Transportation in Palestine/West Bank: During your stay in Palestine you will have the opportunity to visit a number of cities, such as Bethlehem, Nablus, Jerusalem, and Ramallah, besides others, that are sites of historical significance. In addition, you may visit cities and sites located inside Israel such as Akko, Haifa, Jaffa, and Tel-Aviv.
Travel within Palestine,that is the West Bank, is accomplished mainly by Service (sherut in Hebrew), a mini-van that carries a number of passengers for a smaller fee per person than do private taxis. Generally, Services do not leave for the destination until the vehicle is filled with passengers (usually this occurs fairly rapidly). Taxis begin running from early morning to around nine o’clock in the evening.
To use a Service, either go to a spot where Services congregate, or stick your arm out to flag one down as you would a private taxi. Make sure that you ask the driver for the exact price before getting into the vehicle. Then, get in, get comfortable, and as you drive along pass your NIS to the driver as the other passengers do. The driver will pass back to you, via the other passengers, any change due you. You can ask the driver to stop at any point during the journey, since in Palestine there are no scheduled stops that the Service must stop at. Simply ask and the driver will stop accordingly.
Within the West Bank Services fees can range from 15 to 40 NIS one-way, per person, depending on the distance of the drive. Within cities private taxis will range in fees from two to fifteen NIS. As with the Service, make sure you ask the private taxi driver the exact price to go to your destination before you get into the taxi. It is worth mentioning that taxis, cars, and Services that carry Palestinian registration plates are not allowed to enter Jerusalem; those that carry Israeli registration plates are freely allowed to enter the Palestinian areas upon the approval of the driver.
During travel between and among cities, be sure to keep your passport and visa with you so that you are fully prepared to show proper paperwork when asked to show them when requested by IDF soldiers at Israeli checkpoints. These checkpoints are set up to separate the Palestinian cities and maintain effective control over the Palestinian occupied territories; therefore, at the entrance of each city there is an Israeli checkpoint where you may be asked to produce your passport and visa, as well as queried as to your destination. With proper paperwork there are generally no worries at all, and you can easily cross these checkpoints without any problem.
The Dead Sea is a destination that visitors are eager to visit. You can travel to Jericho from any city you are traveling from via the Service (shared taxi). Once in Jericho simply take another taxi or Service to the Dead Sea which is about a 10 to 15 minute drive. If you would like to visit cities in the north of the West Bank, such as Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, and Qalqilya, you first journey to Ramallah. From the Ramallah bus station you are able to travel to your selected destination. The travel time spans from two to four hours.
There is always something do in Palestine, from sunbathing at the Mediterranean Sea at Jaffa, to climbing the hills of Nablus, to exploring the Old City of Jerusalem, to visiting the tombs of Abraham and the patriarchs in Hebron. Palestine is a place full of history and beautiful things to see and do. Driving along in the Service or taxi and watching the gorgeous scenery is a pleasure itself.
Below we present some approximate one way (double these for roundtrip) costs of local Service transportation between Ramallah and other cities in Palestine :
| Ramallah to Hebron | 27 NIS (around $7 US) |
| Ramallah to Nablus | 18-20 NIS (around $5 US) |
| Ramallah to Jerusalem | 14 NIS (around $4 US) |
| Ramallah to Jenin | 35 NIS (around $9 US) |
| Ramallah to Jericho | 18 NIS (around $5 US) |
| Ramallah to Bethlehem | 21 NIS (around $6 US). |
In conclusion, Palestine is a small country, and it does not take a long time to travel from one city to another. Travelling about Palestine and Israel is quite safe and not very expensive. Most importantly, it is really very interesting to see how each city in Palestine is different from one another when it comes to culture, diversity, climate, and nature. It is highly recommended that you travel around Palestine and Israel to explore and discover this beautiful and fascinating land.
