How to Get from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv
Updated: July 2026
Tel Aviv sits only about 20 kilometres from Ben Gurion Airport, so getting there is quick and cheap by any standard — the real question is simply which of four options fits your arrival. The train reaches the city in around 12–18 minutes for a few shekels but does not run on Shabbat; a taxi is door-to-door in about 25 minutes for roughly ₪123–158 by day; a shared sherut van is the budget middle path; and city buses exist but rarely make sense with luggage.
The right choice depends on your landing time, how much you are carrying, and whether it is Shabbat. This guide lays out each option honestly — including where it lets you down — so you can decide before you land rather than on a tired curb. If you would rather not decide at all, a pre-booked airport taxi meets you inside arrivals with your name on a sign.
Is the train from the airport to Tel Aviv worth it?
The train is the value champion. Ben Gurion has its own station one level below the terminal, and the ride to the central Tel Aviv stations — Hagana, Savidor Central, University — takes about 12 to 18 minutes for the price of a coffee. Through the day trains run several times an hour, and when one is due it is genuinely the fastest way into the city.
Two catches keep it from being the automatic answer. First, it does not run on Shabbat, from Friday afternoon until Saturday night, and service thins out overnight. Second, it drops you at a station rather than your hotel, so with suitcases you still face a walk or a second taxi at the far end. Travelling light on a weekday, take the train; arriving loaded or late, weigh the alternatives below.
How much is a taxi to Tel Aviv, and how long does it take?
A taxi covers the door-to-door trip in about 25 minutes outside rush hour, and under the official 2026 tariff a daytime fare runs roughly ₪123–158, including the airport and booking supplements; a weekend-night ride can reach around ₪200. Because the price is per vehicle, two or three people sharing often pay little more per head than the train once you add the second taxi it would have needed at the far end.
On-the-spot rides wait outside arrivals, though the line at the curb can grow after several flights land together, and vans or child seats cannot be requested that way. A pre-booked transfer sidesteps all of it: your driver tracks the flight, waits inside the Terminal 3 arrivals hall with your name, and you can watch your own landing on the live flight board. Price any exact address with the fare calculator.
What about the sherut van and the bus?
The sherut is a shared yellow minibus that seats about ten and charges per seat. It follows a set route into Tel Aviv and, unusually, keeps running through Shabbat when almost nothing else does — which makes it a real budget lifeline for a Saturday arrival. The trade-offs are the familiar shared-ride ones: it leaves only when full, and it stops for every passenger, so your own drop can take a while.
Public buses do connect the airport to the region, but they are the weakest option for most arrivals: fewer of them, luggage is awkward, and you generally need a rechargeable Rav-Kav card or a local transit app rather than cash. Unless you are on a tight budget, travelling light on a weekday, the train or a taxi will serve you far better.
How do I get to Tel Aviv on Shabbat?
From Friday afternoon to Saturday nightfall the train and the regular buses stop. That leaves two realistic ways into Tel Aviv: the sherut van, which keeps running on its fixed route, or a taxi, which as a rule keeps running every day of the year. Saturday-daytime taxi fares are charged at the ordinary daytime tariff, so a Saturday arrival is not automatically expensive — only Friday-night and Saturday-night rides fall under the higher weekend band.
If your flight lands on a Friday evening or a Saturday, booking a ride ahead is the calm move, because Friday-afternoon demand spikes exactly as the buses vanish. We are a Shabbat-observant station, so we work any hour right up to Shabbat's start and resume the moment it ends — a reserved driver is assigned in advance and waits for your actual landing, delay or not.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv?
The train is cheapest, at a few shekels for a 12–18 minute ride to the central stations, but it does not run on Shabbat and leaves you at a station rather than your hotel. For two or more people with luggage, a shared taxi is often better value once you count the onward trip the train would still require.
How long does a taxi from the airport to Tel Aviv take?
About 25 minutes door-to-door outside rush hour, over roughly 20 kilometres. Weekday mornings and late afternoons can add ten to fifteen minutes. A pre-booked driver tracks your flight, so the pickup matches your real landing time rather than the schedule.
Does the train to Tel Aviv run at night and on Shabbat?
No. The train pauses overnight and stops entirely from Friday afternoon until Saturday nightfall for Shabbat. For those hours your options into Tel Aviv are the shared sherut van, which keeps running on its route, or a taxi, which as a rule keeps running every day of the year.
How much is a taxi from the airport to Tel Aviv on a Saturday?
A Saturday-daytime ride is billed at the ordinary daytime tariff, about ₪123–158 including supplements — no weekend premium applies between 06:00 and 19:00. Only Friday-night and Saturday-night pickups carry the higher weekend band, which any upfront estimate already reflects.
Book your taxi now
Our dispatch line is open every hour of the day and night, all week long — call or WhatsApp for instant confirmation and a fare known upfront, per the official tariff.