The Gush Dan (Hebrew: גוש דן, "Dan block") is the metropolitan area around the city Tel Aviv-Jaffa and at the same time the largest agglomeration Israel.
Although there are some interesting destinations, tourists rarely visit the metropolitan area. Tel Aviv and Jaffa themselves are an exception: They are among Israel's top destinations - especially for young people who want to enjoy the nightlife of the “Big Orange” in the “city that never sleeps”.
Regional breakdown
In the core area of the Gush Dan, the cities and settlements merge seamlessly into one another; the greater the distance from Tel Aviv's city center, the gaps become larger; The Gush Dan is surrounded in the extent described here by the Sharon plain in the north, the Palestinian West Bank in the east, the Schefela in the southeast and the Southern part of the Israeli coastal plain in the south.
places
The Gush Dan is the most densely populated part of Israel, depending on the definition of the borders up to two million people live here. Several cities in the region have now reached a population of over 100,000. The center of the Gush Dan is the city Tel Aviv-Jaffa on the Mediterranean coast, derived from the formerly Arab Jaffa and Tel Aviv founded in 1909. Other important cities in the region are:
- Ramat Gan, known for the diamond exchange,
- the city inhabited by many Orthodox Bnei Brak,
- Ramat Hasharon,
- Herzlija at the south end of the Sharon Plain, which was named after Theodor Herzl,
- Petach Tikva, the first Jewish farmers' settlement in the country, arose at the beginning of Jewish immigration at the end of the 19th century,
- Lod,
- Ramla, the only Islamic city founding in historical Palestine,
- Rishon leZion with major industrial companies in the fields of electrical engineering and pharmaceuticals,
- Cholon (holon) with a friend Children's Museum and
- Bat jam with beautiful swimming beaches.
Other goals
- In the Gush Dan near Rosh HaAyin lie the sources of the river Yarkon, which flows into the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv. Together with the ruins of Tel Afek, the springs form the “Yarkon and Tel Afek” national park.
background
The region around the city of Tel Aviv is the economic center of Israel, here are various large cities and this is where the country's most important traffic arteries converge. The boundaries of the metropolitan area are not precisely defined; According to a brief definition, Gush Dan only includes cities and places that are completely fused with Tel Aviv; according to other definitions, places that are a little further away and whose buildings do not merge directly with those of the cities around Tel Aviv can be added .
The name of the region - "Dan-Block" - can be explained in two ways. On the one hand, the region around ancient Jaffa is considered the residential area of the Israelite tribe "Dan". On the other hand, bus traffic in the Tel Aviv region was traditionally handled by the bus company Dan. Until the 1990s, this was the only exception in all of Israel, because the Egged bus company ran everywhere else in the country. The Gush Dan was also the area in which the bus company of the same name operated the lines.
language
Most of the places in the greater area are settled by Jews, so that Hebrew is predominantly spoken and the Arabic language hardly plays a role. As in other parts of Israel, English is generally understood.
getting there
In terms of traffic connections, the Gush Dan is the best developed region in Israel. It is possible to travel to Gusch Dan from practically all parts of the country and from abroad without any problems.
By plane
In the east of the region lies with the Ben Gurion Airport the air hub and the main international airport in the country. The airport is served by various airlines from places all over the world and is the home airport of the former state-owned Israeli airline "EL AL". Various inner-Israeli airports and airfields are also served from Ben Gurion Airport. On the ground, the airport can be reached via motorway 1 (Tel Aviv - Jerusalem) and via the railway line to and from Tel Aviv.
By train
The route runs through the Gusch Dan in a north-south direction Nahariya - Haifa - Tel Aviv - Beer Sheva the coastal line of the Israeli Railways (Israel Railways or Rakévet Israél), which is the most important main line in the country. Tel Aviv has several train stations on this route, and the city can be reached without changing trains from most Israeli cities with rail connections. Within the metropolitan area, the offer is supplemented by various suburban lines. Many cities in the region are connected to Tel Aviv with a s-bahn-like service (see the route map of Israel Railways), other cities are to have train stations in the future.
By bus
There are direct bus connections to the metropolitan area from the larger cities in all parts of the country. The main transfer bus station is the Central Bus Station (CBS) in Tel Aviv, which is also the largest in the entire country. Many national, regional and local bus routes converge here.
In the street
In and around Tel Aviv there is a network of motorways and motorway-like expressways that lead to all parts of the country.
- The multi-lane roads 2 (Autobahn) and 4 lead from the north of Haifa and the other cities along the northern Mediterranean coast out into the Gush Dan. The road 4 crosses the Gush Dan and then runs parallel to the coast to the south Ashdod and Ashkelon.
- The toll motorway 6 runs on the eastern edge of the region; it connects the further inland regions and places of northern Israel (e.g. Nazareth, Afula and Tiberias) and the northern Negev (i.e. especially Be'er Scheva) via Gush Dan. The most important feeder roads to Autobahn 6 in the Gusch Dan area from north to south are roads 5, 1 and 44. The advantage of Autobahn 6 is that there is comparatively little traffic due to the toll. If you drive on them with a rental car, however, additional fees from the landlord are often due in addition to the tolls. You don't have to use the motorway; if you want to save money, you can avoid it by taking the already mentioned main roads 2 and 4 closer to the coast.
- Coming from the east (Jerusalem, northern Shefela) you can reach Gush Dan via road 1.
During rush hour, you should expect that the in and out roads in the region will be congested, so that you will only make slow progress.
mobility
The public transport in Gusch Dan is very good, so that you can get from one place to another without any problems. Depending on the starting point and destination, you can either use the above-mentioned suburban trains of the Israeli railway or buses. The bus routes are mainly served by the bus company "Dan".
Important transfer points or hubs for public transport are
- the Tel Aviv Central Station “Tel Aviv Merkaz (or center) - Savidor ”(practically all railway lines stop here, as well as many bus lines) and
- the central bus station in Tel Aviv, which is within walking distance of the "Tel Aviv haHagana" train station (the train station is 400 m east of the bus station).
The region offers a dense road network for private transport. Most of the motorways and multi-lane roads that lead from other parts of the country into the region cross the Gush Dan and are also used by regional traffic. The most important traffic axis in the center is the expressway "Ayalon Highway" (road 20) on the eastern edge of Tel Aviv. Although this main artery has up to five lanes in each direction, it is practically always congested during rush hour; The operating company provides up-to-date traffic jam information on the Internet (with map and webcams, also in English, see ayalonhw.co.il). In general, you have to expect that you will make slower progress on the main roads in the region during rush hour because there are traffic jams and slow-moving traffic in many places.
Tourist Attractions
The main attractions of the region are located in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. There are various museums here (e.g. the Diaspora Museum), for example the old town of Jaffa visit with its galleries or see the “White City of Tel Aviv” with its Bauhaus architecture.
Other important sights are the safari park in Ramat Gan, the national park at the Jarkon springs and the St. George's Basilica in Lod.
activities
In the west, the Gush Dan borders the Mediterranean along its entire length. On the stretch from Herzlija in the north to Bat Jam in the south, there are over 20 kilometers of beaches where you can swim or sunbathe as you wish. In the high season, however, the beaches in Tel Aviv are very busy.
Those who like to shop will get their money's worth in Tel Aviv. There are many shopping opportunities here, from markets to small shops and boutiques to large shopping centers.
kitchen
nightlife
In Tel Aviv in particular there is a pronounced nightlife with many clubs, discos, pubs, bars and cafes. In the summer months there is a lot going on in the evening in the area of the beach. Tel Aviv, "the city that never sleeps", is considered the party capital par excellence in Israel. You can get an overview of the offers with the magazine “Time-out”, which you can get from the tourist information offices.
security
The security situation in Gush Dan hardly differs from that in the rest of the country. Compared to Jerusalem, the controls are often a little more relaxed.
climate
In Gush Dan there is a climate that is typical for the Israeli coastal region: In winter there is relatively much rain, but it remains frost-free; in summer it doesn't get quite as hot, but it is often humid, so that the wind from the sea does not provide much cooling.
