How to get from Ben Gurion to Haifa: train, taxi, or split the fare

What changed in 2026

A shared sherut van from the airport to your door in Haifa and the Krayot, at any hour, for a fraction of a taxi, used to be the institution of this corridor. No such service operates today, and the sherut vans that served the airport, like Nesher to Jerusalem, no longer run. The partial good news came in early summer 2026, when Israel Railways added hourly overnight trains through Ben Gurion toward Haifa on weekdays. Between the 2 changes, most older guides to this route are now wrong in both directions.

The train (the default now)

Direct trains run from the airport station (Terminal 3, level S) to Haifa Hof HaCarmel and Haifa Center HaShmona in about an hour, for ₪30.50 with a Rav-Kav card. On weekday nights the new overnight service runs about once an hour toward the north.

• No trains from Friday afternoon until Saturday night, and reduced service on holiday eves.
• Check Moovit or the Israel Railways app against your actual landing time; overnight trains are hourly, so a just-missed train means a real wait.
• From the Haifa stations you still need the Metronit, a bus, or a taxi up the hill to your final address, which matters with luggage at night.

An official taxi from Terminal 3

Taxis wait at the official stand outside Terminal 3 around the clock, including Shabbat, but this is one of the longest and most expensive solo rides in the country: roughly 595 to 695 shekels on the daytime meter. Band A is the daytime meter: Sunday to Thursday 06:00 to 21:00, Friday and holiday eves until 16:00. Band B runs about 14 percent higher and covers weeknights from 21:01, Friday afternoon, and Saturday and holiday daytime. Band C runs about 28 percent higher: Thursday from 23:01, Friday and holiday eves from 21:01, and Saturday and holidays from 19:01 until 05:59. A Friday night arrival reads around 750 to 890 on the meter, which is why this is the one corridor where agreeing a flat price before you set off usually wins: the firms serving the airport advertise about 450 to 500.

Use only the official stand. Ignore anyone approaching you inside the terminal offering a ride.

A pre-booked private transfer

Transfer companies drive to Haifa at fixed pre-agreed prices, including on Shabbat. Worth comparing against the official tariff for your exact timing, and essential to book before you fly.

Split the taxi (what the sherut price used to feel like)

The sherut van worked because 10 people shared one vehicle. The van is gone, but the arithmetic is not: 1 match cuts the fare in half, and a full taxi from the official stand drops it to roughly 149 to 174 shekels each instead of 595 to 695 alone, door to door, at any hour including Shabbat.

The hard part was always finding those people. Full disclosure, we built PairMee for exactly this, and this is our site. You write your trip in 1 sentence and see the people already landing around the same time going the same way. If nobody is yet, the same sentence becomes your ride post, and whoever posts the ride approves who joins. There are women-only rides for anyone who prefers them. On a corridor where the solo alternative costs hundreds of shekels, even 1 match pays for the effort many times over.

Prices at a glance (2026)

Fare estimates are examples only, actual fares vary with time, address, and luggage.

Frequently asked questions