The Old City of Jerusalem · Getting there
Getting to the Old City of Jerusalem
Seven bus services called at the stop named The Western Wall 339 times on Wednesday 12 August 2026, and not once between 17:20 on the Friday and 21:09 on the Saturday night.
Bus calls at the Western Wall stop
339
Across lines 1, 2, 3, 3A, 51, 83 and 83A at the stop named The Western Wall on Wednesday 12 August 2026, in the national transit feed
First bus back on Saturday
21:09
Superbus line 2 at the same stop on Saturday 8 August 2026. The last one before it had been 17:20 the previous afternoon
Tel Aviv Savidor to Jerusalem
47 min
The 08:05 from Savidor Center reached Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon at 08:52 on Wednesday 12 August 2026, calling at Ben Gurion Airport on the way
City Hall tram stop to Jaffa Gate
10-15 min
On foot, downhill along Jaffa Road, as published by Jerusalem's official tourism service
The Old City has no railway station and, for most of the day, no cars. Every arrival ends the same way: on foot, through one of the working gates, over cobbles laid by people who had never seen a wheel wider than a handcart. What changes from one route to another is only where the walking starts, and whether anything is running at all.
Reaching Jerusalem itself has never been easier. The fast line puts Tel Aviv Savidor Center 47 minutes from Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon, a station whose platforms sit 80 metres below the street. From there a tram and a short downhill walk reach Jaffa Gate, or a city bus reaches a stop named The Western Wall. On Wednesday 12 August 2026 the national transit feed recorded 53 train arrivals at Navon, 188 tram calls at the City Hall stop and 339 bus calls at the Western Wall stop.
Friday afternoon undoes all of it. On Friday 7 August 2026 the last Jerusalem train left Savidor Center at 16:05, the last tram called at City Hall at 17:51 and the last bus reached the Western Wall stop at 17:20. Nothing came back until the Saturday night. What follows is each realistic approach with the numbers the operators and the national feed actually published, and the one thing about each that ruins a day if it is not known in advance.
7 ways in
Every realistic way to reach The Old City of Jerusalem
Door to door, in the order you actually do it, with the catch stated rather than buried.
| From | How | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Jerusalem | Train and bus | About 25 minutes from anywhere on Jaffa Road: nine minutes on the tram from the Central Station stop to City Hall, then a walk the Jerusalem tourism service puts at 10 to 15 minutes | 6 NIS for a single ride, 13 NIS for a day pass, in the 0 to 15 kilometre band of the fare table published for the July 2024 update |
| Tel Aviv | Train and bus | About an hour and a half door to door, counting the escalators at Navon, the tram and the walk down to Jaffa Gate | 25 NIS one way by train in the 40 to 75 kilometre band, plus 6 NIS for the tram, in the fare table published for the July 2024 update |
| Tel Aviv | Intercity bus | About an hour and 40 minutes door to door: 44 minutes on the road, then the tram and the walk | 17 NIS one way by bus in the 40 to 75 kilometre band of the fare table published for the July 2024 update |
| Ben Gurion Airport | Train and bus | About an hour and a quarter door to door with luggage, most of it not on the train | 19 NIS one way by train in the 15 to 40 kilometre band of the July 2024 fare table, the band the airport falls into at just under 40 kilometres in a straight line |
| Haifa | Intercity bus | About two and three quarter hours door to door | 17 NIS one way by bus in the 75 to 120 kilometre band of the July 2024 fare table, Haifa bay to Jerusalem being about 114 kilometres in a straight line |
| Anywhere, by car | Car | About an hour from Tel Aviv outside the peak, and up to two hours in it, plus the walk in from the car park | n/a |
| Tel Aviv, on a Friday | Organised tour | About seven and a half hours: pick-up at 09:00, back in Tel Aviv around 16:30 | From 280 NIS a person, as listed by Abraham Tours |
Central Jerusalem to The Old City of Jerusalem
Train and busAbout 25 minutes from anywhere on Jaffa Road: nine minutes on the tram from the Central Station stop to City Hall, then a walk the Jerusalem tourism service puts at 10 to 15 minutes- 1Board the light rail Red Line at any stop on Jaffa Road. It is the city's only tram line, it is run by Kfir, and it is signed as line 1 between Neve Yaakov in the north and Hadassah Ein Kerem in the south.
- 2For Jaffa Gate, the Christian Quarter and the Armenian Quarter, get off at City Hall, the stop beside Safra Square. Jerusalem's tourism service calls this the closest tram stop to the Old City and puts the walk down Jaffa Road at 10 to 15 minutes.
- 3For Damascus Gate and the northern souks, stay on one stop further to Damascus Gate. The tram stop stands roughly 250 metres uphill from the gate itself.
- 4For the Western Wall, change to bus 1 or bus 3 rather than walking. Both are run by Extra Jerusalem and both call at Ma'ale HaShalom/Ma'alot Ir David, about 110 metres from Dung Gate, and then at a stop named The Western Wall.
- 5Validate the Rav-Kav on boarding each vehicle. The validation buys 90 minutes of free transfers between city buses and the tram, so tram plus bus is one fare.
The catch. The tram called at City Hall 188 times on Wednesday 12 August 2026, roughly every five minutes through the morning. On Friday 7 August 2026 the last call was 17:51 and there was nothing again until 21:43 on the Saturday night. The bus stops nearest the Western Wall went quiet even earlier, at 17:20.
Timetable and fares at itraveljerusalem.com →Tel Aviv to The Old City of Jerusalem
Train and busAbout an hour and a half door to door, counting the escalators at Navon, the tram and the walk down to Jaffa Gate- 1Take a Jerusalem train from Tel Aviv Savidor Center, Tel Aviv HaShalom or Tel Aviv HaHagana. On Wednesday 12 August 2026 the service ran twice an hour: the 08:05 from Savidor Center called at HaHagana at 08:15 and at Ben Gurion Airport at 08:26, and reached Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon at 08:52.
- 2Ride the escalators up. Navon's platforms sit 80 metres below the street, which is part of the journey time rather than a footnote to it.
- 3At the top, cross to the light rail Red Line at the Central Station stop, which is the same interchange as the Jerusalem Central Bus Station.
- 4Ride the tram to City Hall, nine minutes on the 09:00 service that day, then walk down Jaffa Road to Jaffa Gate.
- 5For the Western Wall instead, take bus 1 or bus 3 from Shazar Boulevard/Binyanei HaUma outside the station. Line 1 called at the Western Wall stop 107 times that Wednesday and line 3 another 95.
The catch. The last Jerusalem train out of Savidor Center on Friday 7 August 2026 left at 16:05 and reached Navon at 16:52; the last one out of Navon left at 16:29. Nothing ran again until the Saturday evening, when the 21:39 from Savidor arrived at 22:22. On a weekday the last train into Navon left Savidor at 23:41.
Timetable and fares at bus.gov.il →Tel Aviv to The Old City of Jerusalem
Intercity busAbout an hour and 40 minutes door to door: 44 minutes on the road, then the tram and the walk- 1Go to platform B at Tel Aviv Savidor Center railway station, which doubles as the Egged intercity stop for Jerusalem.
- 2Take Egged line 480, signed for Jerusalem Central Bus Station. On Wednesday 12 August 2026 it left every 30 minutes from 05:20 to 23:50, 39 departures, and the run took 44 minutes: the 15:20 reached the Jerusalem drop-off at 16:04.
- 3At the Jerusalem end, cross to the light rail Red Line at the Central Station stop and ride to City Hall for Jaffa Gate, or take bus 1 or bus 3 for the Western Wall.
- 4Between midnight and 03:00 a different pattern of line 480 runs from Reading Terminal in north Tel Aviv, calls at Savidor Center about eleven minutes later and finishes at Mamilla/Kariv, roughly 600 metres from Jaffa Gate. The night bus sets passengers down closer to the walls than the daytime one does.
The catch. Line 480 shares Highway 1 with everyone else, and Jerusalem's tourism service warns the drive can reach two hours at peak. On Friday 7 August 2026 the last 480 out of Savidor Center was 17:10 and the first one back on the Saturday was 19:15. Line 405 to Tel Aviv Central Bus Station is still named on some published guidance but did not appear in the national feed on 12 August 2026.
Timetable and fares at bus.gov.il →Ben Gurion Airport to The Old City of Jerusalem
Train and busAbout an hour and a quarter door to door with luggage, most of it not on the train- 1Follow the signs from the Terminal 3 arrivals level down to the railway station beneath the terminal. Passengers landing at Terminal 1 use the free inter-terminal shuttle.
- 2Take a Jerusalem train. On Wednesday 12 August 2026 there was a Jerusalem departure roughly every half hour and the run took 26 minutes: the 08:26 reached Yitzhak Navon at 08:52.
- 3Ride the escalators up the 80 metres to the street, then cross to the light rail Red Line at the Central Station stop.
- 4Take the tram to City Hall and walk down Jaffa Road to Jaffa Gate, or take bus 1 or bus 3 from Shazar Boulevard/Binyanei HaUma for the Western Wall.
- 5With heavy luggage, consider going to the hotel first. The walk into the Old City is over cobbles and steps, and no wheeled case enjoys it.
The catch. The train does not run overnight or on Shabbat. In the small hours the gap is filled by bus line 485, which the national feed lists under Derech Egged: five departures from Terminal 3 on Wednesday 12 August 2026, at 01:00, 02:30, 03:30, 04:30 and 05:30, taking 57 minutes to Binyanei HaUma. Between Friday afternoon and Saturday night neither runs, and Jerusalem's tourism service quotes a taxi at about 250 NIS on a weekday and 350 NIS on Shabbat.
Timetable and fares at itraveljerusalem.com →Haifa to The Old City of Jerusalem
Intercity busAbout two and three quarter hours door to door- 1Go to Merkazit HaMifratz, the interchange station in Haifa bay, and find the intercity platforms rather than the city ones.
- 2Take Egged line 960, signed for Jerusalem. On Wednesday 12 August 2026 it ran 25 times between 05:05 and 21:00, and the trip took 101 minutes: the 21:00 called at the Yagur interchange, the Yokneam Illit junction and the Elyakim interchange and reached Jerusalem Central Bus Station at 22:41.
- 3At the Jerusalem end, take the light rail Red Line from the Central Station stop to City Hall for Jaffa Gate, or bus 1 or bus 3 for the Western Wall.
- 4By train instead, ride south to Herzliya or one of the Tel Aviv stations and change there on to the Jerusalem fast line. There is no through train from Haifa.
The catch. Line 960's intermediate stops are motorway interchanges, not towns, so there is nothing to do if a connection is missed. Departures thin out through the evening and the 21:00 was the last of the day: after that the next is the following morning. On Shabbat the line does not run at all.
Timetable and fares at bus.gov.il →Anywhere, by car to The Old City of Jerusalem
CarAbout an hour from Tel Aviv outside the peak, and up to two hours in it, plus the walk in from the car park- 1Drive in on Highway 1 from Tel Aviv, or on Route 443 through Modiin. Jerusalem's tourism service names both and advises leaving before 15:30 or after 18:30 to miss the worst of it.
- 2Do not navigate to the Old City. Private cars are barred from it between 09:00 and 18:00, and most of the interior has never taken a vehicle.
- 3Park outside a gate. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation names Karta at Jaffa Gate, charged by the hour, along with Mount Zion, which it lists as free, and Mamilla. Jerusalem's tourism service adds Safra on Shivtei Yisrael Street and Givati by Dung Gate.
- 4Walk in from wherever the space was. Karta on Kariv Street is the shortest walk to Jaffa Gate; Givati and Mount Zion are the shortest to the Western Wall.
- 5On a Saturday, drive. It is the one day the trains and intercity buses are not an option in either direction.
The catch. None of the operators publishes a capacity for these car parks, so arriving early is the only strategy there is. The free one at Mount Zion is the first anyone tries. And a car saves nothing at the far end: from every car park the last stretch is the same walk over the same cobbles that a tram passenger makes.
Timetable and fares at itraveljerusalem.com →Tel Aviv, on a Friday to The Old City of Jerusalem
Organised tourAbout seven and a half hours: pick-up at 09:00, back in Tel Aviv around 16:30- 1Book the Jerusalem Old City day tour and be at Abraham Hostel Tel Aviv, HaRakevet Street 8, for the 09:00 pick-up.
- 2The guided walk runs from about 10:30 to 14:00 and covers all four quarters, the Western Wall, part of the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
- 3Use the hour of free time from 14:00 for the souks and lunch. The operator states that lunch is not included and that entrance fees are.
- 4Reboard for Tel Aviv, arriving about 16:30, which is before Shabbat closes the road back.
The catch. The operator states plainly that entry to the Temple Mount and Haram al-Sharif is not guaranteed, and that a viewpoint over the compound is substituted when access is closed. A tour earns its place only when the day has to be a Friday or a Saturday. On any other day the train is faster, cheaper and leaves when you choose.
Timetable and fares at abrahamtours.com →
The car
The car cannot take you there, only near
This is the rare Israeli destination where hiring a car buys almost nothing. Jerusalem's official tourism service states that private cars are barred from the Old City between 09:00 and 18:00, and most of what lies inside the walls has never carried a vehicle at all: deliveries arrive on hand-carts because vans do not fit. So the car does not reach the door. It reaches a car park outside a gate, and then the walk begins, exactly as it would for someone off the tram.
The car parks are named, at least. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation lists Karta at Jaffa Gate, charged by the hour, along with Mount Zion, which it lists as free, and Mamilla. Jerusalem's tourism service adds Safra beside the municipality on Shivtei Yisrael Street, Givati by Dung Gate, and street meters on the stretches from Zion Gate to the Jewish Quarter and from Dung Gate to Mount Zion. None of them publishes a capacity, so a space is something to arrive early for rather than something to count on.
Against that stands the drive itself. Jerusalem's tourism service names Highway 1 and Route 443 through Modiin as the two approaches and warns that at peak the run from Tel Aviv can stretch to two hours, advising a departure before 15:30 or after 18:30. The train, on the same corridor, took 47 minutes at 08:05 on a Wednesday and does not care about the traffic.
There is one day the argument reverses. From Friday afternoon to Saturday night the trains and the intercity buses stop, the roads empty, and a car becomes the only way in or out that answers to nobody's timetable. If the trip must include a Saturday, that is the case for hiring one. On every other day it is an expensive way to arrive at the same gate later.
Paying
The card, the validator and the ninety minutes
Israeli public transport runs on the Rav-Kav, a reloadable smart card. Egged describes two useful versions for a visitor: a personal card, which is issued against photo identification and carries the holder's name and picture, and an anonymous one for people who would rather not hand over the details. Personal cards are issued in person at an Al-HaKav service station, and Jerusalem's tourism service says the Central Bus Station counter will do it against a passport.
A single ride can still be bought with cash on boarding a bus, which is what most first-time visitors do and what most of them then regret. The discounted contracts, the day passes and the transfers all live on the card. Egged also states that from January 2026 selected cities, Jerusalem among them, accept a bank card or a phone wallet tapped straight on the validator, which is the simplest route of all for a short stay.
The fare is set by distance band rather than by journey. In the table published for the July 2024 update, a single ride by bus or light rail costs 6 NIS in the 0 to 15 kilometre band and a day pass 13 NIS. That covers everything inside Jerusalem. Longer hops climb by band: 17 NIS by bus and 25 NIS by train in the 40 to 75 kilometre band, which is where Tel Aviv sits at just over 50 kilometres in a straight line. The Ministry of Transport's Derekh Shava reform sets the bands by straight-line distance and by mode, so the fare charged at the validator is the arbiter, not a printed page.
The rule worth remembering is the transfer window. Jerusalem's tourism service states that a validation buys 90 minutes of free changes between city buses and the light rail. Tram to City Hall, then a bus down to Dung Gate, is one fare rather than two.
Shabbat
What stops on Friday afternoon, and what does not
The shutdown is not a rumour and it is not partial. Taking Friday 7 August 2026 and the Saturday after it from the national transit feed: the last Jerusalem train out of Tel Aviv Savidor Center left at 16:05 and reached Yitzhak Navon at 16:52; the last train out of Navon left at 16:29. The light rail called at City Hall for the last time at 17:51. The last bus to reach the Western Wall stop arrived at 17:20. Egged line 480 from Tel Aviv ran its last departure at 17:10.
Everything then resumed on the Saturday evening, in a rush. The first bus reached the Western Wall stop at 21:09, the first tram called at City Hall at 21:43, the first Jerusalem-bound train left Savidor Center at 21:39 and arrived at 22:22, and line 480 restarted at 19:15. The Jerusalem Light Rail's own published rule is that it runs until an hour before sundown on Friday and resumes half an hour after Shabbat ends, which is why the exact minute moves with the season.
Two things do keep running, and both are worth knowing. The Old City itself does not close: the Western Wall Heritage Foundation says the prayer plaza is open all day, every day of the year. And the East Jerusalem bus network keeps a full Saturday service. At the stop by Jaffa Gate on Saturday 8 August 2026 the feed recorded lines 231, 232 and 234 running from 06:13 in the morning, along with lines 203 and 204, none of which observes Shabbat.
For a visitor coming from outside Jerusalem, though, the practical answer on a Saturday is a taxi, a hire car or a tour. Jerusalem's tourism service quotes a taxi from Ben Gurion Airport at about 250 NIS on a weekday and 350 NIS on Shabbat.
Inside
There is a bus that runs inside the walls
Almost nobody arriving for the first time knows this, and it changes what a day here can hold. Superbus line 2 runs a short loop that goes through the Old City rather than around it. On Wednesday 12 August 2026 the feed shows its 17-minute circuit calling at Mamilla/Kariv, Tzahal Square, the Kishle by the Armenian Patriarchate, Zion Gate, the Jewish Quarter, a stop named The Western Wall, Dung Gate and Mount Zion before returning to Mamilla. It ran 71 times that day, at quarter-hour intervals from mid-morning until nine at night.
Superbus line 38 does something similar on a wider arc, an 18-minute loop from the Jewish Quarter out past Dung Gate and Mount Zion to the Cinematheque, the Khan and Mamilla and back in through Jaffa Gate. It ran 87 times on the same Wednesday, roughly every twelve minutes through the working day. Between them the two lines mean that a visit which starts at Jaffa Gate does not have to end by climbing back up to it.
Everything else is walking, and the walking is the hard part. The lanes are stepped, the cobbles are worn smooth, the covered souks are steep and the handrails are rare. The gradient matters as much as the distance: Damascus Gate sits low on the north side and the Jewish Quarter sits high, so a route that looks flat on a map is not. The flattest approach to the Western Wall plaza is from Dung Gate, where the bus stop at Ma'ale HaShalom stands about 110 metres away.
Allow for the security checks as well. Bags are searched at the gates and again at the entrance to the Western Wall plaza, and on a Friday or a festival the queues at both are the reason a plan runs late.
Practical
What to know before you go
- Get the Rav-Kav sorted before Friday. Egged issues personal cards in person at an Al-HaKav service station against photo identification, and Jerusalem's tourism service says the Central Bus Station counter will do it against a passport.
- One validation covers 90 minutes of changes between city buses and the light rail, so a tram to City Hall followed by a bus to Dung Gate is a single fare.
- Match the stop to the gate: City Hall on the tram for Jaffa Gate, the Damascus Gate tram stop for the northern souks, and bus 1, 2, 3 or 83 for the Western Wall, which are the lines the Western Wall Heritage Foundation names.
- Dung Gate is the flattest way in. The bus stop at Ma'ale HaShalom stands about 110 metres from it, and the plaza beyond needs no steps.
- Do not drive to the walls between 09:00 and 18:00. Jerusalem's tourism service states that private cars are barred from the Old City in those hours.
- Build in the security checks. Bags are searched at the gates and again at the Western Wall plaza, and the queues are longest on Fridays and festivals.
- Allow real minutes for Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon. The platforms are 80 metres below the street and the escalator ride is not a formality.
- If the plan involves a Saturday, decide early between a hire car, a taxi and a tour. All three cost more than the train and all three exist because the train has stopped.
The figures
Numbers behind this page
Each figure carries the year it belongs to and links the source it came from.
| Measure | Figure | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train arrivals at Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon | 53 on a Wednesday, 28 on a Friday, 5 on a Saturday | 2026-08 | open-bus-stride-api.hasadna.org.il |
| Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon | 26 minutes | 2026-08 | open-bus-stride-api.hasadna.org.il |
| Egged line 480, Tel Aviv Savidor Center to Jerusalem Central Bus Station | 44 minutes, 39 departures on a Wednesday | 2026-08 | open-bus-stride-api.hasadna.org.il |
| Egged line 960, Merkazit HaMifratz to Jerusalem | 101 minutes, 25 departures on a Wednesday | 2026-08 | open-bus-stride-api.hasadna.org.il |
| Superbus line 2, the loop through the Old City | 17 minutes, 71 departures on a Wednesday | 2026-08 | open-bus-stride-api.hasadna.org.il |
| Single ride by bus or light rail, 0 to 15 kilometre band | 6 NIS | 2024-07 | ravkavonline.co.il |
| Day pass by bus or light rail, 0 to 15 kilometre band | 13 NIS | 2024-07 | ravkavonline.co.il |
| Depth of the platforms at Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon | 80 metres below street level | 2018 | en.wikipedia.org |
The rest of the The Old City of Jerusalem guide
Sources and further reading
Every link below was opened and checked when this page was written. Official statements are marked as such: they are the subject's own account, not an independent one.
- OfficialJerusalem Development Authority (itraveljerusalem)itraveljerusalem.comGetting to the Old City
The gates, the bar on private cars between 09:00 and 18:00, the named car parks, and City Hall as the nearest tram stop with a 10 to 15 minute walk to Jaffa Gate
- OfficialWestern Wall Heritage Foundationthekotel.orgDirections to the Western Wall
Names bus lines 1, 2, 3 and 83, the Karta, Mount Zion and Mamilla car parks, and states that the prayer plaza is open every day of the year
- OfficialJerusalem Development Authority (itraveljerusalem)itraveljerusalem.comPublic transport in Jerusalem
The Rav-Kav, the 90 minute free transfer between city buses and the light rail, and the Friday and Saturday pattern
- OfficialJerusalem Development Authority (itraveljerusalem)itraveljerusalem.comJerusalem by bus
Buses running from 05:30 to 23:00, service ending about an hour before Shabbat and resuming an hour after, and cash for a single ticket against the card for anything discounted
- OfficialJerusalem Development Authority (itraveljerusalem)itraveljerusalem.comTravel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
Highway 1 and Route 443 as the two approaches, the two hour peak warning, the advice to leave before 15:30 or after 18:30, and Egged line 480 to the Arlozorov station
- OfficialJerusalem Development Authority (itraveljerusalem)itraveljerusalem.comTo and from Ben Gurion Airport
The airport train to Yitzhak Navon, the rule that rail stops an hour before Shabbat and returns an hour after, and taxi fares of about 250 NIS on a weekday and 350 NIS on Shabbat
- OfficialJerusalem Development Authority (itraveljerusalem)itraveljerusalem.comAccessible Jerusalem
That the city is hilly with narrow or absent pavements and that Old City streets are largely cobbled and unstable
- OfficialIsrael Airports Authorityiaa.gov.ilTrain information from Ben Gurion Airport
The station under Terminal 3 and the free inter-terminal shuttle for passengers travelling on from Terminal 1
- OfficialEggedegged.co.ilRav-Kav and payment apps
Personal and anonymous cards, issue in person at an Al-HaKav station against photo identification, and bank card or phone wallet validation in Jerusalem from January 2026
- OfficialRav-Kav Onlineravkavonline.co.ilPublic transport fare update, July 2024
The full distance-band fare table, including 6 NIS single and 13 NIS daily in the 0 to 15 kilometre band and 17 NIS bus and 25 NIS train in the 40 to 75 kilometre band
- OfficialRav-Kav Onlineravkavonline.co.ilThe Derekh Shava reform
That fares are calculated by straight-line distance and by mode, with bands at 15, 40, 75, 120 and 225 kilometres
- OfficialMinistry of Transport, National Public Transport Authoritybus.gov.ilNational public transport journey planner
The published timetables for Egged lines 480 and 960, line 485 from the airport, and Jerusalem city lines 1, 2, 3 and 38
- OfficialAbraham Toursabrahamtours.comJerusalem Old City Tour from Tel Aviv
The 09:00 pick-up at HaRakevet Street 8, the 10:30 to 14:00 guided walk, the 16:30 return, the 280 NIS starting price and the warning that Temple Mount entry is not guaranteed
- DataThe Public Knowledge Workshopopen-bus-stride-api.hasadna.org.ilOpen Bus Stride API
The national GTFS feed, from which every departure time, journey time and call count on this page was read for 7, 8 and 12 August 2026
Getting to the Old City of Jerusalem: common questions
What is the easiest way to get to the Old City from Tel Aviv?+
The train to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon, then the light rail to the City Hall stop, then a walk down to Jaffa Gate. On Wednesday 12 August 2026 the 08:05 from Tel Aviv Savidor Center reached Navon at 08:52, the tram covered Central Station to City Hall in nine minutes, and Jerusalem's tourism service puts the remaining walk at 10 to 15 minutes. Allow an hour and a half door to door, including the climb out of Navon.
Which light rail stop is closest to the Old City?+
City Hall, beside Safra Square, which Jerusalem's official tourism service names as the closest tram stop to the Old City. The walk from there to Jaffa Gate is downhill along Jaffa Road and the same service puts it at 10 to 15 minutes. The next stop north, Damascus Gate, is about 250 metres from that gate and is the better choice for the northern souks.
Which bus goes to the Western Wall?+
Lines 1, 2, 3 and 83, which are the numbers the Western Wall Heritage Foundation publishes on its own directions page. The national transit feed for Wednesday 12 August 2026 confirms all four, with line 1 calling at the stop named The Western Wall 107 times, line 3 ninety-five times, line 2 seventy-one times and line 83 thirty-two times. Lines 1 and 3 both start near Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon station.
Can I get there on Shabbat?+
Not by train or intercity bus. On Friday 7 August 2026 the last Jerusalem train left Tel Aviv Savidor Center at 16:05, the last tram called at City Hall at 17:51 and the last bus reached the Western Wall stop at 17:20; the first bus back at that stop was 21:09 on the Saturday night. A taxi, a hire car or an organised tour are the three ways in on a Saturday, and Jerusalem's tourism service quotes an airport taxi at about 350 NIS on Shabbat.
Is it worth hiring a car?+
For the Old City alone, no. Jerusalem's tourism service states that private cars are barred from it between 09:00 and 18:00, so the car reaches a car park outside a gate and no further, and the walk in is the same one a tram passenger makes. The case for a car is a trip that includes a Saturday, when nothing else intercity is running, or one that continues to the Dead Sea afterwards.
Where can I park near the Old City?+
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation names Karta at Jaffa Gate, charged by the hour, Mount Zion, which it lists as free, and Mamilla. Jerusalem's tourism service adds Safra beside the municipality on Shivtei Yisrael Street, Givati near Dung Gate, and street meters between Zion Gate and the Jewish Quarter and between Dung Gate and Mount Zion. None publishes a capacity, so arriving early is the only real tactic.
Do I need a Rav-Kav card, or can I pay with cash?+
A single ride can be bought with cash when boarding a bus, but everything cheaper needs the card. Egged issues personal Rav-Kavs in person at an Al-HaKav service station against photo identification and also offers an anonymous version. From January 2026 Egged states that Jerusalem is one of the cities where a bank card or phone wallet can be tapped straight on the validator, which is simpler still for a short visit.
How do I get from Ben Gurion Airport to the Old City?+
By train to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon, which took 26 minutes on Wednesday 12 August 2026, then the light rail or bus 1 or 3. Overnight the train stops and bus line 485 covers the gap with five departures from Terminal 3, at 01:00, 02:30, 03:30, 04:30 and 05:30, taking 57 minutes. On Shabbat neither runs and Jerusalem's tourism service quotes a taxi at about 350 NIS.
Is there any transport inside the walls?+
Yes, and it surprises people. Superbus line 2 runs a 17-minute loop that goes through the Old City itself, calling at Mamilla, Tzahal Square, the Kishle by the Armenian Patriarchate, Zion Gate, the Jewish Quarter, the Western Wall, Dung Gate and Mount Zion. It ran 71 times on Wednesday 12 August 2026, at quarter-hour intervals through the middle of the day. Line 38 covers a wider arc 87 times a day.
How accessible is the approach for a wheelchair user?+
The Old City is difficult ground and the approach is the part that can be managed. Dung Gate is the flattest way in, with a bus stop about 110 metres away and a plaza beyond that needs no steps. Jerusalem's tourism service notes that the city is hilly, that pavements are often narrow or absent, and that Old City streets are largely cobbled and unstable, so the souks, the ramparts and the Via Dolorosa remain out of reach.