfy sitting room with beanbags and cushions, and also a useful board posting messages to others looking for travel partners.
reviewed
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Uzi Eli
An organic drink and medicine stall with an enthusiastic owner who will give you a spritz of citron treatment on your face whether you want it or not. His treatments are based on Yemenite traditional medicine and methods developed by the 12th-century Spanish doctor Rambam.
reviewed
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O
Couple Of
Handmade sandals for both men and women come in a variety of designs and mediums at this Dizengoff St shoe boutique. The fashions are created by a husband-and-wife team, Elon and Sheli Satat-Kombor, who favour shoes that lend equal priority to comfort and design.
reviewed
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P
Naama Bezalel
Parting with Tel Aviv traditional fashions (short skirts and tank tops), designs here span the fashion legacies of the 20th century. Everything from vintage-style lingerie to 1950s Euro holiday designs and 1960s polka dots are on display.
reviewed
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Q
Opera Tower Shopping Centre
The Opera Tower Shopping Centre, located at the top of Allenby St and Herbert Samuel Esplanade, also contains shops and a cinema. It's a modern, fashionable place with a convenient location near the hotels and the beach.
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Judaica
The best Judaica is available in Jerusalem, but if you are bargain hunting you'll find shops along Ben Yehuda St, some of them opposite the Sky Hostel. These shops also sell postcards, souvenirs and the like.
reviewed
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Azrieli Centre
The first three floors of the Azrieli Centre are also taken up by a shopping mall and cinema. There is a mixed bag here of upmarket shops and chain retail outlets, plus a better than average food court.
reviewed
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Elbabour
If you're a sucker for spices, don't leave town without getting a whiff of the beautiful old Galilee Mill, which has more than 1000 different products on offer, from exotic herbs to aromatic oils.
reviewed
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Arman Darian
Perhaps the most well-known ceramicist in Israel, Arman has installed his Armenian ceramic designs in many public buildings, including one floor of the Empire State Building.
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Sefer Vesefel
This Jerusalem institution houses floor-to-ceiling new and secondhand fiction and nonfiction titles. It’s upstairs in an alley linking Jaffa Rd with Mordechai Ben Hillel St.
reviewed
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Armenian Ceramics
This studio and shop has been in business since 1922. Tiles are hand painted and you can have items designed to your taste. It’s opposite the US consulate in East Jerusalem.
reviewed