Jerusalem Stay Hostels

The 7 Best Hostels in Jerusalem (2026)

Updated August 2026 · 7 picks

The best hostels in Jerusalem cluster in three places: inside or beside the Old City walls, around Machane Yehuda market for nightlife, and in the city centre near Jaffa Street. Dorm beds run ₪90–₪160 and private rooms ₪280–₪450. Book Shabbat and holiday nights well ahead. Seven areas and options, below.

1. The Old City hostels — Inside the walls

Sleep inside the walls — the sights are a two-minute walk, not a bus ride.

₪ BudgetBest for Solo · Couples · Groups

A cluster of hostels operates inside the Old City itself, mostly in the Christian and Armenian Quarters near Jaffa Gate, in old stone buildings with vaulted rooms and, in several cases, roof terraces looking over the quarters.

The advantage is total: you are inside the walls, so the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock viewpoints and the souk are all a few minutes on foot, and you get the Old City early in the morning before the day visitors arrive.

The trade-off is that the quarters are quiet at night and you will be walking out for anything else. Rooms are old-building basic rather than modern.

Good to know: A roof terrace is the thing to ask about — it is the best feature these buildings have.

Google Maps Website

2. Abraham Hostel Jerusalem — Davidka Square, city centre

The big, well-run flagship — and the country's main backpacker hub.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Solo · Groups · Couples

Abraham Hostel is the largest and best-known hostel in Jerusalem, on Davidka Square in the city centre, and it functions as the country's central backpacker infrastructure as much as a place to sleep.

It runs a full programme — tours across Israel and to Petra, events, a bar, a large common area — and the attached tour operation is the easiest way to reach Masada, the Dead Sea and the Negev without a car.

It is on the light rail, five minutes from Machane Yehuda and fifteen from the Old City on foot. Dorms and private rooms both available.

Good to know: Book the Masada sunrise trip through the hostel — it leaves at 3am and is easier arranged in-house.

Google Maps Website

3. The Machane Yehuda area — Around the market

Stay where the food and the nightlife are, and walk home.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Solo · Groups · Couples

The streets around Machane Yehuda market hold a number of small hostels and guesthouses, and the location is the best in the city for anyone who cares about eating and drinking more than about being inside the walls.

The market is a produce shuk by day and the city's bar district by night, so you get both without a taxi, and the light rail on Jaffa Street connects you to everything else.

It is noisy — genuinely so on Thursday nights — which is either the reason to stay or the reason not to.

Good to know: Ask for a room away from the street if you want to sleep on a Thursday.

Google Maps Website

4. The Jaffa Street and city centre hostels — Jaffa Street and Zion Square

The connected middle ground — light rail outside, everything within reach.

₪₪ Mid-rangeBest for Solo · Couples · Families

The city centre around Jaffa Street, Zion Square and Ben Yehuda holds several hostels and budget guesthouses, and the practical case for them is the light rail, which runs the length of Jaffa Street and connects the centre to the Old City, the market and the central bus station.

It is the most convenient base for a short stay and the easiest for arriving late or leaving early, since the bus and train stations are both a short ride away.

The area itself is functional rather than atmospheric, but nothing in Jerusalem is more than fifteen minutes away from it.

Good to know: Best base if you are day-tripping — the central bus station is four stops on the light rail.

Google Maps Website

5. The East Jerusalem guesthouses — Salah al-Din and Nablus Road

Cheaper, open on Shabbat, and a different side of the city.

₪ BudgetBest for Solo · Couples

East Jerusalem, around Salah al-Din Street and Nablus Road just outside Damascus Gate, has a long-standing set of small hotels and guesthouses that are generally cheaper than their west Jerusalem equivalents.

Everything operates on Saturday, including the restaurants and shops, which solves the Shabbat problem entirely, and Damascus Gate into the Old City is a few minutes' walk.

It also puts you next to the Educational Bookshop and the East Jerusalem food scene, which most visitors never see.

Good to know: Open and functioning on Shabbat, when much of west Jerusalem shuts down.

Google Maps Website

6. The German Colony guesthouses — Emek Refaim, German Colony

Quiet, leafy and residential — the calm alternative to the centre.

₪₪₪ UpmarketBest for Couples · Families · Solo

The German Colony is a nineteenth-century Templer neighbourhood of stone houses and gardens south of the centre, built around Emek Refaim Street, and it is the most pleasant residential area to stay in Jerusalem.

Accommodation here runs more towards small guesthouses and rentals than large hostels, and the appeal is a quiet street, good cafes and restaurants along Emek Refaim, and the Smadar cinema.

It is a twenty-minute walk or a short ride from the Old City, and the railway park path connects it to the centre on foot or by bike.

Good to know: The old railway park path is the nicest walk into town — flat, green and traffic-free.

Google Maps Website

7. The pilgrim guesthouses and convents — Old City and Mount of Olives

Church-run houses — cheap, spotless, quiet, and often with the best views.

₪ BudgetBest for Solo · Couples · Families

Jerusalem has a long tradition of church-run pilgrim guesthouses and convent hospices, in and around the Old City and on the Mount of Olives, open to anyone regardless of faith.

They are typically clean, calm and inexpensive, often in historic buildings with gardens or terraces, and several have views over the Old City that no hotel can match.

The trade-offs are early curfews at some, simple rooms, and no bar or social scene. For quiet and value they are hard to beat.

Good to know: Ask about the curfew before booking — several lock the doors well before Jerusalem's night ends.

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

What does a hostel cost in Jerusalem?

Roughly ₪90–₪160 for a dorm bed and ₪280–₪450 for a private double, higher during Jewish holidays, Christmas and Easter when the city fills. Breakfast is often included and is usually a decent Israeli spread rather than a token one.

Where should I stay in Jerusalem?

For sights, inside or just outside the Old City walls — everything is on foot from there. For nightlife and food, near Machane Yehuda or the city centre around Jaffa Street. The German Colony is quieter and more residential. All three are connected by the light rail.

How does Shabbat affect a hostel stay?

Significantly. Reception hours often shorten on Friday afternoon, public transport stops entirely from mid-afternoon Friday until Saturday night, and lifts in some buildings run on an automatic Shabbat setting. Tell the hostel your arrival time if you land on a Friday — several will arrange a key handover.

Are Jerusalem hostels safe?

Yes. Jerusalem has a low rate of the ordinary crime that concerns travellers, and hostels use lockers and key-card access as standard. Standard sense applies in the Old City after dark, mostly because the lanes empty and it is easy to get disoriented, not because of danger.

Is there nightlife near the hostels?

Machane Yehuda is the answer — the market turns into the city's best bar district after dark, and it is walkable from the centre. The Old City is not a nightlife area and shuts down early. Thursday is the biggest night; Friday night much of Jewish Jerusalem closes.

Do hostels run tours?

Most run or book Old City walking tours, Dead Sea and Masada day trips, and Bethlehem tours, and the noticeboards are the fastest way to find a group. Free walking tours of the Old City also depart daily from near Jaffa Gate.

1. The Old City hostels — Inside the walls

2. Abraham Hostel Jerusalem — Davidka Square, city centre

3. The Machane Yehuda area — Around the market

4. The Jaffa Street and city centre hostels — Jaffa Street and Zion Square

5. The East Jerusalem guesthouses — Salah al-Din and Nablus Road

6. The German Colony guesthouses — Emek Refaim, German Colony

7. The pilgrim guesthouses and convents — Old City and Mount of Olives

Frequently asked questions

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