World Country Guide

Travel - Internal

Air
A comprehensive service linking Tel Aviv with Eilat and all major cities is run by Arkia/Israel Inland Airways (IZ) (website: www.arkia.co.il) and by Israir (6H) (website: www.israirairlines.com).

Sea/Lake
Ferries run across the Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) from Tiberias on the west side to Ein Gev kibbutz on the eastern shore. Coastal ferries serve all ports. For details contact local port authorities.

Rail
Israel Railways (website: www.israrail.org.il) provides regular services between Tel Aviv and Herzliya, Netanya, Hadera, Haifa, Akko (Acre) and Nahariya, as well as a daily train between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which follows a particularly scenic route. Reserved seats may be ordered in advance. There is no railway service on Shabbat (Saturday) and major holidays.

Road
Traffic drives on the right. An excellent system of roads connects all towns. However, driving is erratic and there are frequent accidents. Radar speed traps operate and fees for speeding are high. Distances by road from Jerusalem to other cities are as follows: Tel Aviv 62km (39 miles), Tiberias 157km (97 miles), Eilat 312km (194 miles), Netanya 93km (58 miles), Dead Sea 104km (65 miles), Zefat 192km (120 miles) and Haifa 159km (99 miles). Bus: Two national bus systems, run by the DAN and EGGED cooperatives, provide extensive services. The service is fast and efficient as well as cheap. With a few exceptions, services are suspended on religious holidays, and between sunset on Friday and sunset on Saturday (Shabbat). Taxi: Services are either run by companies or by individuals. There are both shared taxis (sheruts) and ordinary taxis. Taxi drivers are required by law to operate a meter and are recommended for short journeys only. Car hire: Available in major cities. Hire fees are not cheap. Documentation: Full driving licence and insurance are required. An International Driving Permit is recommended.

Urban
DAN and EGGED provide good local bus services in the main towns. Taxis are available.