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Public transportation in Israel is controversial. The transportation inside the big cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa can be great. But it can be fairly difficult to get from one city to another only with public transportation. The bus routes don’t always take the optimal paths and the rides can be long and tedious. The Israel railway can be great – easy, fast, takes you from one big city to the next, but the trains aren’t always on time and to get to and from the train stations isn’t always easy. Public transportation usually begins at around 6 in the morning and runs until 22:00 or 23:00 PM. Some buses run hourly and some can be daily only.
Buses and trains in Israel aren’t very expensive and they’re certainly much cheaper than renting a car or taking a cab. But it has to be said that relying solely on public transportation can limit your treks in Israel.
Public transportation on weekends
The biggest challenge of public transportation in Israel are the weekends. Weekends in Israel is Friday morning to Saturday evening. In some Christian-Arab villages and cities the weekends may be Saturday to Sunday. Because Israel is officially a Jewish and Democratic state, the country relies on a lot of the Jewish traditions and guidelines. One of them being keeping Shabbat. So, most of Israel on the weekends is closed – from shopping malls to small stores, Kosher restaurants and public transportation. Buses and trains stop working at least an hour or so before sundown on Friday (18:00 in the summer and 15:00 in the winter). They start working again at sundown on Saturdays (around 19:00 in the summer and 17:00 in the winter).
When you’re planning your trek in Israel, if you’re relying on public transportation, you always have to keep in mind that you’ll have to get to your destination on the weekends before the public transportation stops on Friday and stay there until after sundown on Saturday. This can actually go really well with trekking on weekends, just plan your trek to begin on friday morning-noon and trek until saturday night. This can also be helpful if you plan on trekking in military training areas, as most of them are open to travelers during the weekend.
It’s important to always check the bus schedule for Fridays and Saturdays, sometimes they can surprise you. Some buses keep working well into the weekend (for instance the bus from Tel Aviv to Eilat) and start working early in the noontime on Saturday.
Taxis often work on the weekends, so if you’re stuck you can always pitch in the money for a taxi.
With all that being said, I try to rely mostly on public transportation on my treks and it is possible. There are many options and almost every village in Israel has a daily bus that stops at the very least at the village junction. So, most of public transportation friendly treks start at different villages or junctions. In the north it is easier to rely on buses, in the south it can be trickier.
Hitch hiking in Israel
Hitch hiking in Israel is possible, especially in the peripheral areas. From and to the big cities it’s fairly difficult because of the big junctions and interchanges. For instance, in the Akev Spring Desert trek it will be almost impossible to stand in Be’er Sheva and hitch hike to Sde Boker. You can stand on road 40, at the Sde Boker junction and attempt hitch hiking back to Be’er Sheva or anywhere else. It can take half an hour or half a day to get a ride, but most people that end up taking you are friendly and don’t expect a fee in return. Like in every country, hitch hiking has its dangers, make sure you;re aware of the dangers and know who you're riding with. Hitchwiki is a cool site with information about hitchiking the world in general and Israel appears on it.
Bus and train schedules and reloadable bus cards
Bus schedule
The best and most reliable bus schedule that I use is https://bus.gov.il/?language=en#/origindestination/1/0/false/536-2351/743/1139-1109/3443. It’s easy to use, even in English, it gives all the different bus companies and you can easily see your bus route on a map (which helps a lot when you’re trekking to and from bus stations).
Train schedule
For the train schedule I would recommend using the official Israel Railway website: https://www.rail.co.il/en
Bus cards
In order to pay for your bus tickets’ you’ll need a Rav Kav pass, a reloadable bus card (as of January 2019 Israel removed cash from bus transportation). You do not need a Rav Kav for train tickets.
For more on how to obtain the Rav Kav and how to load money on it: https://www.touristisrael.com/rav-kav-using-the-bus-in-israel/25702/
Another option for using bus transportation in Israel is the Israel Pass which you can purchase at the Ben Gurion Airport. It gives you everything the Rav Kav can give you, plus enables entry to some national parks and reserves. For more on the Israel Pass here: https://www.israelpass.biz/
I hope this post was helpful for you and your future treks in Israel. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments! Contact me here. Or comment below.
*Disclaimer*
It is the responsibility of the users of this website to be prepared for all possible conditions while trekking in Israel. Beware that conditions of trails may change day to day and season to season. All users of this website and its information assume full responsibility for their actions and judgments while trekking. The owner and authors of this site disclaims all liability including that of accident, loss, injury, or any other damage that may be sustained by anyone using the information contained on this website.