Tel Aviv-Yafo Travel Forum

Hi,
I'm coming to Israel for a Baha'i pilgrimage on February 3rd. I'm arriving in the afternoon (4:30 PM I think) and don't have to be in Haifa before 11 PM. So since my hostel in Haifa is close to a train station, I thought of taking the train to the centre of Tel Aviv (Merkez?) and get off there, lock up my luggage somewhere and explore Tel Aviv a bit before taking the train to Haifa.
Anyway, I'd be really grateful for some advise or even some company! I hope getting out of the airport won't take long (in spite of my Iranian / German origin :). I'd love to see the beach maybe or have a nice lunch or visit hip places like Sheinkin Street or Neve Zedek ...
So my questions would be:
- is there any luggage disposal at the train station?
- what should i do considering the limited time and how do i get there?
- what's the weather like in February?
Please consider that I'm a student travelling on a low budget.

Thanks a lot! I hope to hear from you!

shalom Natascha and welcome to Israel!

Call me +972/50/3022333 [locally 050-3022333],
And I'll do my best to "soften" your first hours here.

Enjoy & Explore!
Avi

Shalom, Shalom:
Will you have time after your pilgrimage to travel in Israel a bit?
Your timetable from the Airport to Tel-Aviv and then to Haifa might be a bit "short". If you have only a few hours, I would suggest going on to Haifa, parking your bags there and then explore there a little. If you have more time AFTER you finish in Haifa, then return to Tel-Aviv or other spots in Israel that might be of interest to you, like the Dead Sea or Masada...it does sound like you have studied if you know about Shenkin St.

As for weather in Feburary, it is a grab bag of changes, you might end up with weather warm enough to swim and be in short sleeved shirts, or like last week it could be close to freezing. Consider layered clothing that you can "peel" if or when it warms up.
Martin

Thank you for your replies and tips!
Unfortunately I haven't planned in some extra days - wish I had though :(

There is no "left luggage" option in any public transportation facility in Israel (for security reasons). The only place you can leave luggage is at the hotel you booked into. I was on Sheinkin St. recently and couldn't figure out what all the fuss is about. It certainly didn't look too hip to me. Weather in February is changeable. It may rain, but usually it clears up in a few hours. As others said, bring layers of clothing (an undershirt, a long-sleeve top, a sweatshirt and a light jacket, for example) rather than a bulky coat which will just weigh you down. The Bahai gardens are gorgeous and Haifa is a very interesting place.

Oh no, I thought so that the luggage disposal might be a problem :( Well, I guess I can't move around much then. I'll see ...