Walk • Trek • Travel
A photographic record and journal of our walking, trekking and travelling adventures.
Arriving in Jerusalem
Arriving in Jerusalem

Saturday 16 February 2019

just outside of the arrivals hall a few minutes after 9 pm. We had missed the bus to Jerusalem by only 5 minutes and now had almost an hour to wait for the next one.
There were alternatives available. The taxi office was right behind us and there were plenty of taxis waiting for business and I had also installed the Gett App (similar to Uber) on my phone just in case we needed it but a taxi to Jerusalem would cost around 360 ILS (£80) whereas the bus would cost only 16 ILS (£3.50) each so we waited.
Buying a ticket for the bus was easy enough. We just had to pay the driver in cash and the bus left on time at 9:55 pm. The 485 bus terminates right outside Jerusalem Central Bus Station alongside the light railway (tram) stop.
We had also read about Nesher shuttles, 10-seater minibuses that leave when they are full, but we didn’t see any of these while we waited for the bus.
We arrived at the Central Bus Station at approximately 10:45 pm. Fortunately, the hotel we had booked had advertised a 24/7 reception because we still had a 15-minute walk to get there. We could have used the tram but we did not know how frequently they ran or how easy it would be to try and buy a ticket for it in the dark so we figured we would just walk to the hotel.
Jerusalem, like many cities, is a city of two parts. The Old City is the ancient, walled city that contains most of the sites that the tourists go to visit and the New City is the modern city.
Our route to the hotel took us right through the centre of the New City, following the tram line along Jaffa Street. It was Saturday night and the streets were buzzing with people scurrying around in all directions but with very few signs of partying until we reached the Mahane Yehuda market and even then it was fairly low key partying.
Before long we had reached our hotel and even managed to locate a few bakeries and mini-supermarkets along the way so that would know where to buy milk and breakfast the next morning.
Getting Here
We took the 485 bus from the bus stop outside of the arrivals hall of Terminal 3. The ticket to Jerusalem cost 16 ILS (£3.50) each and you buy them from the driver. The bus departs Terminal 3 every hour at 55 minutes past the hour and also stops at Terminal 1 along the way. During Shabbat (Friday afternoon until Saturday evening) this bus, along with most other public transport, does not operate but you should always check before you travel regardless of the day.
The 485 bus terminates just outside of the Central Bus Station where you can get taxis, other buses or the light railway to your destination. You can also walk. It is a ten minute walk to Davidka Square where the Abraham Hostel is located and an extra five minutes to Yafo Centre.
Staying Here
Accommodation in Jerusalem is not cheap. We stayed at the City Center
Hotel Jerusalem which is located in King George Street. They also have an annexe nearby in HaHistadrut Street. At the time of booking, we got the best deal for this hotel from Hotels.com.
The City Center Hotel Jerusalem is a small boutique type hotel with a small reception that operates 24/7. We booked a small, budget studio which came equipped with a mini-kitchenette, table, chairs, microwave, kettle and a sink. Although small, it was perfect for our needs and very quiet.
Ben Gurion Terminal 3 Arrivals map showing bus stop for 485 bus
Bus 485 stops here. We hope!
City Center Hotel Jerusalem
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