How To Reach Israel

Foreign travellers generally prefer travelling by air and it is important to have in mind that passengers will be scrutinized during checks and might also be called in for additional questioning . Arab , Middle eastern and Muslim tourists often face time consuming probe and those who are travelling in groups will be questioned individually. It is advised to reach the airport before 3 hours or more beacuse of the security procedures which take a lot of time and all passengers will be asked casual questions about their purpose , stay etc to ensure that they do not cause any harm.

Reaching Israel by Air

The main airport in Israel is Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion International airport. It is closer to Tel Aviv and around 40 kms from Jerusalem. Israir , El air , Arkia air are the national carriers serving many international cities. It is very convenient for travellers to take bus, train, taxi, or Sheirut (shared taxi) from airport to the city. It is to be noted that the bus services will be suspended from friday afternoon till saturday evening (shabbat).

Reaching Israel by Bus

Daily direct buses are available from Amman to Tel Aviv, Haifa and Nazareth, via the King Hussein bridge. Taxi can also be hired from the north bus terminal in Amman. You have to pay less if you travel in a group. After crossing border and customs verification , buses are available to Jericho and Ramallah . Take a taxi from there to Jerusalem.To take the bus from Cairo to Israel, buy a ticket from Cairo Gateway Plaza, known as Turgomen Garage (metro stop Orabi).

Reaching Israel by Road

There are five crossings on the border to reach Israel . Two on the Egyptian border and three on the Jordanian border. Syrian and Lebanon nationals do not have access to the border crossings. The three crossings are - Allenby/King Hussein Bridge (located to the north of Dead Sea) , Jordan River ( near Tiberias ) , Yitzhak Rabin ( mostly used by tourists to visit Petra in Jordan for a day trip) . Border crossings with Egypt are : Nitzhana ( closed on religious holidays , so check in advance ) , Taba ( south of Eilat ). Border crossing across Gaza should be avoided as it is very time consuming because of heavy military crossing and cross checking.

Reaching Israel by Water

Reaching Israel by waterways is not popular. The main route is from Limassol in Cyprus to Haifa, and the main operators are Louis Cruises and Salamis Cruises.