On traveling to any country one of the basic items of planning is how to get around. In all countries there are usually several modes of transportation. Which one is chosen will depend on age, interests and not least financial considerations.

Often this subject is not dealt with in depth by various travel agencies or information sites, causing many travelers to either waste a lot of time or using money intended for other purposes. With proper information before setting out and before arriving to the desired destination a lot of unnecessary headaches can be avoided.

I am not expert on world travel possibilities. My expertise is my country of residence, Israel. My knowledge of this subject is not just from living here, but also from meeting and working with foreign visitors to this country as a guide.

This article will touch on almost all types of transportation that a visitor to Israel may make use of. These forms of transport are not just for visitors, but of course used on a daily basis by Israelis.

Bus Transport - urban and interurban
The original mode of transport was by bus, but on urban routes and interurban routes. Until recently there was pretty much just one bus company, Egged, a government subsidized cooperative. This company has recently been privatized and meeting competition from new companies, making bus traveling better, but sometimes a little more complicated.

All towns in Israel have central bus stations, and all bus companies have stations there for the interurban routes. Information on which company and which bus to use can be had from the information counter or via each company's website (usually also in English).

Many urban routes pass the central bus stations, so that getting there or continuing the travel is reasonably easy. Once in a city it will be obvious which company has the concession there. Egged is still by far the largest company, and if you are traveling between the major cities, you are most likely to be using their services.

Train transportion
Though Israel has a very extensive and fully developed road system, it was considered a necessity to develop and modernize the rail system. This very much stems from Israelis love of their car, causing terrible congestions, particularly in the central part of the country. Since busses use the same road system as cars, train was the logical solution.

This system has been and is still under construction for almost 20 years. It is today possible to travel from the north (Nahariah) to Beer Sheva in the Negev. The system began in Tel Aviv, and it is in Tel Aviv there are the main stations for changing lines.

The system also goes inland, although not yet to Jerusalem, due to the special topographic conditions involved in building the line. It is under construction, but will take many more years before this line is operational.

Most towns have one train station, though some of the larger ones like Tel Aviv and Haifa, have several. Busses usually connect to the stations from most part of the towns. In addition there are usually large parking areas adjoining the stations.

Information on routes and departure times can be had through Israel Railways website (also in
English).

Taxis
Taxis are taxis all over the world, and Israel being part of the world is no exception. By law all taxis must have a taximeter, and they do. By law the driver must turn on the meter as soon as the taxis drives with passengers, and they don't always do.

There are plenty of taxis around. They are easily identified, as they must be white, and they all have that yellow "cap" saying taxi. Even though white is a popular color for cars in Israel, taxis are still easy to spot, as the taxi number is written on the side.

One very important limitation for anyone using public transport in Israel that neither busses nor trains run on the Shabbat (sabbath - Saturday), as well as all Jewish holidays.

Taxis, being private, though still under the term public transport, do run, but much less, as many of the drivers are observant, and will not drive on Shabbat. In addition, rates with taxis are higher on Shabbat and holidays than regular weekdays.

Car Rental
There is an abundance of car rental companies in Israel, including the large international companies. These as well as the large Israeli rental companies have offices in the airport, so if this is your preferred mode of transport, you can pick up and drop off the car in the airport.

It is fairly easy to find one's way around Israel, as there are excellent road signs in three languages, Hebrew, English and Arabic.

You may occasionally get a good laugh, as the road department sometimes seem to go easy on translation or spelling.

The main problem with driving is having to deal with Israeli drivers. They can be very aggressive, and not too courteous. At least those are the drivers that are most noticable.

Coaches
This mode of transport is of course the preferred one for group tours. In fact it's the only sensible mode of transport for group tours.

Private Car
This is the mode of transport and getting around for the more affluent traveler, or the traveler who does not want to deal with public transport, or wants to get the most of his/her time in Israel.

The private car is driven by a licensed tour guide, so getting from A to B is no issue. At the same time much knowledge and understanding of the country will be gained from this method of getting around.

There are of course a couple of additional methods, such as walking or bicycling. They are outside the scope of this article.

I hope the information here will be of help to anyone contemplating a visit to Israel.

For more information on Israel and touring and traveling in Israel, you can visit my blog: Your Guide To Israel

As said in the article, I am a licensed tour guide in Israel. I have more than 25 years of experience in the field of tourism, both on coach tours and private car tours.