Plan a trip to Gush Dan

In the heart of Tel Aviv, at the top of the round tower of the city’s famous Azrieli Center, there is an observatory with spectacular views of the city and the entire Gush Dan – the Dan Bloc. To the south you’ll see the port city of Ashdod; to the east is the city of Rehovot, Ben-Gurion Airport which is bordered by the cities of Ramla and Lod, Rosh Ha'Ain, the springs of the Yarkon River, and a series of Arab settlements that begin in Jaljulia and end in Bekah al-Arabia. To the north is Netanya, the diamond city, and, to the west, the waves of the blue ocean hit the long sandy coast. From a height of 613 feet, it looks like one huge city – it is difficult to tell where one city begins and the other ends! 

In the early days of the Zionist movement, when lands were starting to be acquired on a large scale, a significant part of this area was uninhabited due to its swamps, malaria, and sand dunes. The landowners, who lived in Jaffa, Jerusalem, Beirut, and Alexandria, were happy to sell the seemingly worthless lands for handsome sums of money, and this paved the way for the massive settlement of Jews in the central part of the country. Even today, the Dan Bloc constitutes the highest concentration of the Jewish population in Israel, with almost half of the country's residents.

Gush Dan, Israel’s central region, is the country’s economic, industrial, scientific, medical, and cultural center. Due to its high concentration of hi tech companies, Gush Dan is often referred to as Israel's Silicon Valley. There are also many other industries located here, including pharmaceuticals, diamonds, drones, cosmetics, and electrical optical machinery and instruments. There is almost no industry that does not exist in Gush Dan, from innovative laser devices to robots and 3D printers.

Gush Dan is also the largest academic center in Israel. It houses Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, the Open University in Ramat Aviv, dozens of private colleges, and the world renowned Weizmann Research Institute in Rehovot.

Most of the largest medical centers in the country are also located in the center: the Rabin Center in Petah Tikva, which includes Beilinson Hospital, Schneider Children's Hospital, and the Davidoff Cancer Center; Tel HaShomer in Ramat Gan; Assaf HaRofeh in Tsrifin, Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot, and Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Gush Dan is also a center of culture. In Tel Aviv, as well as in the surrounding cities, there are major music, dance, and theater centers as well as a high concentration of museums such as the Tel Aviv Museum of Modern Art, the Design Museum in Holon, and the art museums in Petah Tikva, Ramat Gan, and Herzliya. Independence Hall, where the establishment of the State of Israel was declared, is located in the heart of Tel Aviv, and other fascinating museums include the Palmach Museum, the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, and the Anu Museum, which relates the history of the Jews from the destruction of the Second Temple until the present day.

Gush Dan is home to a large concentration of modern malls which co-exist with traditional, bustling markets such as the Carmel, Ramla, Rosh Ha'Ayin, and Tira markets. These markets take you back in time and place, making you feel as if you’re in cities such as Bukhara, Cairo, Baghdad, Marrakesh, Addis Ababa, and Tehran.

Gush Dan leads the modern culinary scene in Israel and attracts chefs from all over. With the blend of so many ethnicities in Israel, a new Israeli cuisine was born which is an outstanding blend of East and West.

Despite the area’s density, there are also quite a few nature reserves and spacious parks in Gush Dan, including Yarkon Park, HaSharon Park, Rishon Holot Reserve, the Nahal Poleg Reserve, and the National Park in Ramat Gan with the large zoo - the Safari.

There are also historical and archaeological sites in Old Jaffa, Apollonia National Park in Herzliya, Tel Afek National Park and the Antipatris Fort near f Ha'Ayin, and archaeological sites in Lod and Ramla.

The center is also popular due its long and well-maintained sandy beaches with parks, volleyball courts, and cafes.

Let’s return now to the 49th floor of the round Azrieli tower – specifically, to the famous 2C restaurant, the highest of Tel Aviv restaurants, renowned for its cuisine and atmosphere, and, of course, its breathtaking views. Bon Appetit, or, as it’s said in Hebrew, “B’Te’Avon!”