On a recent visit, my family and I rented bicycles at a shop near our hotel, and over the course of three days, cycled along the beach, through residential areas and the business and cultural center. We also cycled north of the city on a trail that hugs the Mediterranean, stopping to sample artisanal cheeses and baked goods at the farmers’ market by the old port just north of the city, and then biked along Hayarkon Park’s 3.5 miles of jogging trails.

The morning we took the coastal route to Jaffa, the beach was quiet. There were no signs of the plastic chaise longues that had covered the sand the day before. We rode along the broad Tayelet boardwalk, the sound of our tires startling the pigeons off the walkway. On the vast public beach, the sand had been shaped into gentle scalloped peaks by the night winds. Two surfers in wetsuits were already wading into the blue Mediterranean with their boards.