TL;DR: Israeli public transport takes no cash: you pay with a Rav-Kav card, a validation app, or a credit card on selected lines. The train station is in Terminal 3, and a train ride to Tel Aviv costs NIS 11.50. Buses leave from Terminal 3, Level 2, Exit 21. There is no train on Shabbat: according to Israel Railways, the station at Ben Gurion closes on Friday at 16:10 and opens again on Saturday night at 21:10.
How to Pay
According to the National Public Transport Authority, you cannot pay in cash during the ride, so the means of payment is arranged in advance. There are three ways to pay:
- A Rav-Kav card.
- A validation app, such as Moovit, HopOn Rav-Pass, Pango and EGG.
- A credit card, on selected lines.
An anonymous Rav-Kav carries no personal details and can be passed between passengers. It can be loaded with a single ride, stored value or a daily pass, but it cannot carry discounts.
- Where to get a card: at the "Al HaKav" service centres, or ordered on the HopOn and Rav-Kav Online websites, in which case it is sent by Israel Post.
- How to load it: on a phone with NFC (Rav-Kav Online, HopOn Rav-Pass or egg), on a computer (Rav-Kav Online or HopOn Rav-Pass), at "Al HaKav" centres and at loading machines. According to Rav-Kav Online, one card can hold up to NIS 1,000 of stored value.
- Validating: on a bus you hold the card to the validator when boarding. On Israel Railways you validate twice, at the station where you enter and the station where you exit.
A child from birth up to and including age 4 rides free with a paying adult, one child per adult. Each additional child pays. From age 67 travel is free on the "Zahav Kav" profile. The documents the Authority lists for setting up that profile are an Israeli ID card, driving licence or Israeli passport.
The Train from Terminal 3
The train station is in Terminal 3. According to Israel Railways (as of September 2026), the station entrance is open 24 hours from Sunday to Thursday, until 16:10 on Friday and from 21:10 on Saturday night. The ticket office is open 06:00-22:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 06:00-14:00 on Friday, and is closed on Saturday night.
Tel Aviv has four stations. Journey times from the Israel Railways timetable for Tuesday, 13 October 2026:
| Station | Journey time (minutes) |
|---|---|
| Tel Aviv HaHagana | 9-12 |
| Tel Aviv HaShalom | 13-17 |
| Tel Aviv Savidor Center | 14-23 |
| Tel Aviv University | 23-28 |
On that day, between 23:52 and 05:38, trains to Tel Aviv stopped only at Savidor Center. The ride to Jerusalem (Yitzhak Navon) took 26-28 minutes, and to Haifa (Hof HaCarmel) 71-79 minutes.
If you arrive by train at Terminal 3 and fly from Terminal 1, the internal shuttle takes you there at no charge. According to the Israel Airports Authority it leaves every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, all week, and in Terminal 3 its stop is on Level G, near Gate 01.
Israel Railways information: *5770 or 03-5774000. The next trains and buses from Ben Gurion are on our live transport board.
Buses from the Airport
According to the Israel Airports Authority:
- To Tel Aviv: line 445 (Kavim), from Terminal 3, Level 2, Exit 21.
- To Jerusalem: line 485 (Afikim), from the same stop.
- To Be'er Sheva: a Metropoline service, from Terminal 3, Level 2.
- To Airport City and El Al Junction: line 5 (Egged), from Level 2 (public transport level) in Terminal 3.
According to the Ministry of Transport timetable (our calculation), on Tuesday 13 October 2026 line 445 left Ben Gurion 21 times, from 01:15 to 23:30.
The Ministry of Transport's national public transport information centre: *8787. Buses in the other direction, to Ben Gurion, are on our page on getting to the airport.
What It Costs
According to the National Public Transport Authority, the fare depends on the distance and the type of transport, and train fares differ from bus fares. The fares in the Authority's journey planner, for a passenger without a discount (28 September 2026):
| From Ben Gurion | Single ride | Daily pass |
|---|---|---|
| Tel Aviv, by train | NIS 11.50 | NIS 23 |
| Jerusalem, by train | NIS 21 | NIS 32.50 |
| Haifa, by train | NIS 30.50 | NIS 47 |
| Tel Aviv, line 445 | NIS 8 | NIS 17.50 |
- A daily pass gives unlimited rides within the range bought, until the end of service that day and at the latest until 04:00.
- Free transfers: on a single ride of up to 15 km you can change lines without limit for 90 minutes from the first validation.
For other trips, the fare is shown in the National Public Transport Authority's journey planner.
Getting Around on Shabbat
There is no train on Shabbat. In the Israel Railways timetable, on Friday 16 October 2026 the last train from Ben Gurion to Tel Aviv left at 15:43 and the last to Jerusalem at 15:26. On Saturday 17 October 2026 the first to Jerusalem left at 20:57 and the first to Tel Aviv at 21:16. On line 445, in the Ministry of Transport timetable (our calculation), on 16 October 2026 the last bus left at 15:30, and on 17 October 2026 the first left at 21:30.
A taxi from the Ben Gurion taxi rank runs 24 hours a day, according to the Israel Airports Authority. On Shabbat the meter runs Tariff B by day and Tariff C from 19:01. Details in our taxi guide for Ben Gurion.
More Useful Details
- The taxi fares order sets a maximum fare per passenger for a shared taxi (sherut) from Ben Gurion to the Jerusalem area, Haifa, Akko, Nahariya and Maale Adumim.
- Arrange the means of payment before boarding, since cash is not accepted.
Sources: National Public Transport Authority (including its journey planner), Israel Airports Authority, Israel Railways (timetable and the Ben Gurion station page), Rav-Kav Online, Israel Ministry of Transport (bus timetable and the taxi fares order).
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