Israel has an excellent road network and, because the country is relatively small with varied scenery, travelling by car can be a great pleasure. However, major roads can be very congested, so motorists are advised to allow plenty of time for journeys. Traffic drives on the right and road rules are similar to those in Western Europe and North America. The minimum legal driving age in Israel is 18 years, while the maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.05%.

All passengers must wear seat belts at all times and children under 14 should not travel in the front seat. Road signs are international, distances given are in kilometres and all signposting on major roads is in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The speed limit is 100kph (62mph) on motorways, 80kph (50mph) on intercity roads and 50kph (31mph) within towns. It is compulsory to carry either a national driving licence from any country or an International Driving Permit. Insurance is mandatory in Israel and is organised by the government. Visitors driving their own vehicles can purchase the insurance through a local agent. The certificate must be carried in the car at all times - a photocopy is not acceptable. A departure tax is payable for those who leave Israel by land if they arrived in the country by air.

The Automobile and Touring Club of Israel - MEMSI (tel: (03) 564 1122; website: www.memsi.co.il, Hebrew only) provides information and assistance, with free services for members of affiliated motoring organisations, such as the AAA (in the USA) and the AA and RAC (in the UK).

Emergency breakdown service: MEMSI (tel: (03) 564 1111).

Routes to the city: The Ayalon Highway is the four-lane motorway linking Haifa to Tel Aviv. It skirts Tel Aviv, with exits to different parts of the city, Ramat Gan and suburban towns. Highway 1 runs east from Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion Airport and to Jerusalem.

Driving times to Tel Aviv: From Jerusalem - 1 hour; Haifa - 1 hour.

Bus services: The Egged National Bus Co-operative (tel: (03) 694 8888; website: www.egged.co.il), a worker-owned co-operative, is Israel's national bus and coach service operator.

The comprehensive network of buses to all parts of the country depart from Tel Aviv's huge Central Bus Station, 108 Levinski Street (tel: (03) 638 4040). Despite the frequency of most services, travellers are advised to buy tickets from the fourth floor of the bus station before boarding the bus. Services come to a complete halt for Shabbat (generally from around 1500 on Friday to about 1900 on Saturday). All travellers may expect to be stopped and searched on arrival or at any time while inside the building, as security at the bus station is very tight, and travellers should never leave their belongings unattended. At busy times there are long queues simply to get into the bus station as people wait to have their bags searched at the entrances.

Coach services: Depending on the security situation en route, local tour companies also run coach services from Tel Aviv to Cairo (journey time - about 15 hours). They can be booked from Metzada Tours, 141 Ibn Givrol Street (tel: (03) 544 4454; website: www.mazada.co.il).