Coming in behind New York (at number one) and Tangier, Morocco, Tel Aviv has cemented its reputation as a budget traveller’s destination. It might have changed a bit ever since I first came over to the Holy Land, but there’s always been a great backpacking scene here and it’s only ever going to get bigger and better. There are some great hostels here, some of which we’ll be mentioning here real soon.

As the Lonely Planet put it:

Tel Aviv is the total flipside of Jerusalem, a modern Sin City on the sea rather than an ancient Holy City on a hill. Hedonism is the one religion that unites its inhabitants. There are more bars than synagogues, God is a DJ and everyone’s body is a temple.

Yet, scratch underneath the surface and Tel Aviv, or TLV, reveals itself as a truly diverse 21st-century Mediterranean hub. By far the most international city in Israel, Tel Aviv is also home to a large gay community, a kind of San Francisco in the Middle East. Thanks to its university and museums, it is also the greenhouse for Israel’s growing art, film and music scenes.

Just out of interest, the other seven cities on the top ten list are:

• Wellington, New Zealand
• Valencia, Spain
• Iquitos, Peru
• Ghent, Belgium
• Delhi, India
• Newcastle, England
• Chiang Mai, Thailand