How to Get to Haifa, Israel

Aeroflot and El Al airlines fly from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Israel. Arrival – at the capital’s Ben Gurion Airport, flight time – 4 hours, ticket costs from 400 USD. A direct flight from Pulkovo in St. Petersburg to Tel Aviv with Aeroflot will take 5 hours and cost a little more – from 560 USD. Prices on the page are for July 2022.

Haifa is located 90 km from Tel Aviv. It will take about an hour to get there from the airport by taxi. Also from the airport to Haifa, Israel Railways trains run around the clock (website with an English version). Departure every hour, travel time – 1.5 hours. See Educationvv for education and training in Israel.

Buses No. 900, 910 depart every 20 minutes from the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station to Haifa (website) – from 6:00 to 24:00. Travel time is 1.5 hours.

Transport

In Haifa, you can travel by train, bus, metro and metronite. The railway runs along the coast and within the city limits, it has 3 stations – Bat-Galim, Merkaz-Central and Hof ha-Carmel. Trains run around the clock and on time. The fare in the city costs 6.60 ILS. Tickets are sold at the box office of stations and at the office. Israel Railways website.

“Metronit” – long twin buses that travel on a special dedicated lane, bypassing traffic jams. They also work on Shabbat, linking Bet-Galim and Aydar with Chek-Post and the surrounding area. The fare in the city costs 6.90 ILS. Tickets are sold in vending machines at bus stops; on regular buses, you can pay with the driver. In Israel, it is customary in transport to enter through the front door and exit through the back.

The Haifa metro is considered the shortest in the world and is included in the Guinness Book of Records. Its length is 2 km.

Haifa is proud of its subway – it is the only one in the country. The Carmelit line is not an ordinary subway, but an underground funicular that takes passengers to the top of the mountain and connects the Lower and Upper Towns. Trains run every 10 minutes, the whole way up takes 8 minutes. Tickets are sold in special machines at the stations, the fare is 6.60 ILS. “Carmelit” stops its work on Friday at 15:00 and resumes on Saturday evening.

You can pay for all public transport with a special Rav-Kav card – just attach it to the validator at the entrance. Cards are sold at any ticket office or from drivers.

Israeli taxi cars “monit” stop on demand on the street and arrive at a specific address on call. Payment by meter, fares: 12 ILS for landing and 6 ILS for each km of travel.

Pleasure boats run daily from the port of Haifa to the port of Akko. They are used not only by tourists, but also by locals to avoid traffic jams. Travel time is 50 minutes. This is a good opportunity not only to visit the old city of Acre with the Crusader Fortress and the tomb of Baha’u’llah, but also to admire the view of Haifa from the sea.

The funicular is another way to get around the city. The fare is 23 ILS. The upper platform of the cable car is located near the Carmelite monastery, and the lower station is near the sea coast in the Bat Galim area.

The landscape of Haifa itself is not very conducive to cycling, but you can ride around the surroundings. Riding on ideal Israeli roads is a pleasure. A two-wheeled friend is offered for rent at hotels or the Rosen & Meents brand store – from 40 ILS per day.

• Haifa

Rent a Car

It is unprofitable to drive around the city by car – frequent traffic jams and almost no free parking. You can find out how to park by the markings. There is always a parking meter next to the blue-white one, parking is prohibited on the white-red and yellow-red ones, and where there is no marking, you can park the car for free. The rate for the whole day is 400–700 ILS. The paid period usually lasts from 7:30 to 20:00. Fine for non-compliance with parking rules – 250 ILS.

Pay attention to the terms of the lease – sometimes the daily mileage of a car can be limited and you will have to pay for its excess.

It is worth renting a car for trips around the country. It is convenient to travel from Haifa to the Galilee – its main attractions are no more than an hour away. There are rental offices throughout the city, and renting a car at Ben Gurion Airport will cost 100 ILS more due to the airport tax. Their services are offered by both local companies and international ones – Hertz, Budget, AVIS, Thrifty. The rental price is from 400 ILS per day.

Communication and Wi-Fi

Tourists in Haifa are best suited for tariffs without a monthly fee from Partner and Cellcom operators. Local SIM cards are sold in specialized mobile communication pavilions, supermarkets, as well as at gas stations and post offices. There you can also purchase prepaid cards to replenish your account – the weekly includes local unlimited calls, SMS and 500 MB of Internet. There are many points with free Wi-Fi access in the city – free Internet is available in trains, public transport, hotels, restaurants, shops, parks and beaches.