Travel: Flights to Tel Aviv-Yafo

Most international visitors to Israel pass through the Arrivals hall at Ben Gurion Airport

Israel's main entry point for the international traveller, the newly built Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion International Airport (referred to as NATBAG by locals) is well connected to the city (as well as to the rest of the country). The airport comprises all the usual amenities expected from a first class airport and contains one of the world's largest duty-free shopping malls for an airport of its size. The City Center can be reached by train, bus, shared taxi or taxi from Ben Gurion.

By train: The airport train station is situated at the airport on Terminal 3 and is easily accessed. It offers good connection to many parts of the country, including the city of Tel Aviv, with a single-ride ticket to the city for only 12 NIS (roughly $2.7US). All tickets must be bought prior to entering the train station area. The train service operates from 04:45 to 00:00 on weekdays, although on weekends (starting Fridays late noon and ending Saturdays early evenings), it doesn't operate. Note: most stations are relatively suitable for the non-Hebrew speaker, nonetheless, passengers will often be glad to assist. For most travellers, HaShalom Station or Tel Aviv Centeral/Savidor would be the place to disembark.

By bus: Egged buses connect the airport to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and are good, reliable and cheap. Like the train, they don't run at night and on weekends. Busses information is found in the airport terminal.

By shared taxi: Locally known as Monit Sherut, the shared taxi is an easy way of travelling and is somewhat cheaper than a typical taxi. It should cost roughly 50 NIS (circa $12US) to take the Sherut to the city.

By taxi: Working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, this is the most comfortable and of course, expensive way to reach the city center, with a typical ride price of around 100 NIS (circa $24US). If you travel with a friend or two, it can might be a good idea to share a taxi. It is not inappropriate to sit in the front seat, in taxis in Israel. It is obligatory by law to use the taxi meter, unless agreed otherwise by the passenger and driver, and a typical ride to the city center should not take more than 15-20 minutes, without heavy traffic. Be sure not to accept fix-priced rides with taxi drivers unless you're sure of what you are doing; you will always end up paying more than you could have had you asked to use the meter.

Tel Aviv has another airport, Sde Dov (SDV). This is a primarily a domestic airport, with frequent flights to Eilat (ETH) and Rosh Pina (Galilee) (RPN).