Accessing the West Bank is only possible through Israel or Jordan and there are two main routes. The first one is the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. The second one is the Allenby Bridge checkpoint in the Jordan Valley. For international visitors, the fastest way to the West Bank is by flying directly to the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, and then from there is a 45-minute long drive to Qualandia checkpoint. There are taxis available that can drive you this route.

The alternative option is to fly to Jordan first and from there to go the King Hussein crossing, also known as the Allenby Bridge. You can access the Allenby Bridge crossing via bus or taxi which you can catch in Amman City in Jordan, which takes about one hour.

Traveling Options from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport

Traveling via Taxis

Taking a taxi or airport shuttle is the fastest and simplest way to the Qalandia checkpoint from Ben Gurion Airport. It is important to note that you must reserve a taxi or the shuttle in advance. The drive takes about one hour and it costs 250-350 ILS. It might be a good idea to ask your hosts to help out with this.

Shared Taxis

Collective taxis don’t have specific schedules, but rather they wait until all the seats are full. The duration of the trip will depend on the combination of stops that that particular group of travelers needs to make which dictates the route that the driver needs to take. That is why the duration can be anywhere between 1 to 2 hours. You can use these to go from the airport to Jerusalem and get to the Damascus Gate for around 60 ILS. From this station, you can then take the bus to Bethlehem, Jericho, or Ramallah.

Traveling by Train

If you prefer to travel by train, this is an option as well, and it lasts overall around 2 hours. However, you will need to first get to HaHagana station in Tel Aviv, and there you can transfer to a train going to Jerusalem, to the Malha train station. The nice thing about this option is that you will be traveling through very beautiful countryside. This trip should be around 20 ILS for a single adult ticket.

After arriving in Jerusalem, you can get a taxi to the Damascus Gate bus station, and from there proceed to larger West Bank cities. You will not be able to access the West Bank through the checkpoint until you leave Jerusalem because of the wall encircling it. Alternatively, you can take a taxi to another checkpoint, such as Qalandia.

You must have all the relevant identification and visa documents on hand.

Traveling from Jordan to Palestine

Fly to the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan

From Queen Alia Airport in Amman, you can take a taxi directly to the Jordanian-Israeli border crossing known as the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge. This trip will cost you approximately 30-35 JD (Jordanian Dinar).

This border bridge is 57km away from Amman and is located in the scenic southern Jordan Valley. The border crossing is open from Sunday until Thursday (08:00 am – 08:00 pm) for arrivals and 8:00 am to 2:00 pm for departures. Be aware that on Friday and Saturday, it is only open for 5 hours from 08:00 AM– 1:00 PM in observance of the Jewish holidays.

Traveling from Jordan to Palestine

From Jordan, the journey into Palestine is significantly longer, and it may well involve lengthy delays, including possibly several hours at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge due to the extensive checking. 

Once you are through the checkpoint, however, you can get a shared or private taxi that can take you directly to Jerusalem, Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, or any other city.

Traveling to Palestine through the Allenby Bridge (Israeli)/King Hussein Bridge (Jordanian) is something you should prepare yourself for in advance of your arrival in Jordan and is not an option that we recommend.  It is unlikely there will be anyone who can communicate in English at any of the three border points you must go through to gain entry into Palestine.

The Journey from Queen Alia Airport in Amman to King Hussein Bridge

The journey from Amman International Airport (Queen Alia) in Jordan to the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge (Israeli) takes roughly an hour and should cost approximately 30 JDs (Jordanian Dinars).

The procedure upon arriving at the border is straightforward. However please remember that if you carry a foreign passport you will have to ask for the foreign passport checkpoint. 

In addition to this, of the two buses that will take you to the Israeli border, make sure you ask for and board the one for foreign passengers.

If you do not know where the bus for foreign passengers is located, you can ask any available airport administrator or information specialist. Once on the bus, it can take up to 40 minutes to get from the Jordanian checkpoint to the Israeli checkpoint.

Arriving at the Israeli border

Once you arrive at the Israeli border, collect your baggage and follow the crowd or ask for where you can get your bag tagged for inspection. You will have to go through border control procedures and passport checking, where you may or may not be asked to wait for your details to be verified.

Additionally, your passport might be held for several reasons, and the staff at the Israeli border control will most likely not offer explanations as to why. We strongly advise you to not ask questions and simply be patient as you wait out this process which can take hours.

Traveling from Allenby to the West Bank cities or Jerusalem

After you leave the Israeli border, you will find taxis waiting for you which will take you to Jerusalem. If you are going to other West Bank cities besides Jerusalem, such as Hebron, you may need to take a bus to the Palestinian border. 

Once you reach the Palestinian border you will again find many taxis which will take you to whichever Palestinian city you ask for. A shared taxi from there will cost you approximately 35 shekels to Nablus, and 50 shekels to Hebron or Ramallah. We recommend to agree on a price before the start of the journey.

While this second option of traveling to Hebron via Jordan is certainly more complicated, it is a fascinating experience for foreigners as they see more of the land and get a taste of the locals’ daily reality. Preparing yourself mentally for potentially lengthy delays is important. If you go with the mindset that you might have to wait for hours to cross, that will make any potential stress far lesser.