Shenkin Street (Sheinkin Street) Tours and Activities

Once one of Tel Aviv’s coolest streets, Shenkin Street (also spelled Sheinkin Street) is now a vibrant thoroughfare, home to an ever-changing array of stores, boutiques, and eateries. Although it’s moved on from its hippie, counter-cultural heyday, it’s still worth a wander while en route from nearby Carmel Market or Nachlat Binyamin.

Shenkin Street is open to all with no admission charge, and many travelers arrive from nearby Carmel Market or Nachlat Binyamin and stroll at will through the stores and cafés, which include a range of well-known international brands. Shenkin Street is not a common stop on Tel Aviv city tours, though some guides stop by when visiting Carmel Market. It’s typically more popular with out-of-town visitors than with Tel Avivians, many of whom believe the street is losing its character with redevelopment.

Shenkin Street sits in the heart of central Tel Aviv, a stone’s throw from Carmel Market and about a mile (1.5 kilometers) south of Rabin Square. Buses 21, 23, 70, and 93 connect to here, while the street is walking distance from a number of downtown Tel Aviv attractions.

On Fridays, the first day of the Israeli weekend, Shenkin Street can get super busy, especially around lunchtime; some shops and cafés close on Saturday for the Jewish Sabbath. Visit on a midweek afternoon for a good balance of people-watching and space to breathe.

Zionist leader and Tel Aviv co-founder Menahem Shenkin established Shenkin Street in 1913, targeting tradesmen and cottage industries. During the 1960s and 1970s it was a hippie paradise, with alternative art groups emerging in the 1980s and fashionable shops and cafés taking over in the 1990s and early 2000s. It’s increasingly in demand as a residential address.