Parking in Jerusalem
The short version: for the city itself you probably do not want a car. Where you do need one, these are the car parks worth knowing and what each is actually for.
Do not attempt to drive to
Inside the Old City walls, Machane Yehuda market, Ben Yehuda Street and Jaffa Road through the centre. The first has no through roads, the second and third are pedestrian, and the fourth is the light rail line. Park at the edge and walk in — everything here is closer on foot than it looks on a map.
Park and ride, and the light rail
Almost everything a visitor wants is a walk from a light rail stop, and at two car parks you can leave the car for nothing at all if you hold a valid travel ticket. A Rav-Kav card, or a single ride bought at the stop, counts.
Mount Herzl · Red LineFree with a travel ticket
552 spaces over four levels, with lifts and escalators straight down to the platform. Free if you show a valid travel ticket for that day.
Givat HaMivtar · Red LineFree with a travel ticket
The largest of them — around 1,000 covered spaces over five levels, at the north-eastern entrance to the city beside Route 1. Free with a valid travel ticket, which makes it the one to aim for if you are driving in from out of town.
Ammunition Hill · Red Line
Right beside the station at the northern entrance to the city. It stopped being free in 2024 — the operator announced ₪30 a day, with the first 15 minutes free.
Tzomet Ora · Red Line
The newest and by far the smallest: 80 spaces, next to the station at the south-western end of the line on the way to Hadassah Ein Kerem. Opened January 2026.
Two more sit on the line without being official park-and-ride sites, so you can park and carry on by tram: כיכר ספרא (City Hall), הלאום (Central Station).
Which stop for where
The Old City and the Western Wall
Damascus Gate
Get off at Damascus Gate and walk in. City Hall is the alternative if you would rather enter through Jaffa Gate.
Mamilla and Jaffa Gate
City Hall
The stop by the municipality building — a short walk to Jaffa Gate, the Mamilla promenade and the Tower of David.
Machane Yehuda market
Machane Yehuda
The stop is on Jaffa Road at the mouth of the market. This is the single worst place in the city to arrive by car.
The city centre and Nachlaot
Jaffa Center or HaDavidka
Jaffa Road is pedestrianised and the tram runs down the middle of it. The two stops are minutes apart.
The First Station and the German Colony
No stop nearby
No light rail stop nearby — one of the few places where a car or a bus genuinely wins. The compound car park is open on Shabbat.
Hutzot HaYotzer and the Sultan's Pool
City Hall
About fifteen minutes downhill from the stop, past Jaffa Gate. On concert nights this beats hunting for a space.
Binyanei HaUma and the government precinct
Central Station
The stop serves the central bus station and the Yitzhak Navon railway station. The Green Line adds a dedicated Binyanei HaUma stop.
The Israel Museum and Givat RamNew
the Green Line stops at Givat Ram
New since 21 August 2026. Change from the Red Line at HaTurim. Also serves the National Library and the Bloomfield Science Museum.
The Botanical GardenNew
the Green Line stops at Givat Ram
New since 21 August 2026, on the same change at HaTurim.
Malha, Teddy Stadium and Malha MallNew
Malha Sports Complex
New since 21 August 2026. The stop serves Teddy Stadium, the Pais Arena and the mall. On match days it is the only way that does not involve a jam.
Yad Vashem and Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl
The stop adjoins the park-and-ride car park, so this is both a place to leave the car and a place to get off.
The Biblical ZooNew
Malha Sports Complex
The Green Line gets you close but not to the gate — from the Malha stops it is a short ride or a long walk. With a pushchair, the car park at the entrance still wins.
The Green Line opened between Malha and HaTurim on 21 August 2026; from the Red Line you change at HaTurim, which is a stop on both. Through running, with no change, is planned for late 2026. Checked 2 September 2026.
The car parks
- Safra SquareFor City Hall, Jaffa Gate and the Old City.22 ₪ an hour, capped at 132 ₪ if you leave by 07:00 the next morning; entry after 17:00 with exit by 07:00 — 30 ₪. Yerushalmi card holders: 11 ₪ an hour, capped at 66 ₪, and 10 ₪ on the night rate.
- KartaFor Jaffa Gate, Mamilla and the Tower of David.35 ₪ for the first hour and 35 ₪ for each additional hour, capped at 145 ₪ for a day ticket until 07:00 the next morning — the same sum is charged for a lost ticket. Motorcycles 12 ₪ a day, monthly pass 180 ₪. No cash: card or app only, and in the Central Park app the hourly rate is usually lower, around 24–28 ₪.
- MamillaFor Mamilla Mall, Jaffa Gate and the Old City.9.60 ₪ for the first hour (0.16 ₪ a minute), then 19.80 ₪ an hour from the second (0.33 ₪ a minute). A full day — or a lost ticket — 70 ₪. Blue-badge holders park free for the first two hours. The sign at the entrance is what counts.
- HaUmaFor Binyanei HaUma, Cinema City, Yitzhak Navon station and the central bus station.Binyanei Ha'uma publish no rate at all. To ask: 02-6558558. If you are going to Cinema City, the first four hours are free — the cinema sits inside this car park, at Yitzhak Rabin 10.
- Beit Ha'amFor the city centre and Nachlaot.14 ₪ for the first hour, then 3.50 ₪ per quarter hour · evening rate 14 ₪ for entry after 17:00
- Machane Yehuda MarketFor the market and the Alliance compound.18 ₪ an hour. The rate may have risen since it was published — the sign at the entrance is what counts.
- ShukanyonFor the western end of Machane Yehuda market.No published rate — check the sign at the entrance
- First StationFor the First Station compound, Zappa and the Bell Garden.25 ₪ for the first hour, then 5 ₪ per quarter hour, capped at 150 ₪ a day. Card payment — not American Express and not Diners.
- Bell GardenFor the Bell Garden, the German Colony and the First Station.Municipal blue-and-white rates — 12.40 ₪ an hour, and 6.90 ₪ from the second hour for Jerusalem residents — with a daily cap of 37.20 ₪, or 20.70 ₪ for residents. Valid to 31.12.2026.
- Mount ZionFor Mount Zion, Zion Gate and the Old City's southern edge.12.40 ₪ an hour at the blue-and-white rate. Jerusalem residents: first hour free, then 6.90 ₪ an hour; Yerushalmi club members 5.50 ₪ an hour. Valid to 31.12.2026.
- King DavidFor the King David Hotel, Yemin Moshe and the promenade.
- Keren HaYesodFor Talbiya, the Bell Garden and the First Station.
- Jerusalem TheatreFor the Jerusalem Theatre and Sherover Hall in Talbiya.36 ₪ a day
- Israel MuseumFor the Israel Museum and the Bible Lands Museum.Paid parking for museum visitors
- Botanical GardenFor the Botanical Garden in Givat Ram.
- Biblical ZooFor the Biblical Zoo and the Israel Aquarium.
- Technology ParkFor Malha and the technology park.Free on Beitar match days at Teddy
- Teddy StadiumFor Teddy Stadium, the Arena and Malha Mall.On match days — dedicated parking arrangements
- Yes PlanetFor the Yes Planet cinema complex.Up to 19 ₪ an hour — a ceiling set by the municipality in the operating terms, not a measured price. First ten minutes free, and a discounted flat rate of up to 20 ₪ for a single entry between 17:00 and 08:00 the next morning.
- Ammunition HillFor Ammunition Hill and the northern city centre.30 ₪ a day, first 15 minutes free. Check the sign — this rate was published by the operator in 2024.
- Mount HerzlFor Mount Herzl and Yad Vashem.Free if you travel by public transport that day and show a valid Rav-Kav or ticket on the way out. Without a journey — 57 ₪ per day or part of a day.
- Tzomet OraFor park and ride for the Red Line at the south-western entrance to the city.12.40 ₪ an hour at the blue-and-white rate. Jerusalem residents: first hour free, then 6.90 ₪ an hour; Yerushalmi club members 5.50 ₪ an hour. Valid to 31.12.2026. Ora Junction is a blue-and-white car park rather than a separately priced one — unlike the other park-and-ride sites, where parking is free if you ride the light rail that day.
- Nahal TzofimFor park and ride for the Red Line at the north-eastern entrance, by Givat HaMivtar.Free if you travel by public transport that day and validate on the way out. Without a journey — 57 ₪ per day or part of a day.
Tariffs are shown as the operator publishes them, in Hebrew, so they can be checked against the board at the entrance. They change without notice.
Common questions
Should I rent a car in Jerusalem?
For the city itself, usually not. The Old City has no car access to speak of, the centre and the market are pedestrianised or gridlocked, and the light rail plus buses reach almost everything a visitor wants. A car earns its keep for day trips — the Dead Sea, Masada, the Galilee — and is a liability the rest of the time.
Where do I park for the Old City?
Karta and Mamilla are the closest to Jaffa Gate and both are underground. Safra Square is a short walk further and often cheaper. Mount Zion serves the southern gates. Do not try to drive inside the walls.
Can I park outside the centre and take the tram in?
Yes, and it is the cheapest way in. Nahal Tzofim at the north-eastern entrance (about 1,000 covered spaces) and Mount Herzl in the south-west (552 spaces) are both park-and-ride sites attached to a Red Line stop, and both are free if you show a valid travel ticket for that day. Ammunition Hill is also on the line but has charged since 2024.
Is parking free on Shabbat?
Street parking is generally not charged from Friday afternoon through Saturday, but most municipal car parks close entirely for Shabbat, and the ones that stay open are the exception. Check before you leave a car anywhere you need it back from.
What do the blue and white kerb markings mean?
Blue and white means paid street parking, usually through an app rather than a meter, and usually with a time limit. Red and white means no parking at all — including for a moment. Grey or unmarked is generally free, and generally already full.
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