Harar is most commonly reached via Dire Dawa, which has an airport with regular flights from Addis Ababa (about an hour). From Dire Dawa, shared taxis and minibuses run the 50 kilometres to Harar in about an hour, along a good paved road. The drive up into the hills, with views back over the Rift Valley, is a pleasure in itself.
From Addis Ababa there are also direct buses to Harar (around 10–12 hours), and Ethiopian Airlines occasionally runs direct flights to Harar's own small airport. Travelers coming from Djibouti or Somaliland can enter Ethiopia at Togochale or Dawele and reach Harar overland; this is a well-traveled route for khat traders and transport trucks.