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Above: Jerusalem's Western Wall & Dome of the Rock... Below: The train that gets you there... |
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Take the train to the Holy City...
The best way from Tel Aviv city centre or Ben Gurion airport to Jerusalem is by modern air-conditioned train with power sockets & free WiFi, no need to resort to a bus. There's a new fast train, and there is (or was) the classic route:
Option 1 (running), a new fast rail line opened in September 2018, linking Tel Aviv HaHagana and Ben Gurion airport to Jerusalem's new Yitzhak Navon station every 30 minutes taking 34 minutes. Initially you needed to change trains at Ben Gurion Airport, as from December 2019 trains run direct from Tel Aviv HaHagana calling at Ben Gurion. This new fast train is explained on the Train travel in Israel page.
Option 2 (not running), the original classic line described here on this page. This ran until 2020 when it was stopped due to the pandemic. It has not resumed, although the line is still there. It was a comfortable & leisurely train journey through the Judean Hills, a great introduction to Israel and an experience in itself as you were riding the historic Jaffa-Jerusalem Railway of 1892.
Practical information - train times, fares &
tickets
Which station to use in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by train in
pictures
Arrival at Jerusalem Malha station
Visiting the Old City in Jerusalem
Jerusalem bus station, light rail & new fast train
The Jaffa-Jerusalem Railway of 1892, a
brief history
Trains from Tel Aviv to Haifa, Akko & Be'er
Sheva
Practical information: Times & tickets
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You can check train times & fares at the Israel Railways website www.rail.co.il - click 'English' at the top. This also has a railway network map. Select Jerusalem Malha as your destination if you want to use the classic route (currently non-operational), or Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon if you want to travel via the new fast line.
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Train times...
Before the pandemic, trains used to link Tel Aviv & Jerusalem Malha station via the classic route every hour or two on Mondays-Thursdays & Sundays, journey time 1 hour 40 minutes for the slow, twisting & scenic 82 km (51 mile) journey, including one simple change of train at Bet Shemesh station (usually just across the width of the same platform). On Fridays, trains ran every hour or two until around 13:00, there was no service on Friday afternoons and just one late-night service on Saturdays after dark.
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How much does it cost?
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem costs just 23.50 shekels (£4 or $6) one-way. Children under 5 go free, but there's no reduction for older children when buying regular tickets.
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How to buy tickets...
You could just turn up, buy a ticket from the self-service machines or staffed ticket office, and hop on the next train. No reservation is necessary or possible. The self-service machines accept credit cards, banknotes & coins.
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Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem by train...
It's easy to travel between Ben Gurion Airport & Jerusalem by train. You can use the direct trains using the new fast link which opened in 2018, this option is explained on the Train travel in Israel page.
If you want to use the classic route described on this page (when it was operating), take a modern air-conditioned train from Ben Gurion Airport station to Tel Aviv HaHagana station every 30 minutes, just take any train shown as going to Nahariya. Change at Tel Aviv HaHagana - and grab a cup of excellent coffee and a cake from the cafe on the overbridge - for the train to Jerusalem Malha. There's plenty of room for luggage on the trains, and the ride is a great introduction to Israel. When heading back to the airport from Tel Aviv, take any train from Jerusalem Malha to Tel Aviv, change at Tel Aviv HaHagana and look for a train going to Modi'in Center as these all call at Ben Gurion Airport.
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You'll find information on other train routes in Israel including the journey from Tel Aviv to Haifa & Akko on the Train Travel in Israel page.
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New fast line to Jerusalem opened on 25 September 2018...
A new electrified 160 km/h (100mph) line has been built between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, arriving at a new station opposite Jerusalem's central bus station. Initially trains are running every 30 minutes between Ben Gurion Airport & Jerusalem taking 20 minutes, if you want to go to or from central Tel Aviv you must change trains at the airport. The service has started as a free service, but places must be booked. Initially only one of the two tracks have been opened and trains are limited to 120 km/h, direct trains between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem over this new fast link will start in due course, running at up to 160 km/h (100 mph) and taking just 28 minutes.
Tel Aviv stations. See location map
There are 4 stations in Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv HaHagana, Tel Aviv HaShalom, Tel Aviv Savidor Center & Tel Aviv University. The trains call at all 4, so just use whichever is closest to your hotel. Savidor-Center and HaShalom are the most important stations with plenty of taxis waiting outside when you need them, although HaHagana is closest to old Jaffa.
There's a quick and simple security check at the entrance to all Israeli railway stations, usually with baggage X-ray & metal detector portal. You'll then go through automatic ticket gates to access the platforms, there's an extra-wide one if you have luggage.
On board the train to Jerusalem...
The trains used on this route have air-conditioning, carpet, toilets, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. These Danish-designed trains are the only type which can negotiate the tight curves on the curvaceous line to Jerusalem, which was originally built as a metre-gauge line, but converted to standard gauge (4' 8.5") by the British in 1920. Travel tips: The best views are arguably on the left-hand side of the train going towards Jerusalem. There's no catering, so buy a coffee and supplies at the station before you board. Note that since 2017 you have to make one easy change of train at Bet Shemesh. When I took the photos below, train ran direct from Tel Aviv.
The journey...
Jerusalem Malha station... See location map
Jerusalem Malha station is in the southwest of the city near the Malcha shopping mall & stadium, some way from the old city or indeed from the main part of the new city - it's the only real downside of taking the train. But there will be plenty of taxis waiting at Malha station, and a taxi between Malha station and a hotel near the old city costs around 75-80 NIS (£14 or $21) on the meter or you may be quoted 100 NIS 'fixed price'. Alternatively, city bus routes 18 & 35 link Malha station to the Central Bus Station.
The King David Hotel...
The most famous hotel in Jerusalem and a landmark in its own right, the King David Hotel opened in 1931. The building was used as the British administrative HQ during the later part of the British Mandate period (1917 to 1948) - indeed, the south west wing was blown up in 1946 by Zionist activists, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David Hotel_bombing. Today, it's an excellent luxury hotel with great character - and the breakfast is pretty good, too. It's just 15 minutes walk from the hotel to the Jaffa Gate into the Old City. The rooms at the rear of the hotel have views of the old city walls. There's more information about this hotel at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel and you can check prices & book a room here. If your budget won't stretch, at least have a drink in the bar... See location map
The old city of Jerusalem...
Bus station, light rail & new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast line. See location map...
Jerusalem light rail: Jerusalem's modern tram line is useful for travel between the Damascus Gate of the old city and the Central Bus Station in the northwest of the new city. You can easily buy a ticket from the ticket machines at any tram stop and hop on, see www.citypass.co.il.
Central bus station: Bus services to towns all over Israel leave from the main bus station pictured below left - it's inside a cheap shopping centre, and surprisingly the buses leave from the 3rd floor as the building backs onto a hill. There's a security check at the entrance doors to the bus station.
New fast line to Tel Aviv: The station for the new fast train to Tel Aviv will be located here, indeed, the building is already largely complete behind the hoardings on the opposite side of the road and tram stop from the bus station. The new train service is due to start in late 2017 or early 2018
Allenby Square: Just around the back of the bus station in the small & peaceful Allenby Square is the monument to the capture of Jerusalem in 1917, erected by the British in the 1920s and worth a look, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allenby_Square.
The Jaffa-Jerusalem Railway: A brief history...
The line from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was opened in 1892 as the Jaffa-Jerusalem Railway, built as a single-track narrow-gauge line (metre gauge) by the French in what was then Ottoman Palestine. It was converted to standard gauge (4' 8.5") by the British in 1920. It's had a hard life: When the Ottomans ran it as allies of the Germans in World War 1, the British blew it up. When the British ran it as Palestine Railways during the British Mandate period from 1917 to 1948, the Israelis blew it up. And when the Israelis ran it from 1949 onwards with its starting point switched from Jaffa to Tel Aviv in the 1950s, the Palestinians blew it up. However, it has survived until today almost against the odds. Buses and cars on the more direct highway robbed it of much of its traffic, by 1995 there was just one train per day, and by 1998 the track had deteriorated to such an extent that the line was closed for 6 years. But the track was repaired and the line reopened in 2005 with an almost hourly service and a new Jerusalem terminus at Malha, though less conveniently located than the original station. The old line is likely to continue running even after the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast line opens in 2017/18 - which should take back all the lost traffic from the buses. For more information about the Jaffa-Jerusalem Railway see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Jaffa%E2%80%93Jerusalem_railway.
