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How to Travel Amman to Tel Aviv

More notes from Craig of Travelvice.com on how to travel from Amman, Jordan to Tel Aviv, Israel It was only 68 miles (110k) between Amman and Tel Aviv as the crow flies, but took over 12 hours, 2 Israeli interrogations, and $43 in transport to make it over here. I was laughing so hard in [...]

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More notes from Craig of Travelvice.com on how to travel from Amman, Jordan to Tel Aviv, Israel

It was only 68 miles (110k) between Amman and Tel Aviv as the crow flies, but took over 12 hours, 2 Israeli interrogations, and $43 in transport to make it over here.

I was laughing so hard in front of my hosts this evening when I discovered an extra piece of paper in my passport… it was from the 20-year-old female Israeli soldier that I was laying it on thick with to try and keep from getting grilled too hard (on my travel to questionable Arab countries, what I’ll be doing, where I’ll be going, etc). I was quite successful, but maybe overly so (laughing).. the paper has her e-mail address on it! Hilarious!

Notes that may be of assistance (1 Jordanian dinar = 1.41 USD):

  • 7th Circle is not the place to go if you’re trying to go to the King Hussein Bridge crossing. You need to depart from the “Jordan Street Buses Complex”. A shared taxi will cost 5JD, takes 45 minutes to reach immigration.

  • A mandatory 5JD fee is in place for leaving Jordan, plus a mandatory bus across the border that costs 4JD.

  • I arrived at the Jordanian checkpoint at 10:15 and didn’t depart on the other side (after Israeli immigration) until 17:00!!! A real mess.

  • The only option to Jerusalem other than private taxi is a minibus that costs about 38 shekels (6.5JD), takes 1 hour.

  • The minibus drops you off in the worst spot in Jerusalem — somewhere near the Damascus Gate & Rockefeller Museum. There are no banks/ATMs, and you must take a taxi to reach Jerusalem’s central bus terminal. That’ll probably run 20-30 shekels (3.5-5JD), take 10 minutes. Advisable to change money at the border before getting on the shuttle bus.

  • Buses run to the Tel Aviv central bus station (from the Jerusalem bus station) go for 19 shekels (3.25JD), taking 50 minutes.

Filed under: Border Crossing, Bus Travel, Israel, Jordan, Travel Help

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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  • Sam May 28, 2009, 3:11 am

    Thanks for the information. I am planning to travel from India to Tel Aviv but a one way flight would cost me 1000 pounds. So I am planning on taking a low budget airline to Amman (Jordan) and then enter Israel from there. What I need to know is would I need a tourist visa to Jordan as well if im gonna take the road to Israel? or will they help me with a Transit Visa? If so how many days can I get a transit Visa for? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,
    Sam

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  • Anna June 2, 2009, 6:03 am

    A very helpful guide i found while visiting amman is Ijazza. It lists all places in Amman and around cities. You will find cafes, restaurants, shops, airport numbers, bookshops, events and more. You will find a short review about the place, picture, contact number and map.

    You can download it on your mobile by entering http://www.ijazza.com on your java & GPRS enabled handset.

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  • lisa June 26, 2009, 6:14 am

    Wow! Crossing the border from amman to tel aviv sounds harder than I thought it would be. I plan on doing it to meet a friend in Jerusalem this August and am now slightly worried! Is it safe for a girl on her own and has anyone had any more reassurimg experiences?

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    • admin July 3, 2009, 3:31 pm

      If you are in Jordan now, the safety for female travelers only gets better once in Israel. Don’t worry about the border crossing, almost all of the immigration officials going into Israel are females.

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  • ben benson May 21, 2010, 6:36 am

    in fact am really happy to get in touch with this site.am planning a trip to Jordan from Nigeria.how can i cross from Jordan to Israel by bus.and am holding tourist Jordan visa.what are the require at the border.

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    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com May 21, 2010, 5:07 pm

      If you are permitted to enter Israel, nothing more than what you need. I don’t know your nationality, so I can’t tell you what you need for a visa, but you are permitted to cross from Jordan to Israel. As long as you don’t have stamps or visas from other Arab countries, the crossing is not difficult.

      The women at the border are also very attractive, it is really not a bad place to be stuck for a while — so if you have problems and crossing takes a long time, have no worries, it will be a good wait.

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  • JJ January 29, 2011, 9:51 am

    Wow!! You must be really proud! You actually got a number from a girl!! Based on your need to tell the world I’d say this is a rarity for you. The fact you had to purge this makes it clear it’s uncommon for you. Something tells me she is not real hot. But hey, its your story.. hahaha

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    • Wade | Vagabondjourney.com January 30, 2011, 12:02 pm

      Hello,

      When an immigration official gives you her phone number, this is something to share — this does not happen often.

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      • Trevor March 14, 2019, 3:47 pm

        Around the time of these posts, i went from UK to Turkey, into Syria, into Lebanon. i flew from Beirut to Amman then overland to Israel, complete with Syria visa in my passport….no probs!! and from israel down to Egypt… numerous passport stamps never gave me a problem…. with the same passport i entered pakistan too…;))) i believe, Israeli stamps only give u probs going to Iran and Sudan… (getting israeli stamps on a piece of paper does not work).. didnt get any phone numbers… :(((

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