I’m a big fan of hostels. And in big cities (especially in Tel Aviv), the advantages of hostels are even clearer to see.
Let me explain.
As I see it, accommodation in cities needs to fulfill different needs to those you have in the Galilee or the Negev.
In the cities, there are lots of places to visit, and a variety of restaurants, bars and shops. In Tel Aviv, you also have the beach, which is always fun. Accommodation mainly serves the purpose of being a place to sleep and rest.
Outside the cities, activities such as day tours end in the afternoon and then you end up spending quite a few hours in your accommodation.
That is why I recommend saving money on city accommodation and spending more on accommodation in the desert and the Galilee. This applies especially to a city as expensive as Tel Aviv.
If you can afford to splash out in both locations, that’s great! Go ahead and check out my post on the best hotels in Tel Aviv.
But if you don’t want to spend $400-$800 on a room for a night, then a room, shared or private, in a hostel will probably suit you better.
I sometimes get emails from people who are no longer in their 30s asking if sleeping in hostels is really just something that young backpackers do, and my answer is a resounding ‘no’!
Very few hostels are ‘party hostels’ catering to a younger crowd and I wouldn’t ever recommend them.
Abraham Hostel
I’ve already written a post and made a video about them so I won’t write the same thing twice.
Not only do they have an excellent hostel and friendly service, but they also offer tours (and if you purchase my video tours, you will even get a 10% discount code applying to all their hostels and tours). But there are other good options as well.
Little Tel Aviv
Little Tel Aviv is a great hostel not far from Rothschild Boulevard. It’s also located close to the Abraham Hostel, in case you’ve booked a tour with them.
This hostel is small, so if you don’t fancy a huge hostel filled with hundreds of people (like the Abraham Hostel), then this is the hostel for you.
The Spot Hostel
I like hostels but I don’t like sharing my room with others. Lots of hostels offer private rooms, but the price jumps from about $20 to $130. Luckily, there is an option lying somewhere in between – tiny rooms.
I really like this concept. The hostel is located in the northern part of the city, which is cleaner and more relaxed.
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Amid the many hotels on the promenade is this cool hostel. Not only is the beach close at hand, but the city-center location means all the places you’ll want to go to are within a 20-minute walk. There are both shared and private rooms.
Gia Hostel
As I’ve said before, the location of the hostel is the most important factor to consider. This hostel is a stone’s throw from HaShalom train station, meaning Rothschild Boulevard isn’t too far away, although the beach is a bit more of a trek to get to. Its proximity to the train station can come in very handy if you’re arriving at night or need to leave early in the morning to get to the airport or to Jerusalem.