How to get from Tel Aviv to Haifa? What is the best transport to get to Haifa from Ben Gurion Airport? How to get to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Haifa how to get there

Ben Gurion Airport is the main air gateway to the Holy Land. Every day planes land here from all continents of the globe - Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia. The airport is located 20 km away. from Tel Aviv and 50 km. from Jerusalem.

Upon arrival, at the passport control point you may be asked questions about where you are going, what cities you are going to visit, and ask for a return ticket. We recommend that you know in advance the contact details of whom you are flying to or hotel reservations if you are traveling on your own. Perhaps a security representative may want to talk to you, perhaps they will ask you to show your personal belongings.

Due to the political situation in Israel, increased security measures have been taken and sometimes this may affect the plans of tourists.

There are only two terminals at Ben Gurion Airport - numbers 1 and 3. Most flights arrive at terminal 3.

There are several ways to get from the airport to the city center on your own.

How to get from Tel Aviv airport to the city and to Haifa by train

The train (electric train) - in Hebrew "rakevit" - is the cheapest and easiest way, but only if you arrive not late at night and not on Shabbat.

At night, trains go to Tel Aviv once an hour. To Jerusalem - only from 6 am to 7 pm. On Friday from 14:00 to 19:30 on Saturday trains are closed.

The train stops right at the airport (terminal No. 3). It’s easy to find: follow the signs with the train icon to the stop, at the station you buy a ticket from the machine (you can select English from the machine, select the Tel Aviv station, then the time of departure of the nearest train will appear, then select a one-way trip, adult/child , put money into the bill acceptor or pay using a credit card).

There is always an assistant next to the ticket office; if he is absent, feel free to contact the security guard, even if he is not Russian-speaking, he will help you find Russian-speaking Israelis who can help you pay for the train ticket. A ticket will come out of the machine, which you will need to swipe at the turnstile to get through (like an ATM) and not throw it away until the end of the trip. Exit from the train is only with tickets.

In Tel Aviv, the train makes 4 stops - Tel Aviv Hagana (the first stop after the airport) and then in order: Tel Aviv HaShalom, Tel Aviv Savidor Merkaz, Tel Aviv University. The ticket is valid to any of these stations and its cost is the same, regardless of which station you need to get off at and is 16 shekels.

The cost of a train from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem is 20 shekels, to Netanya - 24.5 shekels, to Haifa - 35.5 shekels.

You can get to Tel Aviv in 15 minutes, to Netanya in an hour, to Haifa in 1.5 hours, and to Jerusalem in 2 hours.

After going through the turnstile, you find yourself on a platform with two paths. On one side the train goes to Modiin, and on the other there are trains to the north and they all go through Tel Aviv. The final stations indicated on the board may be Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nahariya, Kiryat Motskin, Binyamina. If in doubt, ask others; Russian is spoken by the majority of Israelis.

When leaving the station trains, you need to swipe your ticket at the turnstile, after which it can be thrown away accordingly.

Buses and minibuses stop near each railway station, and ordinary taxis are parked in large numbers at specially designated parking lots. More detailed train schedules are available on the Israeli Railways website (Russian version) http://rakevet.co.il. In the list of stations you need to select “Ben Gurion Airport”.

Trains are announced in English at the airport. Also, on trains that pass through the airport, the station names are usually duplicated in English and written in Latin letters inside the cars on the board.

How to get from Tel Aviv airport to the city by bus

The bus - in Hebrew "otobus" - is a cheap but not very convenient way to get from the airport to the city. Buses No. 5 or 5alef depart from Terminal No. 3. You can easily spot them by their green colors. The main inconvenience is that there are no direct buses to Tel Aviv from Ben Gurion Airport. But it’s cheap - 14 shekels.

You can take bus number 5, drive for 5-10 minutes, get off at the Ben Gurion Airport EL Al Junction stop, cross the road and transfer to bus 249 (it is better to check the number and departure time before the trip on egged.co.il). Getting there by bus takes much longer than by train, transfer or taxi due to traffic jams and stops.

The buses don't run 24 hours a day, they certainly don't run at night. They don't work on Shabbat. You can check the bus schedule on the website: http://egged.co.il (there is an English version).

Shuttle taxis from Ben Gurion Airport

Minibus taxis—in Hebrew “monyot sherut”—depart from Terminal No. 3. They operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The cost of a minibus from Tel Aviv airport to Jerusalem is about 60 shekels, to Haifa - from 75 to 115 shekels.

Dispatched when full. Directions - Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and also, if you can negotiate with the driver, then cities along the road.

The routes are usually very tight. If you are after a long flight, with children and luggage, a minibus is not the best choice.

Taxi at Ben Gurion Airport - cost, conditions

Taxis—monit in Hebrew—depart from Terminal 3. They work around the clock, without days off or breaks. Payment by meter. At night, on Saturday or on a holiday, the payment on the meter increases by 25%. The taxi driver has the right to charge an additional commission for transporting each piece of luggage. The surcharge that drivers charge for travel from Ben Gurion Airport is 5 shekels. Plus a surcharge for waiting.

There is usually a queue of arriving passengers for a taxi; you may have to wait.

A taxi from the airport is expensive - from 160 to 180 shekels (without surcharges).

Additional expenses. For each piece of luggage in a taxi they charge extra money, for a trip on Shabbat - a different tariff, for waiting - another surcharge. You can calculate the cost of a taxi from Ben Gurion Airport.

How to get from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem

You can travel from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem via Tel Aviv.

Option 1. Take the train (see point 1) to Tel Aviv, Serkeci station, and then transfer to either the train or bus 480, which departs from the old bus station and is located right next to the train station. Buses leave every half hour. Ticket is about 6.5 dollars.

Option2. Take bus number 5 right at the airport (see point 2), get off at the Ben Gurion Airport EL Al Junction stop, cross the road and change to bus 480.

Private transfer from Ben Gurion Airport

An individual transfer is when you are met at the airport with a sign, helped with your luggage and taken to the specified address.

Let's talk about the shortcomings right away:

  • cost - of course it is more expensive than public transport. Choose - either savings or convenience. But if you choose between a taxi and a transfer, the transfer wins.

Transfer advantages:

  • the driver meets you with a sign in the arrivals area. Agree, when arriving in an unfamiliar country, it is pleasant and convenient to be greeted, especially if you are with children,
  • the driver will help with luggage if necessary,
  • transfer price is fixed, is known in advance and does not change. The cost will not change regardless of the amount of luggage, holiday, etc. You can pay for the transfer online in full and then you do not need to change money and banknotes at the airport to pay the driver,
  • you can order a transfer both to Tel Aviv and to any city,
  • The transfer can be ordered entirely online, and you will receive a voucher by email in a few minutes. There is no need to wait for the operator to call or call someone.

Where to order a transfer from Ben Gurion Airport:

  • — international transfer service, website in Russian, prices vary depending on the type of car. The downside is that the support service is not 24/7, telephone only.
  • - international service. An excellent site, and the support service is even better - everything is in Russian, there is a telephone number for contact. There is even an online chat. There are cars for 1-4 passengers, as well as various types of minibuses for those traveling in large and very large groups. We recommend.

The cost per car is fixed for any area of ​​the city, no matter where your hotel is. To book, you must make a prepayment, immediately after which you will receive a voucher. You can also pay for the trip online in full immediately, in which case you do not pay anything to the driver. Just get out of the car, pick up your things, say “lehitraot” (“goodbye”) and leave.

The transfer must be booked in advance, at least 16 hours in advance. If you change your mind or change your plans, you can cancel 24 hours before the trip without any penalties.

Have a nice trip!

Taxi has another interesting advantage - many taxi drivers take money in dollars or euros, which saves tourists from having to change money at the airport. Dollars and euros are not accepted on trains and buses.

Method two - train

The train can be considered the best option. Firstly, it is the fastest, since the station is located directly under the Ben Gurion Airport terminal. Secondly, it is inexpensive; the price of a trip to Tel Aviv is comparable to the price of Russian Aeroexpress trains.

The train station is located in Terminal 3 on the ground floor on level S. There are signs everywhere at the airport, follow them and you won't go wrong. Ticket offices are located on level G.

The cost of a trip to Tel Aviv is 16 shekels. The train travels to Tel Aviv in 21 minutes, the distance is 25 kilometers. This is not, relax and relax on the trip, as there is not much to see along the way. At the end of the journey you will arrive at the central train station “Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station”.

Also from the airport you can take direct trains to the cities of Haifa, Acre, Nahariya, Modiin, Beersheba, Lod, Kiryat Gat and Lehavim.

And now for an unpleasant surprise - you cannot take a direct train to Jerusalem from Ben Gurion Airport. The new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway line is still under construction and will only begin operating in 2017.

Now you can get to Jerusalem by train, but along the old railway line, built during the Ottoman Empire, that is, it is already more than 100 years old. You need to take the train to Tel Aviv Central Station and from there take the train to Jerusalem.

The train service to Tel Aviv operates 24 hours a day, except Shabbat - from Friday 14:30 to Saturday 21:15. Also, trains do not operate on National Holidays.

Trains towards Tal Aviv depart every half hour during the day, and once every hour at night and in the morning. Please note that we expressed ourselves: “towards Tel Aviv.” There is no mistake here, these trains go to the north of Israel, and Tel Aviv is an intermediate stop for them.

Israel Railways has a very clear website. I am giving you a link directly to the Russian version of the site.

The site is in Russian and is easy to use.

Let's, as an example, try to look at the ticket price and train schedule so that you can get from Ben Gurion Airport to Haifa.

The railway station at the airport is called: station "Ben Gurion Airport".

In Haifa, the railway runs through the city along the sea and there are several stations. The station you need is called "Haifa-Merkaz-Central". Word merk A h in Hebrew means center.

Select on the website destination station And departure station.

The site will give you a list of trains running from the airport to Haifa to your station between 18.00 and 20.00. That is, an hour before the time you specified and an hour later too.

There will also be two red buttons, by clicking on which you can see earlier and later trains. In Israel, trains usually run on schedule. You will also be able to see which trains go directly (you do not need to change trains) - this is written next to each train on the schedule.

Select the desired train.

You will receive a page containing the ticket price, train arrival time in Haifa, and duration of the trip.

You buy a ticket for an adult. Discount tickets for Israeli citizens.

In the article we talk about the main ways to get from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv. We tell you what to do if you arrive in Israel at night, on Saturday or on holidays.

1 shekel (ILS) ≈ 18.6 rubles. | 1$ ≈ 3.5 shekels (ILS).

Ways to get from Tel Aviv airport to the city center on your own

IMPORTANT ! From Friday afternoon until Saturday evening (Shabbat), trains and buses do not operate. At this time, you can only get from the airport to the city by, or with the help of. The same applies to holidays.

How to get from the airport to Tel Aviv by train

The train (RakEvet) is the most convenient way to inexpensively travel from Ben Gurion Airport to the center of Tel Aviv. Double-decker trains are equipped with air conditioning, comfortable chairs and tables. The trains have special connectors for charging smartphones and tablets. Stations and trains are specially equipped and accessible for people with limited mobility.

The airport railway station is located on the lower level “S” of terminal No. 3. Using signs at the airport, you can easily navigate and find the entrance to the station.

If you have an arrival or departure from terminal No. 1, then you can get to terminal No. 3 using a free shuttle. It runs every 15 minutes around the clock. Shuttle stop locations:

  • from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 - on the ground floor G
  • from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 - opposite gate 4

Photo © Israel Railways (www.flickr.com)

Ticket price depends on the distance. One-way travel from the airport to Tel Aviv costs 13.50 shekels (≈ $4). In Tel Aviv the train makes 4 stops.

From the airport to Jerusalem you can take a train for 17-20 shekels (≈ 5-6 $). To Netanya from Ben Gurion Airport - 24.5 (≈ $7). To Haifa - 35.5 (≈ $10).

You can find out the exact price for your route on the official website.

You can buy a train ticket at the ticket office or from a special machine at the entrance to the station. You can also purchase a ticket online on the official website or through the application.

Note : Keep your ticket until the end of your trip. To exit the station you must present your ticket.

  • Sun-Thu - 24 hours a day
  • Friday – closed
  • Saturday – closed

Ticket office hours at Ben Gurion Airport station

  • Sun-Thu – 24 hours a day
  • Friday – from 06:00 to 16:30
  • Saturday – from 21:00

Note : For the exact schedule of stations, see the official website (in Russian). Find the desired station on the map and click on it.


Photo © David King (www.flickr.com)

Train schedule in Israel for 2019


Train schedule in Israel from the official website www.rail.co.il

Transfer from Tel Aviv airport to the hotel

At night, public transport from the airport runs less frequently, and from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening (Shabbat) it stops running altogether. When the main transport in Israel does not work, a transfer or taxi comes to the rescue.

If you are traveling with a small child or you have a lot of suitcases, then it is best to think about the transfer in advance. This will allow you not to waste time looking for transport after the flight, and on the road will allow you to avoid unnecessary transfers.

Unlike city transport, a taxi transfer depends on your time. The driver arrives at the airport strictly for the arrival of your flight. He meets you with a name sign in the arrival hall, helps with your luggage, and in 35-40 minutes you are already at the hotel.

Transfer prices from the airport to the hotel in Tel Aviv starts for a car for 3-4 passengers. For a group of 4-7 people or large luggage -

Transfer prices from Ben Gurion Airport:

The cost of a transfer trip depends on the class of the car. After booking, the transfer price does not change.

How to get from Ben Gurion Airport by taxi

Taxi is another way to get to the city from Ben Gurion Airport at any time, including Saturday (Shabbat) and holidays.

You can order a taxi only through a special taxi dispatcher counter. The counter is located on level G in Terminal No. 3 (at Gate 3) and near Gate 3 in Terminal No. 1.

Taxi fare depends on travel time, number of passengers and luggage. The passenger also pays for toll sections of the road and long waits. There is a mandatory landing fee of NIS 5 for landing at Ben Gurion Airport.

Taxi ride from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv

  • 2 adults + 2 suitcases = during the day - 152.8 shekels (≈43.5$); at night - 173.8 (≈49.5$)
  • 3 adults + 3 suitcases = during the day - 162.4 shekels (≈$46); at night -183.4 (≈$52)

Note : You can calculate the cost of a taxi trip on the official website of the airport using a price calculator.

Travel at night and on Saturday. A trip at night will cost 25% more. The night tariff starts working every day from 21:01 to 05:29. On Friday, travel at night fare starts from 17:00 until 05:29 the next day. Also, the night rate is paid on Saturday (Shabbat) and holidays.


Photo © Automobile Italia (www.flickr.com)

How to get from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv by bus

The cheapest and most inconvenient way to get to the city from the airport is by bus. There is no direct bus service between the airport and Tel Aviv. To get to Tel Aviv you need to take shuttle number 5 and number 5א (free green buses) and get to the Airport City stop. The station is located 5-10 minutes from the airport.

At the station you can find a bus to most cities in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Bus schedules and timetables can be found on the official website of the Egged bus company or.

Schedule: Shuttles No. 5 and No. 5 depart from the airport every 15-20 minutes. from 05:00 to 22:00. Buses from Airport City station to Sun-Thu from 7:00 to 20:30. On Friday there are 2 flights - at 10:30 and 14:00.

Ticket price- 14 shekels. (≈ $4).

Note : Buses do not run at night, on Saturday (Sabbath) and on holidays.


Photo © TLV and more (www.flickr.com)

Shuttle taxi from the airport to Tel Aviv

An alternative to the bus is a minibus (moniyot sherut). Unlike buses, minibuses go directly to Tel Aviv. MonIt SherUt runs around the clock and every day, incl. on Saturdays (Shabbat) and holidays.

Minibuses do not have a clear schedule: they leave the airport when the cabin is filled with passengers. The minibus is usually crowded, so if you have a lot of luggage or have children, it is better to choose another transport to the city.

Fare 30-40 shekels (≈9-11$).


Photo © Yaniv Yaakubovich
(www.flickr.com)