Tel Aviv

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Tel Aviv
<map lat='32.05' lng='34.8' zoom='11' view='2' country='Israel'/>
Information
Country:
Flag of Israel
Israel
District (mahoz): Tel Aviv District
Population: Metropolitan Area: 3,150,800 (2007)
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Tel Aviv is considered by many the capital of Israel, and the center of the vast metropolitan area which is built all over central Israel. It is also where all the foreign embassies are located, since they do not recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

There is almost no good hitchhike spot in Tel Aviv itself, and your best bet is always to take the bus to the suburbs and try there, which is a pain on Shabbath, since there the public transport is very limited and more expensive.

Hitch out

To Haifa and the North

Hitchiking to Haifa and the North is not that bad at all. There are two good places to start, both accessible by buses leaving from the central bus station, or from the Arlozerov Terminal (Namir street),

From Volland's experience, the best place to hitch from Tel Aviv to the North is from right next to the Azrieli shopping mall (HaShalom train station). You'll need to cross the big bridge from Azrieli east (towards Givataim, on HaShalom/Givat HaTahmoshet street), past the train station, and right there turn left to the small ramp leading to Ayalon North. This is probably the only place in Tel Aviv where a car can brake going to Ayalon north, and many of them do. See exact location here. Notice that if you're going far north, it's best not to take a ride if doesn't take you at least as far as Netanya - otherwise you'll end up in another bad hitching spot in the Tel Aviv area, such as Hertzlya.

To the Cinema City complex take bus number 501/601/90 (8.7 NIS). This is on the main road, 5 min out of Tel Aviv, and located half a kilometer north of the Gilot junction, where traffic from Jerusalem joins in with Tel Aviv traffic towards the north. Here there is a bus stop, but traffic on the main road is moving too fast to easily stop a car. Try instead hitchhiking a lift with one of the cars leaving the petrol station or shopping mall. Many drivers are only going to the first city on the main road, Herzaliya, but you can eventually get a lift that will take you beyond.

You can also take a bus to the intersection where the main road turns off towards Yakum, 20 min out of Tel Aviv, after Herzalyia.. To get to this Yakum junction take bus 601 (13.5NIS). From here you can hitchhike from near the bus stop, which is a bit off the main road and so you'll be waiting for cars coming from Yakum or the petrol station here.

To Haifa a direct ride is best, as sometime drivers get off the highway where there is no good hitchiking spot. However, ask the driver and he may know a petrol station on the main road where he can drop you off. To Afula and Tiberias you will need to get a ride which turns right in Ceaseria Junction to Road 65 - If the driver continues till Haifa then you will not be able to get off in that junction.

To Beer Sheva, the Negev, Eilat, Egypt and Aqaba (Jordan)

In volland's experience, hitching south from Tel Aviv (or even to Jerusalem area), is quite simple, as opposed to the below text. There seems to be a single good spot for this: from the Central ("Merkaz"/"Savidor"/"Tzafon") train station, AKA Arlozorov Bus Terminal, there is a small ramp leading to Ayalon Highway South-bound. On that ramp there is a little used bus stop, and a place for cars to brake. They often do, even if it seems improbable at first. See exact location here.

Another possible spot would be from HaShalom interchange, near Azrieli mall, on the ramp leading to Ayalon South (the opposite direction from the one described in "Hitching North" section above). But volland has no experience with that spot.


If 14.5NIS (3 Euro) is only a tiny part of your daily budget and you're not addicted to hitchhiking there is not really a good reason to go hitchhike - as the bus from Tel Aviv is pretty cheap. Two options for the adventurous:

  1. The La Guardia on ramp south. Basically, anyone going South will take you to a better spot. It's not very safe though.
  2. Take bus 475 from Tel Aviv central bus station, and ask the driver for a ticket till "El-Al junction" (11.7 NIS). The bus will pass the "Airport offices", and the next station is where you should get off. From the bus station you just descended to, it is possible to hitchhike south towards Beer Sheva. You go south on Road 40#, don't take a ride which diverts from this road, and you will get to Beer Sheva. (The last few kms are considered road 406, so don't worry about it).

If you are heading southern towards the Negev, Eilat or Egypt, then it's recommended to take a bus till "Goral Junction", 10 km north of Beer Sheva. Take any bus to Beer Sheva, like line 370 from Arlozerov terminal, and ask the driver to go off in that junction. From there continue your journey on Road 40, and again do not divert from this road. If you don't find there any long-haul rides, ask the drivers to take you do "Hativat Ha-Negev" Junction, from which any ride south will be helpful. Road 40 continues approx. 200 km south, till you reach "Ketura" junction, where you change to road 90 that goes all the way south to Eilat, the Jordanian border crossing at Aqaba, and the Egyptian border crossing at Taba.

To Jerusalem

Several options, none of them are great because those spots are before the Road 1 and Road 4 split, and much of the traffic are local commuters.

  1. guaka has had okay results with taking a local bus (Kavim 168 and some others) to the Tsomet Aluf Zede junction in Ramat Gan.
  2. The La Guardia on-ramp is not very safe, not a lot of space for traffic to stop, but it's walkable from the center and of course, people do stop. guaka used it twice and it didn't take longer than 10 minutes.
  3. I've had great experience hitching from the little Trempiyada close to the Azrieli Towers. go to the "Ayalon South" and you will be standing on a Trempiyade where not everyone is going to Jerusalem, but I never waited longer than 20 minutes.

If someone offers you a ride to Ben Gurion airport you can take it. At Terminal 3, make sure to have a sign in English with Jerusalem and hitch at the taxi stand (where people are getting in and out of normal cars as well). Terminal 1 is better since you can simply take Route 40, just make sure to walk to the trempiyada.

Modi'in is a new city in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and if someone offers a ride there you should definitely take it (stay on 443 though).

trash:Tel Aviv