Haifa MATAM Visitor Information

Holiday Inn
111 Yefe Nof St., Haifa. Tel. 972-4-8350835. Fax. 972-4-8350836

International flights land at Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV). The airport is 12 miles (20 km) southeast of Tel Aviv, 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Jerusalem, and 55 miles (95 km) south of Haifa. The drive from the airport to the Haifa site should take about an hour and a quarter. Local time in Israel is GMT + 2 hours.

Note: Some airport and public transportation services are limited on the Sabbath, from late afternoon on Friday until after sundown on Saturday.

Train
From the Ben Gurion Airport train station, located near the airport arrivals hall, you can take a direct train to Haifa. Buy a ticket to the Hof HaCarmel station in Haifa and go down the escalator to the train. Make sure you board on the correct track. Take a taxi from the Hof HaCarmel station in Haifa to your destination. The MATAM facility is within easy walking distance of the train station, and can be reached by turning right after exiting the station and walking approximately 680  meters.

For more information, see the Israel Railways website. Note that trains and buses do not generally run on Saturdays/holidays in Israel. If you arrive on Friday afternoon, Saturday, or a holiday, you will probably need to rent a car or take a taxi to Haifa. 

Bus
You can take a direct Egged bus from the airport to Haifa. Take the 947 bus to the Hof HaCarmel station in Haifa, and then either take a taxi or walk from there to your destination. 

 
Sherut Taxi Service
It's possible to take a shared taxi, known as a "sherut",  from the airport to all destinations in Israel. Sheruts are about half the price of a private taxi, and are generally a good deal, especially if you're going to a distant area such as Haifa or Jerusalem. Keep in mind that you may have to wait a while for departure, as shared taxis only leave the airport when they are full. 

Taxi
As you exit the terminal building, look for the supervised taxi stand. Give your destination to the dispatcher and he will direct you to the correct taxi. Fares from the airport are fixed, so the driver should not use the meter. 

Rental Car
Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, and other local firms have offices at the airport.

See this map of Haifa for general driving instructions.

From the Airport
Follow the signs to Route 1 West to Tel-Aviv. Route 1 becomes the Ayalon Highway North. Get off at the Glilot exit and turn left at the traffic light. Drive approximately one mile, and then bear right onto the ramp in the direction of Haifa. You are now driving on Route 2, Israel's coastal highway. Drive approximately 45 miles (72 km)  to the entrance to Haifa. 
Take the first exit, Tirat HaCarmel. There are also signs for the University of Haifa, the Technion, MATAM, and the Haifa Convention Center. Turn right at the exit ramp and move into the right-hand lane. At the first light, turn right. Continue driving straight, and then turn left at the second traffic circle, straight to MATAM.

From the Tel Aviv Site
Take the Ayalon Highway North and follow the directions from the airport, provided above.

From the Rehovot Site
Drive North from Rehovot on Highway 412, and turn left before Ness Ziona towards Beit Oved. At the Beit Oved Junction, turn right on Highway 42 towards Rishon LeZion. At the Gan Raveh interchange, take Highway 4 North. Drive approximately 5 km. At the Ganot interchange, take Route 1 West towards Tel Aviv and follow the directions from the airport, provided above.

Tourism Information

• The InIsrael guide to Haifa
• The Yahoo Travel guide to Haifa
• The University of Haifa's guide to area attractions
• The Tour Haifa tourism guide
• General information from the Israel Ministry of Tourism
• Information about local weather in Haifa
• The Haifa Municipality Web site

Tips

• European power is 220 V/50 Hz. Most, but not all ThinkPad AC adapters will accommodate this; check before leaving. You will need a Europe/US outlet adapter, these can often be found in US airport shops or can be ordered from http://www.port.com/.
• The dress code at the IBM R&D Labs in Israel is generally very casual. Ties at IBM R&D Labs in Israel would be rather unusual, and jeans and T-shirts are common.
• The work week in the IBM R&D Labs in Israel and throughout Israel is from Sunday to Thursday.