By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated
Search hotels, B&Bs, apartment rentals and kibbutz guesthouses across Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, Galilee and Eilat. Filter by neighbourhood, price and guest rating to match your trip style.
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Abraham Hostel (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Eilat) sets the gold standard for social budget travel in Israel. Browse dorms and private rooms from the best-reviewed budget properties nationwide.
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From the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem and King David Hotel to the Beresheet Resort at Mitzpe Ramon and Dead Sea spa hotels — browse Israel's top tier, rated by guests.
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Choosing where to stay in Israel involves more than selecting a price tier. The country offers a genuine range of accommodation types — each with a distinct character, geographical footprint, and traveller profile — and matching the right type to your trip makes a substantial difference to the experience. This guide compares all seven main options side by side, then explains which suits each kind of traveller.
| Type | Typical price (₪/night, couple) | Where found | Best for | Book via | Shabbat impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City hotel | ₪700–2,500 | Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Eilat | Convenience, amenities | Booking.com | May close restaurant; open otherwise |
| Kibbutz guesthouse | ₪500–1,500 | Galilee, Golan, Dead Sea, Negev | Community atmosphere, rural setting | Booking.com | Kitchen closed Fri eve–Sat night |
| Zimmer / rural B&B | ₪350–1,800 | Galilee, Golan, Negev, Judaean Hills | Romantic weekends, couples | Zimmeril.com, Booking.com | Host may be unreachable; self-catering |
| Hostel | ₪120–350 per person | Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Eilat | Backpackers, solo travellers, social | Hostelworld, Booking.com | Common areas open; kitchen use varies |
| Serviced apartment | ₪600–1,400 | Tel Aviv, Jerusalem | Families, longer stays, self-catering | Booking.com, Airbnb | Fully self-catering; full control |
| Glamping | ₪600–1,500 | Negev, Galilee, Golan | Eco-travellers, adventure, couples | Booking.com, direct | Self-catering or hosted dinner |
| Bedouin tent | ₪400–1,200 | Negev desert | Desert immersion, stargazing | Direct / Booking.com | Typically unaffected |
Prices are indicative ranges for 2026. Always verify current rates on the booking platform — Israeli accommodation pricing fluctuates with season, Jewish holidays, and demand.
Israel’s hotel market spans genuine budget to international luxury, concentrated in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Eilat. The mid-range tier (₪700–1,400 per room) covers clean, well-located three- and four-star properties adequate for most visitors. At the top end, several truly distinctive properties exist:
The hotel sector is the largest in terms of total inventory. Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter and Old City guesthouses offer a distinctive middle tier: Christian hospices and historic guest houses run by religious communities, often in Ottoman-era buildings with rooftop terraces, at prices in the ₪500–900 range.
For city-specific picks at every price tier, see the dedicated guides: best hotels in Jerusalem, best hotels in Tel Aviv, and best hotels in Haifa (German Colony boutiques, Dan Carmel ridge, and the Colony Hotel).
Shabbat note: Hotels remain open throughout Shabbat, but the on-site restaurant will typically close Friday evening and reopen Saturday night. Some larger hotels offer a cold or pre-prepared Shabbat dinner; check in advance.
A kibbutz guesthouse (also called a kibbutz hotel or lodge) is operated by a collective community (kibbutz) and typically offers hotel-style rooms — sometimes in converted agricultural buildings — along with communal dining facilities and the distinctive experience of staying within a working settlement.
The range is wide. Some kibbutz hotels are genuinely large resorts:
On the more modest end, Galilee kibbutzim offer comfortable rural rooms with communal breakfasts, swimming pools, and easy access to hiking trails — reliable value at ₪500–900 for a couple.
Important honesty note: Modern kibbutz life is considerably less collective than it was in the founding decades. Guests arriving expecting a commune-style experience may find a well-run rural hotel with cooperative origins rather than an immersive community setting. The Ein Gedi property, for example, is effectively a Dead Sea resort hotel that happens to be owned by a kibbutz. The communal character is genuine but low-key.
For region-by-region picks and full booking guidance, see the kibbutz hotels guide.
The zimmer is Israel’s most popular form of non-urban accommodation and a genuinely distinctive local invention. The word comes from the German and Yiddish for “room” but in Israeli usage means a self-contained rural cabin — typically with a private kitchenette, garden or terrace, and in romantic complexes a hot tub or jacuzzi. There are an estimated 10,000 zimmers across Israel.
The heartland is the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights: forested slopes between Rosh Pina, Safed, and the northern border, with a dense concentration of vineyard and hilltop properties. The Negev (particularly Mitzpe Ramon) offers desert-adobe cabin stays. The Judaean Hills wine region has a growing number of vineyard B&Bs within easy reach of Jerusalem.
Zimmers are Israel’s go-to weekend break for couples and families — widely loved for their combination of self-contained independence, rural setting, and hospitality at a human scale.
Read the complete zimmer guide for a full breakdown by region, booking platforms, and what to expect.
Israel has a strong hostel culture anchored by the Abraham Hostel chain — widely considered among the best social hostels in the Middle East. Abraham properties in Jerusalem (near Mahane Yehuda), Tel Aviv (central Florentin / Levinski area), Haifa, and Eilat offer dorm beds (₪120–200 per person) and private rooms (₪350–600), with on-site tour desks, communal dinners, rooftop bars, and a ready-made travel-meeting social scene.
Beyond Abraham:
Hostels are not just for backpackers. Travellers in their 30s and 40s who want social interaction rather than hotel anonymity, or those who specifically want help organising day trips, will find Abraham’s offering well matched.
Serviced apartments and short-term rentals (via Booking.com or Airbnb) are particularly useful for families, longer stays of a week or more, and travellers who want full kitchen access to manage dietary needs or save on dining. They are concentrated in Tel Aviv — where a broad inventory of 1–3 bedroom apartments exists in the White City, Florentine, and beachfront areas — and Jerusalem.
In Tel Aviv, a serviced apartment in a Dizengoff or Hayarkon Street building typically costs ₪600–1,200 per night for a 2-bedroom unit — competitive with two hotel rooms and substantially more space and flexibility.
The Airbnb Plus filter provides a useful baseline vetting for properties presented as boutique or high-quality; standard listing quality varies.
Glamping in Israel — comfortable tented or cabin accommodation in nature settings, combining outdoor immersion with real beds and amenities — has grown significantly as a category, particularly in the Negev desert and Galilee.
The Negev is the strongest location. Properties near Mitzpe Ramon and the Arava Valley offer safari tents, geo-dome cabins, and wooden deck platforms under certified dark skies (the Ramon Crater area holds IDA Dark Sky Park status). A glamping night in the Negev typically includes a communal fire, a catered dinner drawing on Bedouin culinary traditions, and — on clear moon-free nights — a view of the Milky Way that is genuinely difficult to find elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean.
Galilee glamping leans toward woodland tents with lake or forest views, pairing naturally with hiking trail access.
Prices span ₪600–1,500 per unit, depending on size and whether dining is included.
A Bedouin tent stay in the Negev offers the most immersive form of desert accommodation available in Israel. The best experiences involve traditional goat-hair or canvas tent structures hosted by Bedouin families or communities in the Negev highlands, with a fire-cooked dinner of musakhan or lamb-and-rice, strong coffee with cardamom, and stargazing that competes with any dark-sky destination in the world.
The category ranges from genuinely atmospheric to tourist-oriented and formulaic. Signals of quality: family or community ownership (not a tour company operating a themed camp), a proper home-cooked dinner rather than a packaged meal, and hosts willing to talk about Bedouin history and land rights. Read recent reviews carefully.
Prices run ₪400–1,200 per tent depending on season, group size, and inclusion of meals.
A zimmer in the Upper Galilee or Golan is the classic Israeli couples’ choice — private hot tub, forest or vineyard views, nothing to do but unwind. Luxury boutique hotels (Norman Tel Aviv, Beresheet Mitzpe Ramon) work for city-anchored or special-occasion breaks.
Kibbutz guesthouses with garden space and swimming pools (particularly in the Galilee) suit families with children well. Serviced apartments in Tel Aviv give parents a kitchen and genuine living space. Some zimmer complexes explicitly cater to families with garden cabins and farm animals.
Abraham Hostels are the natural starting point — socially excellent, genuinely safe, and well-connected to day-trip organisation. The Jerusalem and Tel Aviv branches are among the best social hostels in the Middle East. For the full backpacker breakdown — hostel picks by city, sherut logistics, Shabbat planning and a sample 10-day route — see the backpacking Israel guide.
Hostel private rooms (₪350–600) and kibbutz budget lodges compete on value. Zimmers midweek offer significant discounts over weekend rates — worth exploring if your schedule is flexible.
Kibbutz Lotan (eco-lodge, Arava Valley) and Negev glamping with strong environmental credentials are the standouts. The Dead Sea resort kibbutzim (Ein Gedi) occupy a middle ground.
Jerusalem Old City guesthouses — particularly the Christian hospices and historic guest houses in the Armenian and Christian Quarters — offer a distinctive experience of being literally inside the ancient city walls. Booking several months ahead is essential for Easter and Christmas.
The Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem, King David Hotel, and Beresheet Resort (Mitzpe Ramon) form the top tier of Israeli hospitality, each with a genuine sense of place and not merely imported luxury-hotel uniformity.
Hotels: Booking.com is the most comprehensive single platform for Israeli hotels, with a wide range of property types and reliable guest reviews. For luxury properties, direct booking often offers amenity upgrades. For the Christian hospice tier in Jerusalem, some properties take bookings only by email.
Kibbutz guesthouses: Booking.com lists most kibbutz hotels and lodges. Direct booking via the kibbutz website often supports the community more directly.
Zimmers: Zimmeril.com is the most established English-language zimmer directory. Booking.com lists many under the “Bed and Breakfast” type. For wider selection (in Hebrew), zimmer.co.il works with Google Translate.
Hostels: Hostelworld and Booking.com both list Israeli hostels. Abraham Hostel’s website allows direct booking.
Serviced apartments: Booking.com and Airbnb (use the Plus filter for vetted quality). For longer stays of 2+ weeks, look for monthly rate options.
Glamping and Bedouin camps: Many operate direct booking via phone or WhatsApp — a Booking.com or Airbnb listing where it exists is a useful trust signal, but many good properties are reached directly. Searching the name of the Negev camp or calling the property is often the most effective approach.
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are the two natural bases for a first visit. Jerusalem puts you within walking distance of the Old City, Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mount of Olives, and Yad Vashem. Tel Aviv is a Mediterranean beach city with excellent transport links, superb restaurants, and a relaxed atmosphere — and the Dead Sea and Masada are reachable as day trips. For a one-week trip, splitting 3–4 nights in Jerusalem and 2–3 nights in Tel Aviv covers the essential highlights without rushing.
A zimmer (also spelled tzimmer) is a private rural cabin or bed-and-breakfast, typically set in the grounds of a family farm, vineyard, or hilltop property. The word comes from the Yiddish and German for "room" but in Israeli usage means a self-contained rural retreat — usually with a kitchenette, private garden, and in romantic complexes a hot tub or jacuzzi. Zimmers are Israel's most popular accommodation for domestic weekend breaks, concentrated in the Galilee, Golan Heights, and Negev desert.
Accommodation costs vary widely by type and location. As a general guide for 2026: hostel dorm beds typically ₪120–200 per person; budget private rooms ₪350–600 per room; mid-range hotels ₪700–1,400 per room; upscale hotels ₪1,400–2,500; luxury properties ₪2,500 and above. Rural zimmers run ₪350–900 per unit for a couple, rising to ₪1,200–2,000 for luxury cabin complexes. Prices are indicative ranges — always verify current rates on the booking platform of your choice, as they fluctuate with season and demand.
Yes. The majority of hotels outside Tel Aviv maintain kosher kitchens — particularly in Jerusalem, Eilat, and resort properties near the Dead Sea. This means the hotel restaurant will not serve pork or shellfish, will separate meat and dairy menus, and will close the kitchen on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. In Tel Aviv, the accommodation market is more mixed: some hotels are kosher, many are not. If kashrut is important to you, look for the "Mehadrin" or "kosher l'mehadrin" designation in a hotel listing, or confirm with the property directly. Self-catering apartments and rural zimmers give you full control over your own food.
For most of the year, booking 4–8 weeks ahead is sufficient for mid-range and budget properties. For Passover (Pesach), Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, and the Christian Easter and Christmas periods, demand is extremely high — 3–6 months ahead is strongly recommended, especially for popular Dead Sea resort hotels, Jerusalem Old City guesthouses, and Galilee zimmers. Nazareth and Bethlehem around Christmas fill months in advance. Tel Aviv Pride week (usually mid-June) pushes hotel prices 2–3 times above usual — book as soon as dates are announced.
The quality varies considerably. The best Bedouin camp experiences in the Negev — particularly around Mitzpe Ramon and the Arava Valley — are genuinely atmospheric: proper goat-hair tent structures, a wood-fire dinner with locally sourced ingredients, knowledgeable Bedouin hosts, and unrivalled stargazing under an IDA-certified dark sky. The weakest offerings are safari-tent glamping with a Bedouin-themed logo. The distinction is in ownership: look for properties run by Bedouin families or in direct partnership with Bedouin communities, and read recent reviews for the hosting quality and food.
Yes — several dozen kibbutzim across Israel operate guesthouses or full hotels open to visitors. These range from the large Ein Gedi Resort Hotel on the Dead Sea shore (a full 4-star property run by Kibbutz Ein Gedi) to modest rural guesthouses in the Galilee. Kibbutz hotel stays range from ₪500–1,500 per room per night depending on size, facilities and season. Some kibbutz guesthouses offer the option of joining communal meals or activities, though the communal character of modern kibbutz life is much less intensive than it was in the collective's founding decades.
By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated