Yes, and our team would pick the train over a rental car or taxi for this one almost every time. Israel Railways runs up the coast all week, often several times an hour at busy times, and the trip takes about an hour. Meanwhile Highway 2 at rush hour can make you rethink your life choices. It also makes a great day out if you’re landing in Tel Aviv after one of those stopovers on the way to Israel.
Here’s how to make it painless.
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Pick your Tel Aviv station. Most visitors use Savidor Center (Tel Aviv Merkaz) or HaShalom, the one next to the Azrieli towers. Northbound trains usually stop at both, so go with whichever is closer to your hotel.
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Sort out a Rav-Kav. Trains and buses in Israel run on the Rav-Kav card, which you load with credit. The machines and ticket windows at the station sell them, and some payment apps work too. Hang on to it, because it covers buses around Haifa as well.
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Get off at the right Haifa stop. The city has several stations. Hof HaCarmel is near the southern beaches and the big bus terminal. Merkaz HaShmona is closer to downtown and the lower city, the side where the Baha’i Gardens begin. Riding to the end of the line isn’t a plan, it’s a detour.
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Grab a seat on the left heading north. The track hugs the coast for stretches, and the Mediterranean is on that side.
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Respect Shabbat. Visitors get tripped up here all the time. Trains stop on Friday afternoon, well before sunset, and don’t run again until Saturday night after Shabbat ends. Most Jewish holidays work the same way. For a Friday evening or Saturday trip you’ll need a sherut, a taxi or a car.
Check the Israel Railways site or app the day before you go, since track work sometimes swaps part of the route for a bus, especially on weekends. And if Haifa is one stop on a bigger trip, give our Israel travel insurance page a look before you fly.