Israel Travel Tips

Getting around, general info, Jerusalem and more 

 

 

Getting Around

Transportation from Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem

Taxis: There is a taxi stand located in Terminal 3 on Level G (ground floor), outside of door 03. Prices of taxis during the day average at around 300 NIS. At night the price averages at around 350 NIS. There are always available taxis at the airport so there is no reason to stress once you land.  

When traveling from Jerusalem to the airport a great taxi option is TzionTaxi at 052-384-3221.

Shared Taxi (Nesher Sherut): A popular alternative is the shared taxi, known locally as a “Monit Sherut”. The Sherut is a van that leaves from the exit of the Arrivals Hall and will take you anywhere in Jerusalem. Just note that most drivers will wait for the taxi to be full before leaving. Sheruts run 24/7 and cost approx. 65-75 NIS. There’s no need to pre-book if you’re traveling from the airport. 

For travel from Jerusalem to the airport, you need to book 24 hours in advance and provide your flight time. Nesher Sherut Taxis: +972 (0) 2-677-2500. 

Train: The train station at Ben Gurion Airport is located in Terminal 3. After exiting from door 3 on Level G (ground floor), there are signs that direct you to the location on Level S. A ticket can be purchased before you enter the platform on Level S. The price is approximately 24 NIS. Trains run every 30 minutes from 5:56 am to 11:33 pm (excluding Friday afternoon to Saturday evening), and will get you to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and various other locations. 
For more information visit the Israel Railway site.

Buses: Line 485, run by Afikim, runs once an hour 24 hours a day (excluding Friday afternoon to Saturday evening), From Terminal 3, on Floor 2, to the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem. In order to ride this bus, you must buy and load a Rav Kav travel card at the airport. The price is approximately 16 NIS.

Car Rental: There are various available car rental companies at Ben Gurion Airport. 

Transportation from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem 

Taxis: Taxis are available all around Tel Aviv. You are also always able to use the Gett Taxi or Yango App that will send a taxi to your phone’s specific location. This option is usually preferred because the price is determined by the distance, making it usually a cheaper taxi option.  

Buses: Line 405, run by the Egged bus company, takes off from the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station and gets to Jerusalem Central Bus Station in an hour assuming light traffic. The cost is approximately 16 NIS.  View bus schedules here.

Line 480, also run by the Egged bus company, leaves from Tel Aviv Arlozorov Terminal, and arrives at Jerusalem Central Bus Station. The price is approximately 16 NIS. View bus schedules here. 

Jerusalem’s Central Bus station and Jerusalem’s Yitzhak Navon Train Station are both located right across the street from Binyanei Hauma/International Convention Center, making it extremely convenient for travelling to and from the Summit.

Train: There are 4 train stations in Tel Aviv:

  • Tel Aviv Ha’Hagana
  • Tel Aviv Hashalom
  • Tel Aviv Savidor Center
  • Tel Aviv University Station

For those traveling from Tel Aviv on Summit Day, join fellow Summit-goers on “The Summit Special” high-speed train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Although trains run every half an hour throughout the day, The Summit Special is timed perfectly for your attendance. Departing at 7:15 a.m from the Tel Aviv HaHagana Station, the Summit Special will arrive 37 minutes later at the Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon station right across from the International Convention Center. That will leave you enough time for registration, breakfast, and securing a seat at the Opening Plenary. To get your ticket for this special train, click here.

 

Jerusalem – The Capital of the Startup Nation

Find out more about the Jerusalem tech scene here

Visiting Other Cities from Jerusalem

Thanks to Israel’s small size, getting around is fairly easy. One could make a day trip to visit a different city and be back the same day. Israel has many different landscapes, such as deserts in the south and mountains in the north, which are destinations for recreational and nature tourists around the world. Tel Aviv is a 45-minute bus ride away from Jerusalem and just a train away. Nazareth is a 1 hour and 40 minute drive, while the Dead Sea can be reached in less than 40 minutes by car. For organized tours click here.

General Information

Languages

The two official languages of Israel are Hebrew and Arabic. English and Russian are also languages commonly used in Israel.

Weather

During the Summit, it should be just the beginning of spring/end of the winter season in Israel. Though this time of year can bring some cold and rainy days, for the most part the temperature averages at  20 °C / 70 °F, and mostly sunny.

Emergency Numbers 

100: Police

101: Ambulance

102: Fire Department

144: Information

Israel Currency 

The Israeli form of currency is called the Shekel, commonly abbreviated as NIS, which stands for New Israeli Shekel. To check the updated exchange rates, click here.

Money can be exchanged at the airport in the Arrivals Hall after you exit the baggage area. In addition, you can withdraw Israeli Shekels at the ATM located in the Arrivals Hall as well. If you don’t want to withdraw cash at the airport,  you can easily withdraw money at almost any ATM across the country. If you brought cash with you and want to exchange it for shekels, you have 3 options — you can exchange at:

  • Banks
  • Post offices
  • Licensed currency exchange shops 

Almost all businesses accept credit cards, contactless cards and Apple Pay, which are great and effortless options if you don’t want to travel with cash. 

Terem Medical Service

Terem is a national emergency care center located around Israel that treats patients with medical emergencies that don’t necessarily need to go to the hospital. Terem accepts most travel medical insurance plans, just make sure to provide your insurance policy and passport number. Visits to Terem are typically much shorter than waiting in the ER at a hospital, therefore making this option more efficient.

Using Electrical Appliances 

The electric current used in Israel is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). If you bring an electronic appliance requiring 110 volts or any other voltage, you must use an appropriate transformer to convert the current. You can buy 220 volt equipment in Israel in various shops. Sockets are designed to accept plugs with either two or three round prongs. If your appliance doesn’t have the right plug, you can buy a plug adapter at any store that sells home hardware.

Travel visa

Citizens of the EU, US, Canada, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, S. Korea and most South American countries do not require a visa to enter Israel (see the detailed list here). If you need an invitation letter for visa purposes, please contact summit@ourcrowd.com

Apps to Help You Get Around Israel

Gett Taxi: Use this to order a taxi that will come to your location within minutes.

Download for iPhone or Android.

Yango Taxi:

Download for iPhone or Android.

Moovit: Helps you get around Israel easily using public transportation.

Download for iPhone or Android.

Pango: This app allows you to pay for street parking around Israel (the app shows up in Hebrew but can be set to English once it is downloaded).

Download for iPhone or Android.

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