Tel Aviv Airport to Jerusalem by private car
Ben Gurion, Israel's main international airport, lies between the two cities, 20 km from Tel Aviv and about 45 km from Jerusalem as the crow flies. A private transfer from Tel Aviv Airport to Jerusalem takes about 50 minutes. Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion Airport, loads the luggage and drives Highway 1 up into the Judean Hills to your hotel door.
On weekdays the fast train is a good option. It leaves from under Terminal 3 and reaches Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon station in about 25 minutes, but the platforms are 80 metres underground at the city entrance by the Central Bus Station, and most hotels are a light rail or taxi ride further. Trains and most buses also stop for Shabbat, from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening.
A private car runs every day, door to door, at one fixed price for the whole vehicle. For a family, a church group or anyone landing on a Friday night, that is usually the simpler choice. For more on travelling around the country, see our guide to transfers in Israel.
| Pickup | Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Jerusalem |
| Distance | About 54 km by road |
| Journey time | 50 min – 1h 25min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | Intercity |
| Busiest season | Year-round |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from TLV to Jerusalem
From Terminal 3 the airport road joins Highway 1 within a few minutes. The road runs south-east across the coastal plain to Latrun, where a Trappist monastery founded in 1890 stands on the hillside beside the road. At Sha'ar HaGai, known in Arabic as Bab al-Wad, an Ottoman-era khan marks the start of the climb into the Judean Hills.
From here the highway climbs steadily, reaching more than 700 metres near Kiryat Ye'arim. It passes Abu Gosh, runs through the Harel Tunnels at Mevaseret Zion and crosses the Motza bridge over the Sorek valley, then makes the final ascent into Jerusalem by the main western entrance or the newer Route 16, depending on traffic and where you are staying. On busy days some drivers use Route 443, a parallel road further north.
Highway 1 is one of Israel's busiest roads. The working week runs from Sunday to Thursday, so Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons are heavy, and so is Friday afternoon as everyone heads home before Shabbat. At those times the 50-minute drive can stretch to 80 or 85 minutes. Late evenings and Saturdays are usually quickest.
Inside the city, Jaffa Road through the centre is reserved for the light rail, and the Old City walls enclose lanes too narrow for cars. A few streets in religious neighbourhoods also close to traffic on Shabbat. Your driver plans the last kilometre around all three.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 25 min · 27 km
Latrun
A Trappist monastery founded in 1890, known for the wine sold in its shop, stands on the hillside here, near the armoured corps memorial and museum.
About 25 min · 32 km
Sha'ar HaGai
An Ottoman-era khan stands by the interchange at Bab al-Wad, where the road leaves the plain and begins its climb into the Judean Hills.
About 40 min · 46 km
Motza
Highway 1 crosses the Motza bridge over the Sorek valley, then begins the last climb into the city.
Arrival · 50 min – 1h 25min · 54 km
Jerusalem
Drop-off at your hotel door, or at Jaffa Gate on the edge of the Old City, where the walls keep cars out.
TLV to Jerusalem: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Ben Gurion Airport
Most international flights use Terminal 3. After passport control, baggage reclaim and customs, walk into the greeters' hall on the ground floor, where your driver waits holding a sign with your name. Low-cost and some charter flights use Terminal 1; we check your flight number and send the driver to the right terminal. A free shuttle links the two around the clock.
Most international flights use Terminal 3. After passport control and baggage reclaim, walk through customs into the greeters' hall on the ground floor, where your driver waits holding a sign with your name. Low-cost and some charter flights use Terminal 1. We check your flight number so the driver waits at the right one, and a free shuttle links the two terminals around the clock.
We track your flight, so the pickup moves with any delay at no extra cost, and your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land, which covers a long passport queue. Your driver's name and mobile number reach you before the trip.
For the return, your driver collects you from your hotel and waits up to 15 minutes from the agreed time. Allow for Ben Gurion's thorough security checks when you choose the pickup time.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Ben Gurion Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Jerusalem
Hotels across the city centre and the western neighbourhoods are door to door. Most of the Old City is a maze of narrow lanes and steps, so for guest houses and hospices inside the walls the car stops at the nearest gate, usually Jaffa Gate, and you walk the last few minutes. Give us the hotel name: a few have their entrance on a side street.
Mamilla and Jaffa Gate
Hotels around the Mamilla shopping avenue and Jaffa Gate, the main entrance to the Old City from the west, and the closest drop-off for guest houses inside the walls.
City centre and Ben Yehuda Street
Zion Square, the pedestrian Ben Yehuda Street and the hotels around them. Jaffa Road carries the light rail, so the car stops on a side street close by.
King David Street and Yemin Moshe
The large hotels on King David Street, a short walk from Jaffa Gate, and the stone lanes of Yemin Moshe below them, looking across the valley to Mount Zion.
German Colony and Talbiyeh
Leafy residential districts south of the centre, with boutique hotels and rented apartments around the cafés of Emek Refaim Street.
Givat Ram and the city entrance
The convention centre opposite Navon station, the Israel Museum and the government quarter. Business visitors are dropped at the right building and door.
When to book your Jerusalem transfer
Jerusalem has visitors all year, and the calendar shapes the roads more than the weather. Shabbat, from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, closes most shops, stops the trains and most buses and empties the streets of West Jerusalem. Private transfers still run. Jewish holidays work in a similar way, and on Yom Kippur, which in 2027 runs from the evening of 10 October to the evening of 11 October, the country stops driving and Ben Gurion closes to flights.
Christian visitors come in the largest numbers at Easter, which in 2027 falls on 28 March for Western churches and on 2 May for Orthodox churches. Passover, in late April 2027, adds Israeli holiday traffic. Book early for those weeks, as hotels near the Old City fill first.
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for walking the city. Summer is hot and dry, and winter is cooler and wetter than the coast. Flight schedules into Israel have changed at short notice this year, so add your flight number and we follow any change.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Jerusalem
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 50 min – 1h 25min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Israel Railways train | 45–75 minutes | From the station under Terminal 3 to Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon in about 25 minutes, then the light rail or a taxi to your hotel. Fast and frequent on weekdays, but no trains run on Shabbat. |
| Bus 485 | 1¼–1¾ hours | Afikim’s direct bus to Jerusalem leaves from Level 2 of Terminal 3. One seat each and luggage in the hold, then a walk or taxi from the stop. Check the timetable around Shabbat. |
| Shared taxi (sherut) | 1–1½ hours | Shared minivans to Jerusalem leave when they fill up and drop passengers at their addresses one by one. Some sherut routes keep running at night and on Shabbat, but luggage space is limited. |
| Airport taxi | 50–85 minutes | Licensed metered taxis wait outside both terminals around the clock. You queue on arrival and pay the metered fare, which you only know at the end of the ride. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Jerusalem
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Jerusalem transfer suits
Pilgrims and church groups
Minibuses for 8 to 16 people with room for luggage, straight to hotels and Christian guest houses near Jaffa Gate. Planned stops on the way can be added to the quote.
Shabbat and holiday arrivals
Land between Friday afternoon and Saturday evening and there are no trains and few buses. A pre-booked car is waiting in arrivals and takes you straight to your hotel.
Families
Child seats fitted on request and one price for the vehicle. A minivan takes up to seven with suitcases, so there is no juggling between train, light rail and taxi with tired children.
Business and conference visitors
Direct to the convention centre, a government office or a city-centre hotel, with a fixed price agreed in advance and your driver’s details sent before you fly.
Plan the rest of your Jerusalem stay
- Arriving on a Friday? Many restaurants and shops in West Jerusalem close for Shabbat until Saturday night, so book dinner at your hotel or check what is open nearby before you land.
- Jaffa Gate is the easiest way into the Old City from the western hotels. The Tower of David museum stands just inside it, a good first stop to get your bearings.
- Mahane Yehuda market is at its busiest on Thursday evenings and Friday mornings, before Shabbat, and closed on Saturdays. Go on a weekday morning for a calmer visit.
- Moving on to Tel Aviv or the coast later in the trip? We quote hotel-to-hotel rides anywhere in the country, including Jerusalem to the Tel Aviv seafront.
- Flying on to Jordan to see Petra? Our Amman to Petra transfer picks you up at Queen Alia Airport arrivals and drives you to Wadi Musa.
- For the flight home, leave Jerusalem about four hours before an international departure: up to 85 minutes on the road and three hours at the airport for check-in and security.
