Transportation in Jerusalem: All You Need to Know

Jerusalem is located a few KMs from Ben Gurion’s airport. There are a few ways to get there and to get arround in the city itself. Here are some useful tips that will help you

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Jerusalem’s closest international airport is Ben Gurion International Airport. Israel Railways, Egged bus lines, and service taxis, or Moniot Sherut in Hebrew, connect Jerusalem to the rest of the country. Inside Jerusalem, you can travel by bus, light rail, or taxi.

Riding on bike in the old station in Jerusalem. Photo by Udi Goren

Always buy a Rav Kav

Your trips on the light rail, bus or intercity trains can be paid using the Rav Kav, Israel’s public transportation pass. This card enables the user to preload a balance to be used for trip fares on all public transportation (except for shared minivans or taxicabs). The cost of a Rav Kav card is 5 NIS, available at Ben Gurion Airport, central train stations, all light rail stations in Jerusalem, or directly from any bus driver. Download the Rav Kav application (search for ‘Rav Kav’ in Apple’s Appstore or Android’s App store), to add to the card balance via your mobile phone any time you want.

Note that any use of the Rav Kav is valid for 90 minutes, so that if the trip includes transferring between buses or a light rail trip in Jerusalem there is no need to pay separately for each ride, provided that the passenger transfers within 90 minutes.

​Bus

Jerusalem’s central bus station, or Tahana HaMerkazit in Hebrew, is located in the north of Jerusalem and mostly services Egged bus lines. Egged is one of the three major Israeli bus companies and the main one in Jerusalem. In the central station you can find all inter-city and most intra-city bus lines. Egged runs nearly 100 bus lines in Jerusalem and its suburbs. There is also a separate network of Arab-run buses that run services to Arab-Israeli towns and to Palestinian towns in the West Bank.

Little buggies in Jerusalem. Photo by Udi Goren

Light Rail

Jerusalem is the first Israeli city to have a light rail. City Pass, Jerusalem’s light rail, runs a track across the heart of the city. Trams run about every 10 minutes. This is a convenient way to get from the central bus station to the Mahane Yehuda market or to the gates of the Old City.

Train

Jerusalem’s train station is located in the south of the city near the Jerusalem Mall. It is operated by Israel Railways. Trains at this station are used for inter-city travel.

Tram on the light rail in Jerusalem