Getting around Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is small and mostly flat, which makes it one of the easier cities to move around without a car. The trick is matching the mode to the trip — and remembering that several of them stop entirely for Shabbat.
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Rail, buses, bikes, scooters and taxis
What each is genuinely good for
Several stop completely on Shabbat
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Choose a pickup and a drop-off, add your date and time, and the widget shows an indicative fare from our published rates — confirmed by message before you travel.
On foot, and on two wheels
The centre — Dizengoff, Rothschild, the Carmel Market, Neve Tzedek, the beachfront — is genuinely walkable, and walking is usually the fastest way between two points inside it. The Tel Aviv Port to Jaffa promenade runs the length of the seafront and is the nicest route across town there is.
Tel Aviv invented the city bike-share habit locally with Tel-O-Fun, and electric scooters are everywhere and rented through apps. Both are excellent for short hops; both are best avoided on the pavements, which is where the locals will tell you about it.
The light rail and the buses
The light rail (the Red Line, known locally as the Dankal) is the newest piece of the network, running underground through the centre and out to the suburbs, with a flat single-trip fare. It is quick and easy to use with a contactless card or a travel app.
Buses fill in the rest, run by several operators, and are cheap. Both are at their worst in the morning and evening peaks, and both are exactly what you would expect from a city that has grown faster than its roads.
Taxis, sheruts, and the Shabbat gap
Alongside metered taxis there is the sherut: a shared ten-seat taxi on a fixed route, cheaper than a private ride and part of the city's fabric. For an exact address, a normal taxi is the straightforward answer — see which apps actually work here.
And then there is Shabbat. From Friday afternoon until Saturday evening, the light rail, the buses and the trains all stop. Taxis keep running. If your stay spans a weekend, this is the fact that shapes your plans — see Shabbat in Tel Aviv.
Practical details
- Walking is fastest inside the centre
- Light rail: fast, underground through the centre, flat fare
- Buses: cheap, extensive, slow at peak
- Sherut: shared ten-seat taxi on fixed routes
- Light rail, buses and trains all stop for Shabbat — taxis do not
Related services
Frequently asked questions
Is Tel Aviv walkable?
The centre is. From the port down to Jaffa along the seafront is the best walk in the city, and most of the centre is flat.
Do buses run on Shabbat in Tel Aviv?
No. Public transport stops from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening. Taxis continue to run.
What is a sherut?
A shared ten-seat taxi that runs a fixed route and leaves when it fills up. Cheaper than a private taxi and a long-standing part of how the city moves.
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