Israel Stay Hostels

The 7 Best Boutique Hostels in Israel (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 7 picks

The best boutique hostels in Israel are in Tel Aviv's Florentin and centre, Jerusalem's Old City and Machane Yehuda area, Haifa's Downtown, Nazareth's old city and the Negev desert camps. Expect ₪90–₪180 a dorm bed and ₪300–₪500 for a private double. Most run tours. Seven, below.

1. The Florentin hostels — Florentin, Tel Aviv

Roof terraces, street art outside and the best nightlife in the country downstairs.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Solo · Groups · Couples

Florentin is Tel Aviv's young creative quarter and its hostels reflect it: design-led places in converted buildings with roof terraces, bars, communal kitchens and a social programme that assumes you are going out.

The location is the argument. The city's best bars, street art and late-night food are on the doorstep, and the beach is a twenty-minute walk or a five-minute scooter ride.

It is noisy, particularly on Thursday and Friday nights, which is either the reason to book or the reason not to.

Good to know: Ask for a room off the street. Florentin nights run until 4am and the noise carries.

Google Maps Website

2. The central Tel Aviv hostels — Rothschild, Allenby and the beach

Walk to the beach, the markets and the boulevard from the front door.

₪₪₪ UpmarketBest for Solo · Couples · Groups

Central Tel Aviv's hostels sit between Rothschild Boulevard, Allenby and the seafront, which puts the beach, the Carmel Market, Neve Tzedek and the nightlife all within a fifteen-minute walk.

They are generally larger and better equipped than the Florentin properties, with proper reception, a mix of dorms and private rooms, and rooftop space.

Prices are the highest in the country for a hostel bed, and worth it if you want to see Tel Aviv on foot rather than by taxi.

Good to know: Anything within a few blocks of the beach means you never need transport in Tel Aviv.

Google Maps Website

3. The Jerusalem Old City hostels — Inside the walls, Jerusalem

Vaulted stone rooms and roof terraces, inside the walls themselves.

₪ BudgetBest for Solo · Couples · Groups

A cluster of hostels operates inside Jerusalem's Old City, mostly in the Christian and Armenian Quarters near Jaffa Gate, in old stone buildings with vaulted ceilings and roof terraces over the quarters.

The advantage is complete: the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulchre, the souk and the ramparts are minutes away on foot, and you get the Old City early in the morning before the day visitors arrive.

Rooms are old-building simple and the quarters are quiet at night, so this is a base for the sights rather than for a social scene.

Good to know: A roof terrace is what you are paying for here. Confirm the property has one before booking.

Google Maps Website

4. Abraham Hostel Jerusalem — Davidka Square, Jerusalem

The country's central backpacker hub, and the easiest tour desk in Israel.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Solo · Groups · Couples

Abraham Hostel on Davidka Square is the largest hostel in Jerusalem and functions as the main infrastructure of budget travel in Israel — a big common area, a bar, events, and a tour operation that reaches most of the country.

It sits on the light rail, five minutes from Machane Yehuda and fifteen on foot from the Old City, with both dorms and private rooms.

The tours are the real product: Masada at sunrise, the Dead Sea, the Negev, the Galilee and Petra, all bookable from the desk and open to non-guests.

Good to know: Even if you sleep elsewhere, the tour desk here is the simplest way to reach Masada and the Dead Sea.

Google Maps Website

5. The Haifa Downtown hostels — Ha'ir HaTachtit, Haifa

Restored Ottoman buildings, the best mixed nightlife in Israel, and half the price.

₪ BudgetBest for Solo · Couples · Groups

Haifa's Downtown — the old lower city near the port — has been substantially revived, with hostels and small hotels opening in restored Ottoman and Mandate-era buildings alongside the bars and restaurants.

It is the most genuinely mixed Arab-Jewish nightlife in the country, considerably cheaper than Tel Aviv, and the Baha'i Gardens and Wadi Nisnas are both walkable.

Haifa also works as a base for the whole north — Akko, Rosh Hanikra and the Galilee are all short trips, and everything here runs through Shabbat.

Good to know: Haifa runs through Shabbat, unlike Jerusalem. A useful Friday night base in the north.

Google Maps Website

6. The Nazareth old city guesthouses — Old city, Nazareth

Restored Ottoman mansions in the largest Arab city in Israel.

₪ BudgetBest for Couples · Solo · Families

Nazareth's old city has seen a wave of restoration, with Ottoman-era mansions and merchant houses converted into guesthouses and small hostels around the souk and the Basilica of the Annunciation.

It is the largest Arab city in Israel and the food, the market and the architecture are the draw as much as the religious sites, with a growing scene of restaurants doing serious Galilean cooking.

It also makes a good base for the Lower Galilee — the Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor and Beit She'arim are all short drives.

Good to know: Nazareth's restaurant scene is genuinely good and much less known than it should be. Eat here.

Google Maps Website

7. The Negev desert hostels and camps — Mitzpe Ramon and the Arava

Design-led desert hostels on a crater rim, with the darkest skies in Israel.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Solo · Couples · Groups

Mitzpe Ramon has become an unlikely design destination, with hostels and guesthouses opening in the town's old industrial quarter and along the crater rim, alongside the Bedouin-style camps out in the Arava.

The setting is the product: the Ramon Crater dropping away below the town, silence, and night skies among the darkest accessible anywhere in the region.

It is also the base for crater hiking, jeep tours, stargazing and the alpaca farm, and the town has developed a proper food and coffee scene to go with it.

Good to know: Nights on the crater rim are cold in every season. Pack a warm layer regardless of the forecast.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

What does a hostel bed cost in Israel?

Roughly ₪90–₪180 for a dorm bed and ₪300–₪500 for a private double with an en-suite, higher in Tel Aviv and during Jewish holidays. Israel is expensive and hostels reflect it, though they remain the cheapest way to stay in the city centres.

What makes a hostel 'boutique' here?

The Israeli hostel scene has moved a long way from bunk-bed dormitories. The better places are design-led — restored historic buildings, roof terraces, decent bars, private en-suite rooms alongside dorms — and function as small hotels that happen to have dorms.

Are hostels only for young travellers?

No. The private rooms attract couples and families, and Israeli hostels draw a genuinely mixed crowd including domestic travellers. The Abraham properties and the boutique places in particular are used by people who would not describe themselves as backpackers.

Do hostels run tours?

The larger ones do, and they are the main way to reach Masada, the Dead Sea, the Negev, the Galilee and Petra without a car. Tours are usually open to non-guests too, so you can book through a hostel even if you are staying elsewhere.

How far ahead should I book?

Weeks for normal periods, months for Jewish holidays and the summer. Pesach, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot and July–August fill everything and push prices up substantially. Friday and Saturday nights are also the domestic weekend and book out first.

What about arriving on a Friday?

Tell the hostel your arrival time. Reception hours shorten on Friday afternoon at many properties, and buses and trains stop entirely from mid-afternoon until Saturday night. Several hostels will arrange a key handover or a late check-in if you warn them.

1. The Florentin hostels — Florentin, Tel Aviv

2. The central Tel Aviv hostels — Rothschild, Allenby and the beach

3. The Jerusalem Old City hostels — Inside the walls, Jerusalem

4. Abraham Hostel Jerusalem — Davidka Square, Jerusalem

5. The Haifa Downtown hostels — Ha'ir HaTachtit, Haifa

6. The Nazareth old city guesthouses — Old city, Nazareth

7. The Negev desert hostels and camps — Mitzpe Ramon and the Arava

Frequently asked questions

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