Drive through · Central Israel

Driving through Modi'in

A planned city filmed end to end at normal speed — Buchman, Moriah, Avnei Chen, the newer western neighbourhoods, Moreshet and the building sites, plus Maccabim and Re'ut on the other side. If you are buying in Modi'in from abroad, this is the film that shows you why the neighbourhood matters more than the city.

PlannedLaid out by Moshe Safdie
HalfwayBetween Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
~25 minTrain to Jerusalem
AngloOne of Israel's established destinations
MoreshetThe newest neighbourhood, still building
Full drive Driving through Modi'in, end to end Play the film
Why this drive exists

What a Modi'in drive actually shows you

Modi'in reads well on paper and that is precisely the problem. It is a planned city, so the map looks orderly and every neighbourhood looks equivalent. On the ground the southern hills, the western neighbourhoods and Moreshet are three different places, and Maccabim and Re'ut are barely the same city at all.

So the camera runs the whole thing, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, at the hour it matters.

The neighbourhoods, side by side

Buchman, Avnei Chen, Nofim, Tziporim and Moreshet filmed in sequence, so the differences in age, density and feel are visible rather than described.

Where the Anglos actually are

Buchman and the southern hills, filmed at the times when a neighbourhood shows you who lives in it.

Moreshet, mid-build

Modern towers alongside active sites. If you are buying off-plan here, this is the section that matters.

The station and the roads

Modi'in Center, the 443 and the interchanges — the connections that explain the entire city.

The route, stage by stage

The run through Modi'in

The full drive starts at Modi'in Center station and finishes in Maccabim. Times are from the start of the film.

  1. Modi'in Center station 00:00

    Where the city connects to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and the commercial centre around it.

  2. Buchman and Moriah 03:30

    The southern hills: the best-known Anglo neighbourhood, lower-rise, with the heaviest religious infrastructure in the city.

  3. Avnei Chen 08:00

    Established central-western living, family stock and some of the stronger resale addresses.

  4. Nofim and Tziporim 11:40

    The western growth neighbourhoods, newer and more liquid, with modern blocks throughout.

  5. Moreshet 15:30

    The newest neighbourhood — finished sections, part-built sections and active sites, filmed in sequence.

  6. The city centre and the parks 20:00

    The commercial core, the parkland and the scale of the planning, which is unlike any older Israeli city.

  7. Maccabim and Re'ut 23:20

    The eastern side joined in the 2003 merger: lower density, private homes, a village feel and a different market entirely.

Modi'in on film

Every Modi'in film we have

The full drive, the neighbourhoods worth seeing on their own, and the timed commute tests.

Drives, walks and commute tests
Drive Modi'in, end to end Play the film

Modi'in, end to end

The full run: station, Buchman, Avnei Chen, the western neighbourhoods, Moreshet, the centre, Maccabim and Re'ut.

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Drive Buchman and Moriah Play the film

Buchman and Moriah

The southern hills on their own, filmed for buyers who have been told this is the Anglo answer.

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Drive Moreshet and the building sites Play the film

Moreshet and the building sites

The newest neighbourhood and every active site around it, so off-plan buyers can see the ground.

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Drive Maccabim and Re'ut Play the film

Maccabim and Re'ut

The eastern side as its own run — different housing, different density, different market.

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Commute test Modi'in to Jerusalem Commute test

Modi'in to Jerusalem

Platform to platform on the fast line at the morning peak, including the walk at each end.

07:40 start
Commute test Modi'in to Tel Aviv Commute test

Modi'in to Tel Aviv

Rail and road on the same morning, filmed in parallel so the honest comparison is on screen.

07:15 start
What film cannot tell you

The one thing a drive through Modi'in will not answer

Modi'in is a planned city, which means the streets tell you less than usual about the people on them. Two neighbourhoods can look almost identical on film and have entirely different school catchments, shul communities and Anglo densities — and those are the things families actually move for.

There is a second thing worth saying. Modi'in is not in the CBS eighteen-city price series, so any single average price you are quoted for the city has been assembled from somewhere else. Work from recorded transactions by neighbourhood, and treat a confident city-wide figure as a warning sign.

Asked about this drive

Modi'in: questions from the footage

Which neighbourhood in Modi'in is most Anglo?

Buchman, split into HaShvatim and Moriah, is the neighbourhood most associated with English-speaking families. Avnei Chen, Nofim, Tziporim and Moreshet all carry meaningful Anglo populations, and Moreshet is drawing younger Anglo buyers into new construction.

How long is the train from Modi'in to Jerusalem?

Around twenty-five minutes direct on the high-speed line, with Tel Aviv roughly twenty-eight to thirty-eight minutes depending on the service. The commute tests film both at the morning peak.

Is Moreshet worth buying into?

It is the newest and largest neighbourhood, planned at roughly four thousand units, with modern stock and sections still under construction. The film shows which parts are finished and which are still sites.

What is the difference between Modi'in and Maccabim-Re'ut?

Maccabim and Re'ut joined Modi'in in the 2003 merger and remain distinct: lower density, more private homes and cottages, a village feel rather than a city one, and different price behaviour.

Is there an average price for Modi'in?

Not an official one — Modi'in is not in the CBS eighteen-city series. Work by neighbourhood from recorded transactions and be sceptical of any single city-wide figure.

Can I buy in Modi'in from abroad?

Commonly done. The newer stock is straightforward to assess remotely; the neighbourhood choice is the part that needs the film and a conversation with people on the ground.

Seen the streets. Now the numbers.

The drive is one part of the Modi'in file. The area profile, the quarterly market analysis, the current projects and the remote purchase guide are all filmed and written to the same standard.