Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: How to Get There for the Day

The Train to Yitzhak Navon

The train is the quickest option, taking about 30 minutes from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon station. The station opened on 25 September 2018 and sits about 80 m below street level. Yitzhak Navon station stands beside the Central Bus Station and the Red Line light rail, with 300 m platforms, and the tourism portal gives 150 m from the station to Binyenei HaUma and the Central Bus Station.

The Jerusalem to Ben-Gurion Airport train takes about 25 minutes. The fare for the Tel Aviv to Jerusalem train is not given here, so check it with the operator.

Buses 480 and 405

Two intercity bus routes connect the two cities. Bus 480 runs from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv's Arlozorov station in about 50 minutes, departing roughly every 20 minutes, so you rarely wait long. Bus 405 goes to Tel Aviv Central Bus Station about every 30 minutes.

The individual fares for bus 480 and 405 are not given here. Buses do not run on Shabbat, which is the biggest planning constraint on this journey.

Driving and Taxis

Driving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem uses Road 443 via Modiin or Road 1 and takes about 50 minutes in normal conditions, up to two hours in peak traffic. In normal conditions the drive takes about as long as bus 480.

A private taxi from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem costs about ₪250, or ₪300 to ₪350 after 21:00. That makes the taxi the expensive option by a wide margin. Ben Gurion Airport is about 45 minutes from Jerusalem by road.

All the Options Side by Side

The table below compares every way of covering the Tel Aviv to Jerusalem route. Journey times and frequencies come from the city tourism portal, and the taxi fare is that portal's figure.

The Red Line to the Walls

The Jerusalem Light Rail Red Line opened in December 2011 and is 22.5 km long with 35 stations. Trains run every 3 minutes at rush hour and every 6 minutes otherwise. Yitzhak Navon station sits directly beside the Red Line, so you step off the intercity train and onto the tram without a long walk.

The stops you want are Damascus Gate, City Hall and Jaffa Center, all around the Old City. Damascus Gate opens onto the bazaar of the Muslim Quarter, where steps lead down to the 1537 Ottoman gate. City Hall is the stop the Western Wall Foundation gives as 5 to 7 minutes from Jaffa Gate. Jaffa Center is the third stop named near the Old City. Jaffa Gate is the western entrance where the Old City walking tours meet.

The system uses the Rav-Kav card. The current fare is not confirmed here, so check the operator. A walking time from Yitzhak Navon station to Jaffa Gate is not published here.

Arriving by Air

Fly into Ben Gurion Airport and the train is again the quick route, since the Jerusalem to Ben-Gurion Airport train takes about 25 minutes. By road the airport is about 45 minutes from Jerusalem. The Red Line then runs on toward the Old City.

Once you are at the walls, the Old City itself is small. It covers 0.9 square kilometres of walled territory and divides into four quarters: Muslim in the northeast, Christian in the northwest, Jewish in the southeast and Armenian, the smallest. The walls run about 4.5 km, stand 5 to 15 m high and carry 35 towers, built under Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Seven gates are in use today, and the guide to the gates of Jerusalem Old City explains which one suits which destination inside. If you would rather see it with a guide, the Old City Jerusalem tours on the homepage list walks that start right at Jaffa Gate.

What Stops

Buses do not run on Shabbat, which the tourism portal defines as from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening. That closes bus 480 and bus 405 for the whole period. No Saturday service is stated for the intercity train line, so check the operator before planning a weekend day trip.

The Light Rail on Shabbat

The Red Line does not run in the daytime on Shabbat. Trains resume after Shabbat ends, and the published hours differ between sources, so check the operator before you travel.

If you are in Jerusalem on a Friday, the Jerusalem Old City Shabbat Tour is a 2.5-hour walk through the Jewish Quarter as the city prepares for Shabbat, ending at the Western Wall at sunset, priced at $47 per person. For the practical side of the journey, the guide to where to stay in Jerusalem covers where to base yourself.

The Three Tel Aviv Day Tours Compared

The table compares the tours that leave from Tel Aviv. Prices are per person exactly as the operators list them, and hours are the operators' stated durations. Full breakdowns of what each includes, and what it leaves out, sit on their own pages.

What Each One Actually Includes

The $90 Old City Tour from Tel Aviv includes round-trip transportation and a guide, with a 3.5-hour walk through all four quarters and an hour of free time for lunch. Food and drinks are not included, and entry fees are not listed as included. It meets at the operator's Tel Aviv office, not at hotels.

The $180 Boutique Tour is a 9-hour day with a licensed guide, pickup and drop-off, and groups capped at 18. It lists a Temple Mount visit on days it is open. Lunch, tips, food and drinks are not included.

The $121 Jerusalem and Bethlehem day trip is the only one of the three that includes entry fees and hotel pickup and drop-off, from nine named Tel Aviv hotels. It spends about 2.5 hours in the Old City, then continues to Bethlehem for the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Food, drinks and tips are not included.

A day tour removes the Shabbat problem for the road leg, but confirm with the operator before booking a Friday or Saturday departure, since scheduled public transport does not run. Once in Jerusalem, the walking tours from Jaffa Gate cover the same Old City sites.

• Round-trip transport: included on Every Tel Aviv tour
• Hotel pickup: only the Jerusalem and Bethlehem day trip
• Entry fees: only the Jerusalem and Bethlehem day trip
• Lunch: not included on any of the three