Hotels in Jerusalem are expensive. But you don’t have to sleep in a hotel, there are some great hostels in Jerusalem and all of them also offer private rooms, so you don’t have to sleep with people you don’t know in your room. The price for a bed in dorms is about 100 shekels, around 23-26 dollars or Euros and around 80-100 dollars or Euros for a private room, they are all located in the middle of the city. So, let’s start:
Abraham Hostel
67 HaNevi’im Street, Davidka Square (260 beds, starting price – NIS 90 per night).
This hostel was selected as one of the best large hostels in the world, and rightly so. The location is excellent – it’s at the center of Jaffa Road next to the HaDavidka light rail station. It’s a 15-minute walk from the Old City and five minutes from the Mahane Yehuda Market. The staff is friendly and courteous. During the day, the place operates an information center for travelers. This is a great place to start a trip in Jerusalem or in Israel, especially for people who are concerned about traveling alone or traveling in Israel.
For more information and reservation click here.
Allenby 2
2 Allenby Square (30 beds, starting at NIS 90 per night).
For the sake of disclosure, I have to mention that I decided to recommend the place even before I had visited it. I met the owner and immediately knew that I would recommend his place, simply because he was so warm and friendly. If you arrive in Jerusalem by bus and want a hostel close to the station, this is the place. It’s a small, quiet hostel, homey and nice. The hostel is about 20 minutes walking from the center of the city, but the light rail passes every few minutes, making this a comfortable option for getting to the Old City.
For more information and reservation click here.
The Jerusalem Hostel
44 Jaffa Road, Zion Square (70 beds, NIS 90 per night).
The hostel is superbly located at Zion Square on Jaffa Road. It’s a 10-minute walk from the Old City and very close to the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem line shared taxi station. The drawback is the level of cleanliness and the crowdedness. And because the hostel is close to the city center, it can get noisy at night.
For more information and reservation click here.
The Post Hostel
The Post Hostel is the newest hostel in Jerusalem and when you walk in, it feels more like a boutique hotel than a hostel. I think this may well be the hostel with the highest standards in Jerusalem. They really have thought about every small detail. There are night lamps in the rooms, so if somebody arrives late at night he won’t wake everybody up. Each bed has its own personal lamp and electricity sockets. This hostel is next to the town hall station of the light railway and it’s about 300 meters from the Old City.
For more information and reservation click here.
Stay Inn
As far as I know, this is the newest hostel in Jerusalem. It has already received great reviews since opening at the end of 2016. A small and neat hostel, it is located in the middle of the city, close to the ‘Jaffa Center’ light rail station.
For more information and reservation click here.
All the Hostels locations can be seen on the map –
If you’re traveling on a modest budget, you can also purchase my Booklets, in which I basically wrote down everything that I say on my 3 most popular tours: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the Judaean Desert. I also added maps, pictures and graphics which will enable you to be your own guide. The booklets are only sold outside Israel, so order now and come prepared! Or download as a PDF or EPUB (e-book).
When you stay for 3 to 5 days at a hostel, do you lock your room with your belongings? Are there private bathrooms for couples?
Depends on each hostel. The big ones have private rooms with private bathrooms.