How do you find accommodation in Israel? It’s a question many people ask as it takes up a big chunk of budget. There are many options in Israel, like hostels, hotels, pilgrim houses, short-term rentals, camping, WWOOFing, couchsurfing, home exchange etc. It really depends on what you are looking for on your trip to Israel!
These are the websites that I recommend!
1.HotelsCombined
Hotelscombined is good for comparing prices. If you already know which hotel/hostel that you want to stay, it’s not a bad idea to ‘double check’. 
2.Booking.com
I use Booking.com. This is my “go-to” booking portal because the interface is much easier to use. I think the prices is presented as clear as possible. And you get some perks being Genius member. Booking.com works with local credit card companies, so make sure you check what’s available in your country.
3.Hotels.com
If you are looking for “proper” hotels, in terms of quality, Hotels.com has better listing (there are exceptions though). The game here is if you stay 10 nights you get 1 night free (average price). I use it when I want filtered hotel-like accommodation.
4.agoda
There was a day when agoda was popular. It’s not so popular in my home country now (and many places) mostly because the quality of listings are not verified, the hidden costs and hard to use filters. They’ve now got this rule for giving you rebates. If it’s hard to find accommodation in your budget, try Agoda. You might find something cheap but with bad reviews.
5.Expedia.com
I used this website 10 years ago….. and I did a research on the prices offered for “Flight+accommodation”, well, you can save about 16% if you choose the deal of the day. Otherwise it’s about the same as other websites.
6.Hotwire.com
Don’t use hotwire in Israel. At least my experience in 2017 was not good. You get blind deals but a ‘deal’ never existed. The ‘40% discount’ claim was the price of this hotel comparing to simialr hotels in the neighborhood. How can you compare oranges to apples? What’s the point for presenting price difference of two different hotels as 40% discount?
7.Priceline.com
Priceline is similar to hotwire. You don’t know the name of the hotel until you have a deal. There is a function of “Name Your Own Price!” Again, in my opinion I don’t think this model would work in Israel….
8.Airbnb
If you want to stay in a room with kitchen, then it is better that you rent an apartment/studio. Expect to pay $20 per head at least, so the price is about the same with dorm-bed if you are a group of 2-3 people, except you have way more privacy.
9.Flipkey
Similar to airbnb. The listing seems to be superior. It’s a brand of Tripadvisor!
10.Home Away
Like Airbnb. This is a brand of Expedia. It purchased VRBO. The options look good actually!
11.Couchsurfing
Israeli love traveling and hosting. You can easily find a host in Israel, and personally I think it is a good way to see a country through the eyes of a local. It’s very time consuming to find a host though, and it costs $25 to be a member now…
12.BeWelcome
Similar to couchsurfing (before it is commercialized). But the interface is so basic and there aren’t as many hosts on it.
13.Home Exchange
You need to pay $150/year to be a member, so it’s for serious users only. But I think it worth a try if you are a house owner and if you can work something out!
14.WWOOF
You are allowed to volunteer as a WWOOFer not longer than 30 days with a regular B/2 visa (the visa you get when entering Israel as a tourist). The membership fee is $48 a year. There are many good oppurtunities which actually sound fun!
15.Craiglist Israel
If you are considering short-term rentals, you can use craglist. The term is for minimum a year I think.
16.Janglo
Similar to Craiglist. Lots of ads to check.
17.Facebook Group
Good for sublets. You’ll find 1-2 month oppurtunities in these two Facebook groups. A room without bath is typically 2000NIS/month. You are sharing the common area with other roommates. Often you’ll see SS/SK, SS means roommates are shabbat keeping (SS: Shomer Shabbat) and SK means the kitchen is kosher (SK: Shomer Kashruth）
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/JerusalemApartments/
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/121562707980013/
18. Pilgrim Houses
There are many Christian pilgrim houses. Many require you to write emails to check availability (like the Casa Nova I stayed in Tiberias)
19.Zimmer
If you feel like having a can somewhere, check out zimmer. I find it expensive though. Check: www.israel-tours-hotel.com , www.weekend.co.il (in Hebrew)、www.zimmer.co.il (in Hebrew)
20. Camping
There are free campsites in Israel (Ein Bokek, Masada, Tiberias), but I’m not sure what facilities there will be except toilets. If you go to national or private campsites, expect to pay ₪65-₪70 ($16-$17) a head! Unless you love camping, you might as well go to a hostel. For more information: http://gocamping.co.il/apage/71496.php
Hopefully you will find one of these websites useful! Happy searching!
