The best hostels in Jerusalem in 2026 are Abraham and The Post Hostel for the social scene downtown, and Citadel Youth Hostel or Hashimi for a bed inside the Old City walls. Dorm beds run roughly ₪90–₪160 and private rooms ₪280–₪450. Book Shabbat and holiday nights ahead. Ten picks, with dorm and private options.
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1. Abraham Hostel Jerusalem — Davidka Square (HaNevi'im Street), city centre
The big, well-run flagship — and the country's main backpacker hub.
₪₪Mid-rangeRooms Dorms, private doubles and family roomsBest 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.
The strongest all-round hostel in the city: central, social and well run.
₪₪Mid-rangeRooms Dorms and private roomsBest for Solo · Groups · Couples
The Post Hostel is downtown on Koresh Street, between the city centre and Jaffa Gate, and it has become the busiest backpacker hostel in the city after Abraham, with a bar, big communal spaces and a regular events programme.
The location is the selling point. The Old City is a walk down the hill, Jaffa Street and the light rail are around the corner, and Machane Yehuda's bars are fifteen minutes away on foot.
Breakfast is part of the deal, which in Jerusalem usually means a proper Israeli spread.
Good to know: Walk to Jaffa Gate early in the morning. You get the Old City lanes before the tour groups arrive.
3. Citadel Youth Hostel — St Mark's Road, Old City
An ancient stone house inside the walls, with one of the best rooftop views in Jerusalem.
₪BudgetRooms Dorms and private roomsBest for Solo · Couples
Citadel Youth Hostel is on St Mark's Road inside the Old City, a few minutes from Jaffa Gate, in an old stone building of vaulted rooms and narrow stairways.
The roof is the reason people book it, with a panoramic view across the domes and towers of the Old City. Sleeping inside the walls means the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulchre and the souk are all a few minutes on foot.
The rooms are old-building basic, and the lanes go quiet early at night. For atmosphere, nothing downtown comes close.
Good to know: Travel light. The approach is up steps and through lanes that no wheeled suitcase enjoys.
4. Hashimi Hotel & Hostel — Souq Khan al-Zeit, Old City
Right on the souk, with a rooftop looking straight at the Dome of the Rock.
₪₪Mid-rangeRooms Dorms and private roomsBest for Groups · Couples · Families
Hashimi is in the Muslim Quarter on Khan al-Zeit, the Old City's main market street between Damascus Gate and the Holy Sepulchre, and runs as a small hotel with dorm beds alongside its private rooms.
Its roof terrace faces the Dome of the Rock and is one of the classic Old City viewpoints. The building is clean and well kept, and it is a strong choice for groups.
It is a conservative, alcohol-free house with house rules to match. Read them before you book.
Good to know: Go up to the roof at sunrise. The Dome catches the first light, and the souk below is still empty.
5. New Gate Hostel — HaTsanhanim Street, by the New Gate
Calm, clean and family-friendly, just outside the walls at the Notre Dame centre.
₪₪Mid-rangeRooms Dorms and private roomsBest for Families · Couples · Solo
New Gate Hostel is part of the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, opposite the New Gate on the north-west corner of the Old City walls, in a recently renovated wing of the big nineteenth-century building.
It is quieter and more orderly than the backpacker hostels, which makes it a good pick for families and couples. You can walk into the Christian Quarter in two minutes, and the light rail and the city centre are just along the walls.
The Notre Dame rooftop, with its views across the Old City, is one of the best in Jerusalem.
Good to know: Book direct on the hostel's own site, and have a sundowner on the Notre Dame rooftop.
A hostel in a restored old cinema, steps from the downtown pedestrian streets.
₪₪Mid-rangeRooms Dorms and private roomsBest for Solo · Couples
Cinema Hostel occupies a restored historic cinema on Shamai Street, just off the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall, and it keeps the film theme with movie nights alongside yoga, group activities and plenty of lounge space.
Downtown's cafes and bars are on the doorstep, the light rail runs along Jaffa Street a block away, and the Old City is about fifteen minutes' walk.
It is social without being a party hostel, which suits a wide range of guests.
Good to know: Stay in on movie night. It is the easiest way to meet the other guests.
7. Palm Hostel — HaNevi'im Street, by Damascus Gate
One of the cheapest beds in the city, a minute from Damascus Gate.
₪BudgetRooms Dorms and private roomsBest for Solo
Palm Hostel is a long-running, no-frills budget hostel on HaNevi'im Street just outside Damascus Gate, and it is consistently among the cheapest dorm beds in Jerusalem.
The location works both ways. Damascus Gate and the souk are a minute away, East Jerusalem's shops and restaurants stay open on Shabbat, and the light rail stops nearby.
Expect basic rooms and a basic set-up. You book it for the price and the position.
Good to know: A useful base if you arrive on a Friday. The area around Damascus Gate keeps working through Shabbat.
A tiny, cheap and friendly hostel on the souk street down from Jaffa Gate.
₪BudgetRooms Dorms and small private roomsBest for Solo · Couples
New Swedish Hostel is a small, long-established backpacker hostel on David Street, the market lane that runs down from Jaffa Gate into the heart of the Old City.
It is famously compact and famously cheap, with a sociable crowd and staff who know the Old City well. It is often recommended for couples who want a private room on a budget.
Rooms are small and simple. The price and the address inside the walls are why people come.
Good to know: Ask the staff for the rooftop route along the Old City walls. It is one of the best walks in Jerusalem.
9. HI Yitzhak Rabin Jerusalem Hostel — Givat Ram, near the Israel Museum
The official youth hostel: modern, orderly and near the museums.
₪₪Mid-rangeRooms Dorms and private family roomsBest for Families · Groups
The Israel Youth Hostels Association's Yitzhak Rabin hostel is in Givat Ram, next to the Israel Museum, the Knesset and the Hebrew University's Givat Ram campus.
It is modern, clean and very good value, with breakfast and private rooms that suit families. The museum quarter and the Valley of the Cross park are on foot, and buses run into the centre.
It is not central and has no nightlife. For families, school groups and museum-goers, that is a fair trade.
Good to know: Put the Israel Museum's Shrine of the Book and the Second Temple model on your list. Both are a short walk away.
A nineteenth-century pilgrim guesthouse with a rooftop, a garden cafe and Viennese cake.
₪₪Mid-rangeRooms Private rooms (guesthouse)Best for Couples · Solo · Families
The Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family has been receiving pilgrims on the Via Dolorosa since the nineteenth century and is open to guests of any faith. It is the most atmospheric of Jerusalem's church-run guesthouses.
Its garden cafe serves Viennese coffee and apple strudel, and the roof has one of the finest views across the Old City's domes.
It is a guesthouse rather than a backpacker hostel: calm, orderly and with house rules. Jerusalem has several similar pilgrim houses, and all of them are worth considering for quiet and value.
Good to know: Even if you sleep elsewhere, the rooftop and the strudel are open to visitors for a small fee.
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.
Dorm or private room?
Almost every hostel here has both. Dorms are the cheap, social option, and private doubles cost well under a hotel room while keeping the common areas and breakfast. The Old City hostels are old stone buildings, so rooms are smaller and simpler than downtown. Couples who want quiet should look at private rooms at New Gate, Cinema or Abraham.
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.
Should I also stay in Tel Aviv?
Most travellers split their time between the two cities, which are about 35 minutes apart by train. Tel Aviv is the beach and nightlife base, and Jerusalem the history. Tel Aviv hostels cost somewhat more for the same bed. See our guide to the best hostels in Tel Aviv.