The crime rate in Tel Aviv is relatively low, and visitors can walk freely through most neighborhoods without the slightest hesitation, even at night. Even so, visitors would be wise to use common sense and take the usual precautions: Avoid the area around the old bus station, a place where drug dealers and prostitutes gather, public parks and quiet alleyways after dark, stick to well-lit streets, avoid carrying open and loose purses, and keep an eye out for pickpockets.
Like the rest of Israel, Tel Aviv is very security conscious, and it is wise to observe safety instructions. Security guards are positioned outside most restaurants, nightclubs, theaters, transportation centers, banks, hotels, hospitals, and at the entrances to shopping malls and large stores. Many locations also have metal detectors. Restaurants frequently charge a 1 NIS-2 NIS security surcharge, and most diners readily pay the extra charge knowing that it provides them with an added measure of safety.
Security guards also travel on and patrol the city's bus lines. Although terrorist attacks in recent years have given Israel's public transportation system a bad name, travel is actually quite safe.
It is wise to adhere to warnings against travel to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and all areas under Palestinian control.
For more information, contact your country's travel advisory agency.
