Tel Aviv is not particularly large, only about 20 square miles, and it's the kind of city made for walking or biking. With an extensive network of bike paths and streets made for a leisurely stroll it's best to leave driving to the taxis, and tackle the city on foot or two wheels. For long-distance travel to nearby historical sites, hire a driver or make use of the network of bus lines that crisscross the country.
Driving in Israel can get aggressive, and it's both cheaper and more enjoyable to rely on professional drivers when you need automobile transportation. Your hotel will have its own list of drivers that they trust with guests, so ask at the front desk if you feel like taking a drive.
Urban biking is extremely popular in Tel Aviv, which has over 75 miles of designated bike lanes and a top-notch public bike rental system. Bright green Tel-O-Fun pay stations are scattered throughout the city, where you can use a credit card to buy a pass for the day (17NIS) or the week (70NIS). Bikes can be returned to any station in the city.
Train service within Tel Aviv is not extensive, and you'll probably only use it to get to and from Ben-Gurion Airport. The station entrance is directly outside and to the left of the international terminal building, and trains run every 30 minutes between 6 am to midnight, stopping at one of four downtown Tel Aviv stations. Tickets are 16NIS.
Tel Aviv operates a useful hop-on, hop-off bus route (Route 100) that runs on a two-hour circuit from the northern port with 28 stops along the way, including the beachfront hotels, the Dizengoff Center and the Jaffa clock tower. Buses in Israel are generally clean and air-conditioned but will be crowded on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. No buses run on Jewish holidays and Shabbat, which lasts from sunset on Friday afternoon to sunset Saturday evening. Tickets for travel within the city are around 7NIS.
Taxis are a useful tool for navigating the city, but they can be expensive so are best saved for late-night or emergency travel. You can easily hail one on the street - recognizable by a white paint-job and a yellow sign on the roof - but you can also ask your hotel to order you one by phone. If you are obviously a tourist, the driver may try to skip the meter and charge you a higher rate. As long as you remind them to start the meter when you enter the car, this haggling can be avoided. If you have arranged for a driver to destinations outside the city, however, you will need to establish a flat rate beforehand.
