Page 110 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Israel & Petra

108 ❯❯ Streetsmart

Getting To and Around
Israel and Petra

Arriving by Air Ben Gurion has the Tickets are sold by the
world’s tightest airport driver (except for Egged
Located 32 miles (51 km) security, so arrive three services to Eilat, for which
northwest of Jerusalem hours before departure. advance reservations
and 15 miles (24 km) are recommended). Most
southeast of Tel Aviv, Traveling to Petra lines do not run on Jewish
Ben Gurion International holidays or Shabbat. The
Airport is served by many The easiest way to get to Public Transportation
international airlines. Air Petra from Israel is by Information Center web­
Canada, Delta, United, organized tour, which site has details in English.
and El Al (Israel’s priva­ removes the hassle of
tized flag carrier) offer border crossings, visas, Getting Around
non­stop flights from and transportation in by Minibus
North America. European Jordan. If you do decide
cities are linked by El Al to travel independently, Known in Hebrew as a
and low­cost European on­arrival tourist visas sherut and in Arabic as a
carriers such as Vueling, can be issued at the servees, these minibuses
Air Berlin, easyJet, Wizz Jordan River/Sheikh do not have fixed stops;
Air, and TUIfly, as well as Hussein Crossing, about riders signal the driver
the Israeli carriers Arkia 19 miles (30 km) south when they want to get on
and Israir. From Asia, of the Sea of Galilee. You or off. With fares about
El Al and airlines such need to pre­arrange a the same as those on
as Korean Air and Cathay Jordanian visa to use the buses, sheruts are partic­
Pacific offer direct flights Allenby/King Hussein or ularly useful on Shabbat,
to Tel Aviv. From Asia, Yitzhak Rabin/Wadi when they run between
often the cheapest route Araba crossings. major cities and within
to Israel is on an Arab central Tel Aviv­Jaffa.
Gulf carrier and Royal Getting Around
Jordanian via Dubai, Abu by Train Getting Around
Dhabi, or Doha to Amman. by Taxi
To get from Ben Gurion Israel Railways serves
to Jerusalem, taxis are over 60 destinations, from Taxis are generally white
available, but the cheapest Nahariya and Beit She’an with a yellow rooftop sign
way is to take a Nesher in the north, to Dimona that is lit up when available.
sherut (shared minibus). and Be’er Sheva in the Higher “Fare 2” rates apply
These run 24 hours, south. Almost all lines from 9pm to 5:30am and
and go direct to your pass through Tel Aviv­ on Shabbat and Jewish
destination in the city. Jaffa. The lovely coastal holidays. Insist that the
Book the day before when line is convenient for Akko driver use the meter (for
returning to the airport. and Haifa. Trains are busy travel to/from Ben Gurion
Alternatively, take Afikim on Sunday morning and Airport, most people use
bus 485, which costs Thursday night, and they government­set fares).
$4.50, or use the high­ don’t run on Shabbat and In several Israeli cities
speed train line due to Jewish holidays. riders can order a taxi
open in April 2018. Tel through Gett (formerly
Aviv and Haifa are also Getting Around GetTaxi); Uber recently
linked to the airport by by Intercity Bus launched its service in Tel
fast, comfortable trains Aviv. In Jerusalem, Israeli
that run 24 hours a day Every part of Israel is cabbies may sometimes
except on Shabbat (in served by comfortable, refuse to go to East
practice, mid­afternoon air­conditioned buses run Jerusalem; Arab drivers
Friday to sunset Saturday) by about 20 companies are generally willing to
and Jewish holidays. (the largest is Egged). go anywhere in the city.

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