Saturday, July 19, 2014

A Perfect Ten: Using the Dan Bus Line No. 10 to Your Tel Aviv Traveling Advantage


“Autobus Essar.”

I was sitting on the corner of Ben Yehuda Street, enjoying a delicious 150 gr Burger Bar 39 creation when this answer to the question “How do I get to the train station from here?” slurred out between chews. 

“Autobus Essar,” or Dan Bus No. 10, is a bus route that runs right along Ben Yehuda Street, and conveniently passes the Artplus Hotel.  A few steps right or left will leave a tourist  at a bus stop that is serviced by the No. 10, taking them from their temporary residence as far northeast as the Tel Aviv Savidor Rail Station (“Tachanat Rechevet Merkatz”) or as far south as Bat Yam with stops at valued visitor locations (such as the Jaffa Flea Market).

To be honest, I’m not a natural bus rider.  I was so afraid of getting on the wrong bus in college that I never once used my free U-pass; I had this feeling that when trying to get to downtown Duluth, Minnesota, I would end up on the wrong bus, and find myself in Superior, Wisconsin (OK, so that's just across a bridge, but still a freaky thought).  When I arrived in Tel Aviv, where I barely spoke the language and I wasn’t exactly sure how to make change, I was hesitant to board; after my first ride in luxury, however, I was hooked (air conditioned cushy seats are a luxury on an Israeli August day, trust me) and haven’t thought twice about the just-under seven-shekel cost. 

In my two trips to Israel, I found that the only times I absolutely needed to take the bus was to (comfortably) get to Yafo/Jaffa, or to get the Tel Aviv Savidor Train Station.  Other than that, I was able to travel by foot.  However, the more I traveled, the more I could see where I would have been able to utilize this bus line a little bit more, and did so in the following ways:

Ben Gurion House: Ride north to Ben Yehuda/Sderot Ben Gurion, then walk to the intersection and take a left.

Rabin Square (Kikar Rabin): Take the northbound No. 10 to Tel Aviv Municipality/Block, backtrack to Ibn Gabriol Street, head south, and Kikar Rabin will be on the right.

Cameri Theatre: Take the northbound bus to Block, then walk via Shilo to David HaMalech to Dubov to Mane to Leonardo DaVinci.

Jaffa Flea Market: Head south to Shuk HaPishpishim/Yefet stop, walk back towards the clock tower; take any assorted roadway and find some element of the shuk (the best parts will be to the left).

Carmel Market from Yafo:  Walk to the bus stop Yafo/Sderot Yerushalayim.  Take the No. 10 north to HaKovshim/Daniel stop, walking north, take a left onto Simtat HaCarmel, then a right onto HaCarmel Street. (TIP: This would be the same bus stop to use when trying to get back to the Artplus Hotel)

HaMadenia Square: Head north until bus stop Arozolov/Weitzman; walk north on Weitzman Street, and Kikar HaMedina cannot be missed.

Need a visual? I couldn't find a map that had this exact information the way I wanted it, so I created this one, just for you!


I am sure there are other places accessible by Dan Bus No. 10, but this is what I know from experience.  As any tourist explores the city from the soft seat of a Merkavim Bus, they’ll learn, too (please share when you find that place). 

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