Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem: every way to get there in 2026, compared honestly

Jerusalem is about 50 kilometres from the airport and roughly 760 metres higher up. On a quiet weekday afternoon the drive takes 45 minutes and the train takes under half an hour. On a Friday at three o'clock, after a twelve-hour flight with two kids and five suitcases, it can feel a lot further.

This guide is written from the other side of the arrivals hall: we drive this road several times a week, and we spend a lot of time answering the same messages from people who have just landed. Everything below was checked in October 2026. Where a number moves (fares, timetables), we say where to confirm it.

The short answer

Compare it for your own group

Set your group size, suitcases and landing time. The train's price grows with every person; a taxi's grows with every extra car; one vehicle stays one vehicle. Somewhere around five people with real luggage, the lines cross.

From the plane door to the kerb

Nobody budgets for this part, and it's often the longest. Passport control at Ben Gurion can take ten minutes or more than an hour, depending on how many long-haul flights landed at the same time.

1. 1

   Before you fly: ETA-IL

   Citizens of visa-exempt countries (the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and others) need an approved ETA-IL before boarding. It costs ₪25 and can take up to 72 hours, so don't leave it for the airport.

2. 2

   Passport control

   Keep the paper entry slip (the small blue card). Hotels ask for it to waive VAT for tourists.

3. 3

   Baggage hall and customs

   Grab a trolley. Most people walk straight through the green channel.

4. 4

   Arrivals hall, Terminal 3

   This is where a pre-booked driver waits with your name. ATMs and phone shops are here too.

5. 5

   Pick your exit

   Train: down to level S under the terminal. Taxi rank: ground floor, exit 03. Bus 485: level 2, exit 21.

The train: fast, cheap, and closed on Shabbat

The airport station is directly under Terminal 3. Trains to Jerusalem run roughly every half hour during the day and reach Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon in 25–30 minutes. The fare is about ₪21, paid with a Rav-Kav card, which you can buy and load at the station's ticket machines or counter. Children under five travel free.

Since March 2026, Israel Railways runs trains through the night, about once an hour in each direction, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem via the airport. Israel Railways says the night service depends on the security situation, so check the journey planner on the day you land.

What people tell us after taking it:

• It's the end of the line. The fast line from the airport terminates at Yitzhak Navon. Jerusalem's other station, Malha, is on a slow line from the coast and is no use from the airport.
• The station is deep. Platforms sit 80 metres below the street, one of the deepest stations anywhere. Use the lifts if you have more than a carry-on.
• You arrive at the city's edge, not its centre. Navon is next to the central bus station at the entrance to Jerusalem. Most hotels are another tram ride away.
• Friday is the trap. The last trains leave in the early afternoon, earlier in winter. If your flight is late, there won't be one.

The last mile: light rail, Old City and hills

The light rail's Red Line stops right outside Navon station and runs down Jaffa Road through the city centre: Jaffa Center for Ben Yehuda Street and the Mahane Yehuda market side, City Hall for Jaffa Gate and the Old City. It takes the same Rav-Kav as the train. Like the train, it stops on Shabbat.

Going into the Old City? From the City Hall stop it's roughly a ten- to fifteen-minute walk to Jaffa Gate, uphill, on stone that does not love wheeled cases. Cars can reach Jaffa Gate and a few points inside, but most of the Old City is alleys and steps. If you're staying in the Jewish Quarter, ask your accommodation where a car can actually stop before you land.

Taxis: the official rank, the meter, and the queue

The official rank at Terminal 3 is on the ground floor, outside exit 03. It's run by Gett: you order a taxi at a self-service screen (cards accepted, no app needed) or in the Gett app, get a code, and an attendant matches you with the next car. You pay the driver in cash or by card.

The price is the meter, and the meter is set by the Ministry of Transport. Under the tariff in force since April 2026, the ride to Jerusalem comes out roughly as follows:

A normal taxi takes three people with full-size suitcases, or four with light bags. For a family of five with luggage, that's two cars, two meters and two separate arrivals at the hotel.

• Make sure the meter is on when you set off. Agreeing a fixed price is legal on intercity rides, but at the airport the meter is the safe ceiling.
• Tipping isn't expected. Rounding up for help with heavy bags is appreciated.
• Save your address in Hebrew as well as English; many drivers will type it into Waze.

The yellow sherut is gone (whatever older blogs say)

For decades, the cheap answer was the Nesher sherut: a yellow ten-seat van that left when it was full and dropped everyone at their own address, Shabbat included. A huge number of guides still recommend it.

It no longer runs. Nesher had 36 vans before COVID; only ten drivers came back afterwards, and the airport line closed around 2024. A traveller on the Tripadvisor Israel forum described landing to find the counter empty and the phone numbers disconnected. The Ministry of Transport says it plans a new tender for airport shared taxis, but in October 2026 there is no regular shared van from Ben Gurion to Jerusalem.

Bus 485: technically there

Bus 485 runs from Terminal 3 (level 2, exit 21) to the central bus station in about an hour, with luggage in the hold underneath. It's cheap, but as of mid-2026 its timetable is thin enough that you can't plan a landing around it, and it doesn't run on Shabbat. If the train is running, the train is better.

A pre-booked minibus: when it's worth it

We run one, so read this part with that in mind. For one or two people on a weekday, the train is the right answer and we'll tell you so. A booked vehicle starts to make sense when one of these is true:

• You're five or more. One vehicle at a fixed price usually beats two or three taxis, and everyone arrives together.
• You have real luggage. Suitcases, strollers, car seats, a wheelchair, golf clubs. A minibus has room; a taxi boot doesn't.
• You land on Shabbat, a holiday eve, or late at night. No timetable, no queue, the same price you agreed.
• Your flight might be late. We track the flight and the driver waits in arrivals with your name, however long passport control takes.

Our minibuses take up to 21 passengers, and we arrange coaches for bigger groups. The calculator above shows our actual price for your group and time. For an exact quote, send your flight details on WhatsApp, or see the Ben Gurion to Jerusalem page.

Landing on Shabbat or a holiday

From Friday afternoon until Saturday night, Israel's trains, intercity buses and Jerusalem's light rail all stop. The exact times move with the season, because Shabbat follows sunset. Jewish holidays work the same way, and holiday eves often close down even earlier.

• Taxis run, on the higher night and Shabbat bands. Expect a longer queue, because everyone who would have taken the train is now in it.
• Saturday night is busy. Trains and buses restart some time after Shabbat ends, not the minute it ends.
• Yom Kippur is different: Ben Gurion stops flights for the day and the roads empty. If you're flying around it, plan to land a day early.

Going back to the airport

Israeli airport security is thorough. Plan to be at Ben Gurion about three hours before an international flight, and more on the busiest holiday weeks. From central Jerusalem, allow 50–75 minutes by road, more on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings. If your flight leaves on a Saturday before nightfall, a taxi or a booked transfer is the only way to get there.

Questions people ask us