By plane

Ben Gurion Airport

Tel Aviv's (and Israel's) main entry point from abroad is 1 Ben Gurion International Airport TLV IATA (referred to by its Hebrew initials Natbag by locals). You can arrive to the city center by train, taxi, or by hired car (it's a 20-min drive followed by a very long search for parking). There is no sherut taxi to Tel Aviv from Ben Gurion, although traveling by bus is possible.

On Shabbat you will have a hard time reaching or leaving the airport. There's no bus or train; taxis still go but are extra busy, and charge extra. If you rely on public transportation, try not book a flight that lands in Tel Aviv Airport after 14:00 on Friday or before 20:00 on Saturday.

If you go out of the terminal on ground floor and turn right, and head furthest distance out you will find buses to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Ask the bus driver to ensure you are getting on the right bus.

By train: The airport train station is just below Arrivals in Terminal 3. Direct trains to Tel Aviv take 15-20 min and cost 4$ for a one-way ticket. Buy a ticket from the cashier or from an automatic machine; use it at the entry gate and again to exit at your arrival station. Better still, buy & use a Rav-Kav transport smart card, because you'll need one in the city (see "get around"), you may as well buy one now at the Kavim service center in the terminal, or issue a personal one for free. There are trains from Sunday to Thursday every 15 minutes between 05:30 AM to midnight, and on Friday morning every 30 minutes' and few trains on Saturday night. . All trains stop at all four Tel Aviv stations during the day, which in order of arrival from the airport (south to north) are Tel Aviv HaHagana (11 min travel), Tel Aviv HaShalom (14 min), Tel Aviv Merkaz/Savidor (20 min). From HaHagana Station there frequent buses to the tourist areas (4 or 104 to the city center, 54 to florentin and Jaffa). Even though getting there is not recommended in the evening as it is located among the slums of Tel Aviv. From Hashalom station you can use buses 62 and 115 to the hotels area of Tel Aviv.

By taxi: Working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, this is the most comfortable and expensive way to reach the city center, with a typical ride price of around 40$. If you travel with a friend or two, it can be a good idea to share a taxi. It is acceptable to sit in the front seat in Israeli taxis. Taxis are required by law to use the taxi meter, unless agreed otherwise by the passenger and driver, and a typical ride to the city center should not take more than 15–20 min, without heavy traffic. Do not accept fix-priced rides with taxi drivers unless you're sure of what you are doing; you will usually end up paying more than you could have had you asked to use the meter.

By bus: If you are interested in a direct bus directly to the tourist centers, there is line 445 that leaves every hour, 24 hours a day 6 days a week. The journey from the airport terminal to the Tel Aviv hotels area takes between 30 mitunes in the middle of the night to 50 minutes in the busy hours of the afternoon.

Sde Dov

Tel Aviv's former "city airport" Sde Dov ceased operations in summer of 2019. Any signs or older reference material pointing you there will lead you to a demolition site and then to an assortment of nice beachfront property.

By train

Israel Railways operates trains from Tel Aviv to most parts of Israel, included Jerusalem, Haifa, Beer Sheva and the international airport with a frequency of 2 to 3 trains per hour from Sunday to Thursday. The train stations are close to the CBD of the city, but not to its tourist center, where the tourist attractions (except Sharona complex) and accommodation (except some business hotels) are between 1 and 3 kilometers from the train stations, so getting to them requires another city bus or a taxi.

The trains on Sunday mornings are not recommended, when the soldiers return to their bases and students to the university. The trains end on Fridays at noon and resume on Saturdays after dark, to mark Shabbat.

Tel Aviv has four train stations, east of the center along the Ayalon routes. Trains stop at all four stations during the day, but late night trains only stop at Central/Savidor. From south to north, as you approach by train from the airport, these are:

Tel Aviv HaHagana train station: the southernmost station. It is located in a poor area of the city, so it is not recommended to walk from it to the city center. The station is about 500 meters west of the "Hatikva" market and 1200 meters east of the Levinsky market. It is also the closest station to Jaffa and the historical center of Tel Aviv. From the train station you can take lines 4 and 104 to the city center, or 54 to Jaffa.

Tel Aviv HaShalom train station: the most suitable station for a "soft landing" in Tel Aviv. It is located near a large shopping center a short distance from Sarona, and from there, it is most convenient to reach the city center via Kaplan Street. From the station you can take lines 62 and 115 to the tourist areas of the city, and near the Azrieli Towers there are buses all over Israel and the Tel Aviv metropoline area.

The Tel Aviv Central train station (known as "Arlozorov" and its official name "Savidor"): is close to the stock exchange complex. It is a transportation hub for all of Israel, but HaShalom and HaHagana stations are slightly closer to most central Tel Aviv tourist sites. From the nearby bus terminal you can take line 18 to the city center and Lifo and line 5 to Dizengoff Street.

Tel Aviv University Station: As the name suggests, it is close to the university (getting from the station is a kilometer of steep uphill walk), and to the Tel Aviv Expo. It is also the closest station (although not within walking distance) to the Tel Aviv port, and to the business center of Ramat HaHayal.

By bus

Tel Aviv has two main intercity bus stations:

2 New Central Bus Station (Tahana Merkazit), Levinski 108 (southern Tel Aviv). The place is a neglected building in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, and getting there as a tourist is not recommended at all, especially not at night. Most cities in Israel have buses that arrive throughout the day at the 2000 terminal, which is difficult to orientate, but is in a safer area in the city center. Offers routes to most locations in Israel, within a short walking distance of HaHaganah Train Station. The building, which is a combination of shopping mall and bus terminal spanning 7 floors, is extremely confusing - in fact, it is almost unmanageable for the infrequent visitor; tourists might want to use the 2000 Bus Terminal (see below) instead.Several different bus companies operate urban and intercity buses in Tel Aviv: Egged, Dan, Metropoline, Kavim and a few smaller ones. Check the electronic boards in departure halls for info on destinations, platforms and coming-up departures. If this doesn't help, ask at the information booths. Egged and Metropoline have information booths on 6th floor. The Dan info booth is on the 7th floor (they also handle info for lines operated by Kavim).Most intercity bus lines depart from platforms on the north wing of 6th floor, except for buses to Galilee (Afula, Nazareth, Tiberias, Kiryat Shmona etc.) which are on the south wing on 7th floor (accessible by escalator from 6th floor). Most urban lines to Tel Aviv and its suburbs are on the north wing on 7th floor (which isn't connected to the south wing of the same floor), with several lines on 4th floor which is actually at street level (including the popular city lines #4 and #5).Several urban lines stop outside the station building on Levinski street (north side of the station), and some others a block away to the west on Har Zion street. Sherut taxis depart from Tzemach David street outside the east side of the station.All people entering the bus terminal are subject to security screening. Be aware of your surroundings and keep and eye on your property while in and around the main bus terminal especially at night, as the area is a high crime area - really Israel's only urban slum. (updated Jul 2022)

3 2000 Bus Terminal (Arlozorov terminal) (next to Tel Aviv Merkaz/Savidor Train Station). A more user-friendly bus terminal that can replace the central bus station for most trips. It is next to Tel Aviv Merkaz/Savidor Train Station, so it is a good place to make connections between train and bus. There are information desks, and the platforms are all in two areas that passengers can access without security screening. This terminal and its surroundings are safe at all hours. North-bound intercity buses (from the Central Bus Station to Haifa, the Sharon, the Galilee, etc.) stop at Namir Road alongside this terminal, but at peak times they might be full when they get there. Major cities to the south and east of Tel Aviv have dedicated routes leaving the Arlozorov terminal: the 480 for Jerusalem, 380 for Beer Sheva, and 280 for Ashdod.

In addition to the New Central Bus Station, there used to be an Old Central Bus Station, but this no longer is used for transportation (the building was demolished long ago, and a parking lot was built in its place). When people say "Central Bus Station", they mean the new one.

In general, buses obey the Jewish Shabbat, and stop operation on Friday afternoon, and resume service only Saturday after dark. Some services, however, may start earlier on Saturday afternoon. Minor services may not resume until Sunday morning.

A daily bus service is also available to and from Amman through the King Hussein Bridge. Call the operator (+972 4-6573984) for details.

By car

Tel Aviv is the hub of the country's modern network of freeways. The city is accessible from Ben Gurion Airport via the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv freeway (route 1), from the north by Tel Aviv–Haifa freeway (route 2), as well as from Beer-Sheva and the southern parts of the country (route 4). Freeways speed limit is 110 km/h. On other intercity roads the limit varies between 80 and 90 km/h. On urban roads the default speed limit is 50 km/h. Heavy traffic congestion is common.

By boat

There are no ferries or cruises to Tel Aviv, but you can bring your own boat into the marina. Arriving from abroad, call ahead before entering Israeli waters to arrange immigration and customs clearance. Large vessels should head for Ashdod 20 miles south, which is a large commercial port with 24 hour entry facilities.