London to Israel . . .

Train operator in Israel:

Israel Railways (IR).  For train times & fares in Israel, visit www.rail.co.il.  Trains link Haifa, Tel Aviv and (as from April 2005) Jerusalem.

Ferries to Israel:

Poseidon Lines & Salamis Lines (Greece-Cyprus-Israel, both still suspended).  UK agent is www.viamare.com 

Time zone:

GMT+2 (GMT+3 from 02:00 on last Friday before 2 April until the Sunday before 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei (in Sept/Oct)

Currency & dialling code:

£1 = approx 6 Shekels.  Currency converter.  Dial code +972.

Tourist information:

www.goisrael.com.  Israeli/Palestinian situation:  to check the latest situation, visit the Foreign Office's travel advice internet site at www.fco.gov.uk.

Visas:

UK citizens do not need a visa to visit Israel. 

Page last updated:

17 January 2012

There are two options for travel from London (or anywhere else in Europe) to Israel, although there are problems with both options:

• Option 1:  Travel by train all the way via Syria & Jordan.  This works OK in the outward (London to Israel) direction, but can only be used in the return (Israel to London) direction if you are careful to avoid any indication in your passport (or anywhere else) of your visit to Israel.  This is because you cannot enter Syria with any evidence of a visit to Israel in your passport.  The route is London - Paris - Vienna - Budapest - Istanbul - Aleppo - Damascus - Amman - Allenby Bridge - Jerusalem.

• Option 2:  Travel by train+ferry to Athens, then by direct ferry from Piraeus to Israel.  The catch here is that the direct ships from Piraeus to Israel stopped running in 2001, and still show no signs of resuming in 2010.  You can check the latest situation with UK ferry booking agents www.viamare.com.  There may be a vehicle-carrying ferry, please contact Viamare. 

• Option 2a:  Travel by train+ferry UK to Athens, then by cruise ferry via Cyprus.  There's now a glimmer of hope for ferry travel to Israel, as a new Rhodes-Cyprus & Cyprus-Israel service started in summer 2008.

Option 1:  By train all the way via Istanbul, Syria & Jordan...

• Travel by train from London to Istanbul, as shown on the London to Turkey page.  Departures are daily, and the journey takes three nights.  By all means spend a day in Istanbul and head on that evening, but I'd recommend a night there as a comfort break as well as for sightseeing.

• Travel from Istanbul to Aleppo in Syria, using the daily train from Istanbul to Adana in southern Turkey, then a bus.  For times, fares & info, see the London to Syria page.  Travel on to Damascus by train - train times and fares are also shown on the London to Syria page.  At the Syrian border, be sure not to show any indication that you plan to visit Israel.

• Travel by bus from Damascus to Amman in Jordan.  There are several buses daily, the journey takes 5 hours.  See the Jordan page.

• Take a bus or taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge border crossing with Israel.  Pass through customs and passport control.  Take another bus or taxi into central Jerusalem.

You can book the London to Istanbul train journey through any UK European rail ticketing agency, as shown on the London to Turkey page.  You can book the train from Istanbul to Adana either at the station when you get to Istanbul, or through a travel agency in Istanbul, as shown on the London to Syria page.  You can book the buses from Adana to Aleppo when you get to Adana.  You will need to book the Aleppo-Damascus train at the station in Aleppo, and the Damascus-Amman train at the station in Damascus.  In planning a trip like this, you may find this technique helpful.

Option 2:  By train+ferry to Greece then direct ferry from Piraeus to Israel...

The journey from London to Israel takes about seven nights.  The journey involves travelling to Athens to pick up one of the several weekly year-round sailings from Piraeus to Haifa in Israel.  However, as at January 2010, both Poseidon Lines and Salamis Lines' Piraeus-Cyprus-Israel ferry services remain suspended because of the political situation in Israel, and they show no sign of resuming.  A car ferry service for motorists and freight may be operating, though.  You can check the latest situation with Viamare Travel.

Option 2a:  By train+ferry to Greece then ferry to Israel via Cyprus...

As of summer 2008, a passenger cruise ferry sails at least weekly from Rhodes (and on some dates Crete) to Limassol in Cyprus between June & October taking 1 night, then weekly between April & October from Limassol to Haifa in Israel taking 1 night.  Hopefully these ferries will operate again in 2010.  For sailing dates and prices see www.varianostravel.com/Cruises/ferry_service.htm.  For train & ferry travel from the UK to Rhodes, see the London to Greece page.  It may seem a bit daunting to plan a multi-stage train + ferry journey from the UK to Israel via Athens, Piraeus, Rhodes & Cyprus, but you may find this planning technique helpful.

Onwards train travel from Haifa...

From Haifa, air-conditioned trains of Israeli Railways run regularly to Tel Aviv and Beersheeva. Visit the Israeli Railways website for train times and fares.  The railway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has now been rebuilt, and as from April 2005 trains once again link Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.

Israel has a modern and rapidly-expanding train network.  The line from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, closed for some years, re-opened in early 2005, and fast air-conditioned trains also link Tel Aviv with Haifa.  However, there are no international train services to or from Israel.

Tel Aviv ► Jerusalem

Trains leave Tel Aviv’s Merkaz station (also known as Tel Aviv Central – Savidor) for Jerusalem's Malha station every hour from 05:54 to 19:54 on Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays, journey time 1 hour 40 minutes for the 82 km (51 mile) journey.  They also call at Tel Aviv's Hashalom station 2 minutes after leaving Merkaz.  Trains return from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv every hour from 05:43 to 21:43 on Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays.  On Fridays, trains run hourly in each direction until around 13:00, there is no service on Friday afternoons and just one late-night service on Saturdays after dark. 

Fare: 21.5 shekels (£3.70 or $2.50) one-way, 39 shekels (£6.70 or $10) return.  Child under 10, 17 shekels one-way, 34 shekels return.

Haifa ► Tel Aviv ► Ben Gurion Airport  & Be’er Sheva

On Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays, two trains an hour link Haifa with Tel Aviv (Merkaz station) and Ben Gurion airport. Haifa-Tel Aviv journey time 50-60 minutes for the 85km (53 miles), Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion Airport 19 minutes. One train an hour links Tel Aviv Merkaz with Be’er Sheva, some trains starting back in Haifa. On Fridays, trains run hourly in each direction on both routes until around 13:00, there is no service on Friday afternoons, or on Saturdays until after dark

For other train routes, train times & fares in Israel, see www.rail.co.il.