Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem: Train, Bus, Taxi and Arriving on Shabbat

25 Sept 2026 · 4 min

Photo: Alex.kom.515 (talk) (Uploads), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The train is the fastest and cheapest way from the airport to Jerusalem when it runs. Here are the options, what they cost, and what to do when you land on Shabbat.

Short answer: take the train. The fast line from Ben Gurion Airport station, underneath Terminal 3, reaches Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon station in about 25 minutes, costs a few tens of shekels, and puts you next to the central bus station and both light rail lines. It does not run from Friday afternoon until Saturday night or on chagim. When it is not running, the realistic choice is a taxi (roughly ₪300–360 by day, more at night and on Shabbat) or a transfer booked ahead. The Nesher shared taxi that used to run from the airport to Jerusalem has stopped, whatever older guides say.

Option 1: the train

Where. Follow the train signs down from Terminal 3 arrivals to Ben Gurion Airport station. Take a train towards Jerusalem (the fast line to Yitzhak Navon), not one towards Tel Aviv.
How long. About 25 minutes to Yitzhak Navon. Add ten minutes at the Jerusalem end: the platforms are among the deepest in the world, reached by long escalators and lifts. With heavy luggage, use the lifts.
Paying. Tap a Rav-Kav at the gate or buy a ticket at the machines in the station. If you are moving here, getting a personal Rav-Kav early pays off; our getting-around guide explains how.
When it doesn't run. From Friday afternoon until after Shabbat ends on Saturday night, and on chagim. The last Friday trains leave in the early afternoon and the first trains after Shabbat run from roughly an hour after it ends; check the Israel Railways site or app for your date, because the cut-off moves with the season.
Onward from Yitzhak Navon. The station is across the road from the central bus station. The Red Line runs along Jaffa Road to the centre, the Old City walls and the north; the Green Line runs to Givat Ram, Pat and Malha (see the Green Line guide). Taxis wait outside.

Option 2: a taxi

The official taxi stand is outside arrivals. Taxis are metered, and a daytime ride to Jerusalem typically lands between about ₪300 and ₪360 including the airport supplement; nights (roughly 21:00 to 05:30) and Shabbat and chagim use the higher tariff, about a quarter more. The ride takes 45 minutes to an hour, longer at rush hour. Insist on the meter, or agree a fixed price before you set off if the driver offers one. Taxis run on Shabbat.

Ride-hailing apps (Gett, Yango) work in Israel and let you see the fare in advance. Pre-booked private transfers charge a fixed price, meet you inside, and are worth it for families with car seats, groups, or a Shabbat arrival when you would rather not negotiate.

Option 3: the bus

Egged's airport line 485 runs from Terminal 3 to Jerusalem's central bus station and takes about an hour. Its timetable has been sharply reduced, so check the day's departures in Moovit before relying on it. Other routes involve a change, which is rarely worth it with luggage.

What about the sherut?

For years the yellow Nesher minibuses were the classic way from the airport to any Jerusalem address. That service no longer runs from the airport. Pages that still send you to the Nesher desk are out of date.

Landing on Shabbat or a chag

No trains and almost no buses. Your options are a taxi from the stand, a ride-hailing app, or a transfer booked in advance.
Expect the night-and-Shabbat tariff, and possibly a wait at the stand after a busy Friday-night landing.
If you keep Shabbat and land late on Friday, plan where you will be when Shabbat starts; candle-lighting times are on our Shabbat times page.
Arriving on Friday before a chag or on a holiday week? The Shabbat and chagim guide explains what closes and when.

Going back to the airport

Allow at least three hours at the airport before an international flight; security questioning and bag checks come before check-in.
From Jerusalem, the train from Yitzhak Navon is again the quickest way. Leave time for the escalators down.
Flights on Saturday night: the first trains after Shabbat fill up quickly, so a taxi or a pre-booked transfer is often the safer choice.
Driving yourself: Route 1 takes about 45 minutes without traffic. The airport car parks charge by the day.

Arriving to live here

If this is a one-way ticket, the first-month checklist puts the next steps in order: ID, bank, health fund, phone and the Rav-Kav. Visiting instead? Our visitors' page collects what a first trip needs.