Going to Ramallah is easy!
Contact our recommended drivers below & set a date/time for them to pick you up in Jerusalem (30 minutes), Tel Aviv (60 minutes), or elsewhere and drive you to Ramallah.
If you’re in Jerusalem and haven’t ordered a taxi in advance, you can:
Request a taxi from East Jerusalem hotels (American Colony Hotel or the St. George Hotel)
Find an Arab taxi-driver near Damascus Gate and ask him to take you to your destination in Ramallah
For the more adventurous, you can take a bus from outside Damascus gate from the Bus Station - Buses 18, 19, 218, and 219 will take you into central Ramallah
Hotels: If you're looking for a place to stay, try using Yamsafer, a Palestinian startup that offers a hotel booking service
Advanced planning is required, please see our page on volunteering with Gaza Sky Geeks.
Recommended Drivers & Taxi Tips
Prices (most taxis are cash based):
From Jerusalem to Ramallah should be about 150 shekels
From Tel Aviv to Ramallah, it should be 300-400 shekels
Recommended taxi drivers:
Majd: +972-50-534-6500
Professional driver who runs a cab company with many drivers. Mercy Corps, a US based NGO that operates Gaza Sky Geeks, contracts solely with this company and has had consistently good experiences. Based in Jerusalem.
Hussam: +972-59-422-4488
Professional driver, with great English, and very reliable. Based in Jerusalem.
Taxi tips:
Jewish Israelis will not be able to take you to Ramallah or other Palestinian cities, even if they’re a taxi cab driver due to Israeli law restricting their entry into Palestinian territories
Arab/Palestinian drivers from Jerusalem or elsewhere in Israel (e.g., Tel Aviv) will be able to take you anywhere: Israel and anywhere in the West Bank, though it may be uncomfortable for them to go into a settlement. Like all cars that can go into Israel, these will have yellow license plates
Palestinians from the West Bank will not be able to take you into a Jewish settlement or into Israel or Jerusalem; these cars have green license plates
Phones & Internet
You have several options for mobile phone service:
Use your US phone number with its international plan
T-mobile works great via Partner
AT&T’s plan only allows international calling from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
In parts of the West Bank, you may have limited/ no service
Get an Israeli SIM card (e.g. Orange) when you arrive to Israel/Jerusalem
We recommend this if you do not have an international plan with your U.S. phone
This will receive spotty reception in the West Bank [you may have no/limited service in some parts], but it will have 4G
Get a Palestinian SIM card (e.g. Jawwal) when you arrive to the West Bank/ Gaza/Jerusalem
This will receive great reception in the West Bank, but it will only have 2G as Israel has not yet allowed Palestinians to have access to 3G/4G/LTE
If you will spend a lot of time in Israel and Palestine, consider carrying two phones - one with an Orang (or other Israeli provider) SIM card and one with a Jawwal (or other Palestinian provider) SIM card; It is possible to rent a phone at the airport when you arrive.
WiFi is ubiquitous
Stop by any cafe to get online; There is also a city-wide WiFi network in Ramallah.
Money matters
Palestinians use the same currency as in Israel (NIS - the shekel). Find money changers (sarafi) to convert from dollars or go to an ATM. Bank of Palestine and Arab typically accept Debit Cards from U.S. Banks.
Car rental
Car rental companies in Israel do not insure cars that go into the West Bank.
However, you can visit the American Colony Hotel which works with East Jerusalem based car rental companies such as Dallah Rent a Car, which do provide dual-insurance.
We do not necessarily recommend this route, as navigating can be quite tricky and driving [both in Israel and Palestine] is a little more chaotic than the quaint roads of Silicon Valley.