Tourist Tip #84 Chasing Designer Duds in Tel Aviv

New York City has Fifth Avenue. Los Angeles has Rodeo Drive. And Tel Aviv, oh label-loving travelers, has Kikar HaMedina.

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If you're a material girl (or boy) and you find yourself with a craving for couture while in the Holy Land, make your way to this massive round plaza off of swanky Jabotinsky Boulevard in the city's north. Here, a wide ring of boutiques and upscale cafes surrounds a gaping public square, and among them are Israel's priciest and mosh posh: Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Versace and more.

Kikar HaMedina is an absolute mecca for the image-obsessed and the fashion frenzied. It's one of the few places in Israel you can find true designer duds, among them a shop featuring Lavnin, whose chief designer, Alber Elbaz, is a homegrown success story.

The stores of Kikar HaMedina are wrapped around a huge traffic circle, so if you're coming in a car, feel free to drive round and round again until you spot the pricy shop of your choice. Or, given the state of parking in Tel Aviv, park the car if you see a spot and start using your feet.

But take note, shoppers: This plaza is home to the most expensive, and most exclusive, boutiques in the entire country. You may prefer to ditch the water bottle and hiking sandals for this day trip. Your fellow shoppers will likely be dressed to nines as they comb the pricey racks and it could serve you well to dress up, if ever-so-slightly, as well.