The city of Akko is easily reached by land, sea and air.
Ben Gurion Airport is Israel’s major international gateway. It is located on the outskirts of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, 131km (81mi) from the conference venue. A ride between Ben Gurion Airport and Akko should last about 1.5 to 2 hours. The following transportation options are available (the prices are given in the local currency NIS):
- Train:
- There is direct train service (costs ≈ 44NIS) between Ben Gurion Airport and Akko, with trains almost every hour all night long and, mostly, twice in an hour during the day (due to public transportation adherence to Shabbat observance, there are no trains between Friday at ≈ 14:30 and Saturday at ≈ 21:30). Tickets are purchased at the vendor or the automatic machines at the entrance to the train station. Your destination is Akko (Acre) station. From there take bus lines 271 or 361 (15min, respectively, both cost ≈ 5NIS, tickets can be purchased from the driver) or a taxi (costs ≈ 30NIS) to the hotel. For the more energetic, it is also possible to walk from the train station (about 1.5km).
TRAVEL UPDATE: There will be no train service from Ben Gurion Airport to Akko on Friday, June 28 and July 5 until further notice. There will be a free airport shuttle from Savidor Tel-Aviv station to the airport (via Haganah station) at the following times:
Hours: 1:10, 02:10, 03:10, 04:10, 05:10, 05:50.
From 06:40 every half hour until 17:30.
- Taxi:
- Amal taxi operates shared taxi service from the Ben Gurion Airport to Akko (costs ≈ $15). This transport serves up to 10 passengers per vehicle and will leave the airport upon filling the cabin, so you may experience some wait time until departure. This service takes each passenger to her/his own destination, thus possibly prolonging the trip to Akko itself. Alternatively, there are “individual” taxis from the airport (costs ≈ 650NIS; on Shabbat—between Friday evening and Saturday evening—the price may be higher). Taxis operate continuously regardless of Shabbat.
The nearby city of Haifa can also be reached by sea. The Port of Haifa is the largest of Israel’s international seaports. Several shipping lines offer scheduled sailing from Europe to Haifa Port. Another option for arrival by sea is to join a Mediterranean cruise which includes Israel in its itinerary. Outside the port terminal you will find the Haifa Center – Hashmona railway station. A train ticket from there to Akko costs $4, and the ride takes 25 minutes. A Taxi should cost approximately $40.
NOTE: The city of Akko has a variety of spellings: Akko, Ako, Acre are the most common.