Tel Aviv-Yafo is Israel's coastal commercial and cultural capital, home to about 475,000 people in the city and about 4 million in the wider Gush Dan metro. It combines the Bauhaus-style White City (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), 14 km of Mediterranean beaches, the ancient port of Jaffa, the Carmel Market and a restaurant, cafe and nightlife scene that runs through the night, including on Friday evenings.
- Summary
- Tel Aviv-Yafo is flat, compact and easy to cross on foot, by bike or on the Red Line light rail. Buses cover the rest of the Gush Dan metro, and Israel Railways links the city's four stations to Ben Gurion Airport, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba. Most scheduled public transport pauses from Friday afternoon until Saturday night.
- Best way around
- Walk or rent a Metrofun (formerly Tel-O-Fun) bike for the beachfront and central neighbourhoods, ride the Red Line light rail for the Jaffa to Petah Tikva corridor, and use the Moovit app to plan buses. Use Gett or Yango taxis late at night and on Shabbat.
- Shabbat note
- The Red Line, Dan and Egged buses and Israel Railways stop in the hours before sunset on Friday and resume after nightfall on Saturday. Exact times change weekly with sunset, so check Moovit or rail.co.il. During the pause, taxis, ride-hail apps, some sheruts (shared taxis) on set city routes and bike share remain available.
- Payment
- Load a Rav-Kav card (a rechargeable smart card sold at train stations, light-rail machines and the Central Bus Station) or pay through the Rav-Kav Online app or Moovit. Cash is accepted on some buses but not on the light rail.
Transport at a glance
- Walking
- 4.6
- Light Rail
- 4.2
- Bus
- 3.6
- Taxi
- 4.0
- Bike Share
- 4.3
- Train
- 4.4
Airport transfers
Getting from the airport to your accommodation.
- Airport
- Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), Lod, about 18 km south-east of central Tel Aviv
- Train
- Israel Railways runs from Ben Gurion Airport station (Terminal 3 level) to Tel Aviv Savidor Center (Arlozorov), HaShalom and HaHagana stations. The fare is about 15-17 ILS (approx $5-6) and the ride to Savidor Center takes about 15 minutes. Trains run about every 20-30 minutes from early morning to around midnight and are less frequent overnight, but none runs between Friday afternoon and Saturday night. Buy a ticket at the station machines, at the Rail.co.il app or with a Rav-Kav card. Timetable: rail.co.il.
- Sherut
- Shared taxis (sheruts) wait outside Terminal 3 arrivals and take passengers to central Tel Aviv for about 60-80 ILS (approx $20-26) per person once the van fills. They are the main option on Shabbat for solo travellers. Nesher (nesher.co.il) also runs Ben Gurion to Jerusalem door-to-door vans.
- Taxi
- Metered or fixed-fare taxis from the Terminal 3 rank to central Tel Aviv cost about 130-190 ILS (approx $43-62) and take 20-35 minutes; fares are higher on Friday night and Saturday. Gett and Yango give an upfront fare in the app.
Local transport
Getting around the city.
Red Line light rail
Runs from Petah Tikva (Dan Hospital area) through Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan, under central Tel Aviv with underground stations at Arlozorov, Allenby, Elifelet and others, to Jaffa and Bat Yam. Useful for Carmel Market, Allenby Street, Jaffa Flea Market and the Bat Yam seafront. Other light-rail lines (Purple and Green) are under construction; check redline.co.il and Moovit for any new openings.
City buses (Dan, Egged, Metropoline)
Dan (dan.co.il) is the main Tel Aviv operator from the Central Bus Station on Levinsky Street and the Arlozorov terminal. Several lines run along Dizengoff Street, Ben Yehuda Street and Allenby Street; use Moovit to plan the exact line.
Israel Railways
Four Tel Aviv stations: University (north, next to Tel Aviv University), Savidor Center (Arlozorov, central), HaShalom (Azrieli Centre) and HaHagana (south, near the Central Bus Station). One line serves Herzliya, Netanya, Haifa and the north; another serves Ben Gurion Airport, Jerusalem and Beersheba.
Metrofun bike share (formerly Tel-O-Fun)
Green municipal bikes and e-bikes at docking stations across Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Givatayim; unlock with the Metrofun app or at the station kiosk. Short single rides are the cheapest use, with a day pass available. Rates change, so check metrofun.co.il for the current pass price.
Sheruts (shared taxis)
Minivans on fixed city routes that run on Shabbat when buses stop, notably along Dizengoff Street, Allenby and Ben Yehuda. Hail with a hand, say the destination to the driver and pay the driver (cash). Also used for intercity trips to Jerusalem and Haifa.
Walking
The White City, Rothschild Boulevard, Neve Tzedek, Carmel Market and the seafront promenade are all within about 30 minutes' walk of each other; the promenade runs 14 km from Jaffa Port to Tel Aviv Port and beyond.
Taxi and ride-hail
Metered taxis or Gett and Yango apps
Taxis & rideshare
What to expect from taxis and apps.
- Overview
- Licensed taxis in Tel Aviv are white with a yellow roof sign and must run the meter. A short city ride costs about 30-60 ILS (approx $10-20); a ride from the seafront hotels to Jaffa is about 40-60 ILS (approx $13-20). Night (9PM to 5:29AM), Friday evening and Saturday tariffs are about 25% higher. Gett (gett.com) and Yango (yango.com) are the main ride-hail apps and show the fare before booking. Taxi ranks are outside Ben Gurion Airport arrivals, Savidor Center station and the Central Bus Station.
Intercity travel
Getting between cities and regions.
Israel Railways
From Savidor Center, HaShalom or HaHagana to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon station, Haifa Center / Haifa Hof HaCarmel, Beersheba Center, Ashkelon, Netanya and Nahariya. No service on Shabbat.
Cost: 20-40 ILS (approx $7-13) depending on the destination
Egged and other intercity buses
Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, 108 Levinsky Street, and the Arlozorov terminal serve Jerusalem (line 480 and others), Eilat, Haifa and the Dead Sea. Buy a Rav-Kav card at the station.
Cost: 20-70 ILS (approx $7-23)
Intercity sheruts
Shared vans to Jerusalem and Haifa from the central bus station area; they also operate on Shabbat on selected routes.
Cost: 30-70 ILS (approx $10-23)
Car rental
Offices at Ben Gurion Airport and in the city centre (Hertz, Avis, Eldan, Shlomo Sixt); roads and parking are congested and expensive in Tel Aviv, so rent only for day trips.
Cost: 200-350 ILS (approx $66-115) per day plus fuel
Transportation details
Full breakdown of how to get around.
Flat, walkable city with a new underground light-rail line, frequent trains, buses, bike share and plentiful taxis; scheduled public transport pauses from Friday afternoon to Saturday night.
Airports
Ben Gurion Airport (TLV)
Useful apps
Download before you arrive.
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
A single ride on a Gush Dan bus or the Red Line costs about 6 ILS (approx $2) with a Rav-Kav card, and a transfer within 90 minutes is free; check current fares in the Moovit app.
The Red Line light rail runs roughly 5:30AM to midnight Sunday to Thursday, with reduced hours on Friday morning, and does not run on Shabbat. Verify the day's timetable at redline.co.il or in Moovit.
The airport train (Israel Railways, rail.co.il) is the cheapest and fastest route from Ben Gurion Airport: about 15-17 ILS (approx $5-6) to Tel Aviv Savidor Center in roughly 15 minutes.
Taxis must use the meter. Reject offers of a fixed price inside the arrivals hall and use the Gett or Yango apps for an upfront fare.
Bicycle and e-scooter lanes run along Ben Gurion Boulevard, the Yarkon Park paths and the seafront promenade; ride in the marked lanes, not on the pavement.
Pay for parking with the Pango or Cellopark apps; blue-and-white kerbs are metered, red-and-white kerbs are no parking.
On Friday afternoons the Central Bus Station and Savidor Center are crowded with commuters heading home before the Shabbat stop; allow extra time.
Keep the Home Front Command app (Pikud HaOref) installed and learn the location of the nearest public shelter, as is standard advice for all visitors in Israel.