Transportation Information
A general note on weekend transportation
Please note that public transportation in Israel comes to a practically complete standstill from relatively early on Friday afternoon (around 14:30) until Saturday evening (as soon as it gets dark). At those times, taxis are the only available means of transportation
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From Ben-Gurion Airport to the workshop venue (Hod Hamidbar Hotel, Ein Bokek)
A shared airport transfer to the conference hotel is available for participants who have reserved this service in advance, and that this has been confirmed by Diesenhaus-Unitours in their confirmation letter. If you need this service and have not reserved it, please update your online registration form by use of the username and password you received after submitting the form. If you have not received an official confirmation or if the form cannot be updated anymore, please contact Ms. Magali Mizrahi at MagaliM@Diesenhaus.com.
To get to the shuttle please approach the "SESHIR JC SERVICE" counter at Ben-Gurion Airport after going through customs. They are located in the first floor (one floor up from the Arrivals Hall, near the rent-a-car counters, see http://www.seshir.co.il/map.htm). They will have your name on their list of passengers. As this a shared service, waiting time can be up to one hour. Travel time to the Dead Sea should be around 2 to 3 hours, depending on the time of day and the driver’s drop-off schedule. The cost is 188 NIS per person.
From Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem
There is a very convenient “shared taxi” service from the airport run by the Nesher Taxi company (http://www.neshertours.co.il/taxis-from-ben-gurion). Their vans can be found on the outside the Arrivals Hall level, between gates 02 and 03. The cost is 64 NIS per person (ca. 16€), and they take you to the door of your Jerusalem hotel. Since this is a shared service, however, sometimes you need to wait for the van to fill up (this may be only a few minutes in the busier periods), and not always is your hotel the first on the Jerusalem drop-off circuit.
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From Ben Gurion airport to Tel Aviv
There is a direct train service to Tel Aviv (as well as to other parts of the country, see http://www.rail.co.il/en/stations/pages/8600.aspx). Tickets can be bought at the train station, located immediately outside the Arrivals Hall. Travel time to Tel Aviv is ca 15 min. There are several stations in Tel Aviv, but you will probably need another means of transportation to take you to your hotel. Rather than trying to figure out the local bus system, it may be simpler to take a taxi.
Please note that there are no train services from early Friday afternoon (around 14:00) to Saturday evening (18:30 in Tel Aviv, around 21:00 in the airport).
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Taxis from Ben Gurion Airport
There is a taxi line outside the Arrivals Hall (get out and turn left), ready to take you anywhere in Israel. Before you board the taxi, the usher in charge of the taxi station should give you a paper slip with the driver’s details. It is highly recommended that you keep this paper in case you forget something in the taxi, or if you have a complaint (such events are rare, but not unheard of).
The taxi driver should inquire whether you would like to be charged by the meter or pay a fixed price. To avoid unnecessary frustrations, it is often recommended to use the latter option, but it helps if you know in advance what the fare should be. For this purpose, there is a computer terminal by the taxi line in which you can key in your destination and find out the official standard fare to that location. You can also find out the fare in advance at the following website: http://www.iaa.gov.il/en-us/airports/bengurion/pages/taxifarecalculator.aspx.
A fixed-price taxi ride from the airport to Jerusalem should cost around 250 NIS, to Tel Aviv around 150 NIS, and to the Dead Sea hotel around 850 NIS. The driver should not charge more than the official fixed fare.
From Tel Aviv or Jerusalem to the workshop venue (Hod Hamidbar Hotel, Ein Bokek)
The simplest means, of course, is to take a taxi; driving time should be around 2-2.5 hours from either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. The cost, however, can be rather high – ca. 450 NIS from Jerusalem and 750 NIS from Tel Aviv.
A very convenient alternative is to take a bus; there is a direct bus service from either Tel Aviv (ca. 2-2.5 hours) or Jerusalem (ca. 1.5-2 hours) to the Dead Sea Ein Bokek hotel strip. The buses all stop by the Hod Hamidbar hotel, which is practically the most northern hotel on the strip. It is advised to tell the driver the name of the hotel to ensure that he actually stops there.
Buses leave the Jerusalem central bus station approx. once per hour, and the Tel Aviv Arlozorov bus terminal (adjacent to the Tel Aviv central train station, aka Tel Aviv-Savidor Center) 2-3 times per day. Schedules can be found at https://www.bus.co.il/otobusimmvc/en (in the destination search box enter “Dead Sea” and then select “Ein Bokek” from the options shown). Tickets cost ca. 40 NIS from Jerusalem and ca. 45 NIS from Tel Aviv.
Please note that there are no bus services from early Friday afternoon (around 14:00) to Saturday evening (around 19:00). At those times, taxis are the only available means of transportation.
