Citadel Youth Hostel

Great and authentic!
i spent a few days on the roof of this beautifully located hostel underneath the jerusalem sky. It's great! you'll meet loads of other travelers and enjoy their company on the roof while enjoying beer and conversations. sure, it's definitely not the cleanliest place in israel but still it's nice, the showers are hot and decent, the kitchen is equipped quite well, and the staff are very friendly and cooperative. only bad thing to my mind is that you couldn't really store your luggage securely -- just in some kind of hallway. which was fine, as it was for free.

Warning -- Avoid This Hostel!
I made the mistake of staying here in April. The floors are filthy and the entire building smells of a sewer. There is no secure storage for luggage and the hygiene of this establishment in every room I was in was very bad. I understand and appreciate experiencing "the real Jerusalem" -- but Citadel hostel is not real, it is a health hazard. They also do not offer refunds, even if asked politely (I was also not the only one asking for a refund). Please, there are many other great hostels in the Old city, and cheaper too! The only positive thing is its location.

Wonderful Experience!
The Citadel Hostel is an experience that I would not have missed. It is not your standard building with a standard experience. It feels like you have walked back in time, in a positive way. The curved rock ceiling and walls gives the feeling of entering a cave. The decorations give one the feeling of entering an Israeli culture. Hospitality was warm but not intrusive. Rooms were clean and bedding was changed daily. The bathrooms were newly remodeled and although small, were functional. The only drawback was that there was no place to put your clothing while showering. A shelf in each shower would be useful. The view from the roof was unbeatable! However it looks like there is a building under construction that may eventually block the Dome of the Rock. But hopefully the Dome of the Rock will be replaced soon by the Temple of the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, and I am sure the view from the Citadel will be even more beautiful!

August 2008
We stayed with four people in the hostel. It is a very nice hostel. The location is very great, in the middle of the old city. The people who work there are also very nice. Especially Mohaned. We really enjoyed our time in the Citadel, and that's also because of him! He was always there to have a nice talk. He helped us if there was a problem! Thanks for the help and hospitality! For everyone who is looking for a nice hostel, go to the Citadel!

Centrally Located, great people, great time
I had stayed at the hostel across the street and upon my return to the Old City they had no vacancies. Oh my luck couldnt have been better. The Citadel is a great place. I had a room that appeared to be carved into a cave -- just awesome accommodation. The guy at the desk, Chris, asked me where I planned to go during my stay and he offered bus routes and names of guides. Oh, and the Citadel rates are about half the rates of the other place I stayed.

Nice
stayed four nights at citadel hostel in november. very nice and helpful staff, clean room (dorm), kitchen is nice, peaceful at nights (i am already forty). coming back next year.

Home away from Home.
The Citadel Youth Hostel was my teams of seven's home for a month back in January of 2006! Chris and Tony are sweet and hospitable! They became like family to us! I loved sitting out on the roof at night or early in the morning -- simply gorgeous! The mixed dorm on the bottom floor is so cool, like a cave! We loved meeting so many different kinds of people from all over the world. On rainy days, we didn't even leave because we had so much fun inside! Chris even made us a "family dinner" when we left for home. I honestly miss this home away from home! I will definitely be going there again soon.

Paradise
if you want to sleep in Jerusalem, the most beautiful city of the world, and not to pay much for that, if you want to meet people from every country in the world, and if you want to see one of the most beautiful landscape of the world from a roof every day, go to this place. special thanks to Simon, the coolest man of Jerusalem, and greetings to Fadi. This place is magic.

Great hostel
I loved staying here. There is internet. They are clean. The staff are very helpful and very friendly as well.

i went there may 2006, it was an amazing experience in the Old city. the lodge, wow, that building is just so great. everyone that comes to the Old City should experience the real lodging in Jerusalem!

The Location of the Hostel is perfect (in the Heart of the old city), the Hostel inside is oriental and very nice. the staff was very friendly and helpful, my room was oriental and very clean. the WC and the Kitchen were very clean as well. there was a wireless LAN in the Hostel and it didnt cost anything. the view from the rooftop is unique, i enjoyed it very much. this is a five Stars Hostel. i recommend it strongly.

This hostel is the most outstanding in the Old City! The staff is the highlight of the place, Fadi being particularly charismatic and helpful. I stayed for one night in a private room (shared bathroom) with a friend. It was a little chilly, but there were plenty of blankets available. Also, the view from the rooftop is nearly unbeatable. As a student of the Ministry of Tourism here, this is a find I highly recommend if your intent is an authentic, friendly, cheap place to stay.

Great Sucess. Nice place, very ancient looking and all that. right in the market. Rooftop view very nice. sleeping in the dorm wasnt bad either. Fadi and Sulieman, the hosts, very nice and welcoming and helpful and also very warm, but not too warm, if you know what i mean. so, nice -- i recommend.

I stayed in this hostel for a total of four months in late 2006. This hostel really made my stay in the Holy Land. First of all this place is in very Heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, where all the quarters of the city literally converge. You can really get a sense of that from its rooftop area where you get panoramic views of almost all of the Old City, the temple mount/ Dome of the Rock, the Mount of Olives, the Holy Sepulcher Church, and tons of other stuff. For that reason, the Citadel's multi-leveled rooftop is a fantastic place to just to sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice drink -- particularly in the evenings. This hostel's internal architecture and furnishings give it an amazing atmosphere, particularly in the lounge area where you almost feel like you've stepped back in time! The place is also a model of Middle Eastern hospitality. The guys working there are really friendly with a great sense of humor; they also went out of their way numerous times to make my stay more comfortable. Plus, the free internet was really appreciated. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Jerusalem.

The staff are brilliant! I only got home yesterday and have absolutely no complaints! The staff really looked after us while we were there! I was traveling with another friend and we were worried about safety, but the guys at the hostel were fantastic! The hostel itself is situation in an ideal location. It was great to spend christmas in the old city of jerusalem! It was only a ten-minute walk from the new city! the view from the rooftop of the hostel was incredible! Spend one morning eating pancakes with other people from the hostel up there, was awesome! If you're thinking about visiting this hostel, don't have any doubts! I will definitely be going back!