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New Swedish Hostel

Jerusalem (Old City)

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Address
David Street 29, Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem (Old City), Jerusalem District, Israel
Price
start from 7 $ U.S.DOLLARS Check Current Prices by Date Here
Location/Contact
Details
New Swedish Hostel Online Booking
Arrival Date:   Nights:  People: 
Their Description

Features

  • Kitchen
  • Lockers
  • Washing Machine (laundry)
  • Clothes Dryer
  • 24 Hour Free Hot Showers
  • Phones (public or in room)
  • Currency Exchange
  • Air Conditioning
  • Lounge / Common space
  • Travel information provided
 
The Hostelz.com Review
The best thing about New Swedish Hostel is the location. There are four quarters in the Old City, and New Swedish hostel is right between the quarters. The only bad thing about the location is that there is no nightlife. You will have to go into the New City for that. So walk around home during the day, and plan a night venture. One note on the location -- don't tell the taxi or other mode of transportation to take you to David Street. (There are three different versions of David Street). Tell them to take you to Jaffa Gate, which is at one end of David Street. Enter the gate and look for the small sign for New Swedish above your head on the left side between a couple of shops.

The hostel is very cheap and the location is even more appreciated when compared to the price. Granted, hostels in Israel are cheaper than in many places including the U.S. and much of Europe, but this is definitely a good price even compared to others in the city.

The hostel also has a good environment. There are about ten beds in the room (not necessarily occupied). Next to the dorm is a TV room and a lounge with seating for about six people. This is a great place to meet people from all over and share your experiences in the Middle East. Enjoy nagila, coffee, tea, and company (including turtles in a cage?). Also has cheap internet upstairs as well as a couple showers. It's generally clean and friendly. The owner even ordered me a taxi and another time let me use his phone.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2007


Ratings & Comments

3 Average from 14 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Comment by Glenn, Sweden
September 2009
2 I do not recommend it!
Despite that I don't recommend it, this hostel have two positive things, and these are the low price and the good location. According the name "New Swedish Hostel" one thinks it has something to do with Sweden, but the fact is that it was taken for commercial reasons. The two who work there are muslims (one of them are not very nice) and do not speak any Swedish at all, nor have they any other connection with Sweden.
Comment by Texas, USA
August 2009
1 Avoid
Unless you have no money and are extremely desperate then make this your last resort. Very old and cramped. The entire hostile is actually a very small area with one room of a lot of bunk beds. So cramped and small. If you are a girl do not go there please. I went and there was a guy and he pretended to be nice and helpful when I had severe cramps, and as I lay there on the couch in pain and could not move he talked to me about vulgar things and grabbed my face to try and kiss me. I left immediately after that. I was appalled and thought about calling the police to report sexual harassment but I had no time. I will get in contact with the owner though and let him know everything that happened. Very uncomfortable space with girls and guys in one room. Very hot! They turn on the AC if you want it but it really doesn't make a difference. Not a place you can hang out during the day. Unless you come in late and leave early and just want a bed to sleep and an alright shower then don't come here. spend a little extra money for somewhere else. One of the guys was nice and the sheets were clean and smelled good, but sorry that's not enough for me to go back.
Comment by Scott, US
September 2008
1 Good Location, Miserable Place
From the sound of their description I would think this was a decent place to stay. The hostel has the smallest toilet closets I have ever visited. You cannot sit down without the ceiling touching your head. The whole hostel is miserably cramped. To move around you must expect others to stand aside so you can pass. The "kitchen" can accommodate two people but even that makes it crowded. The location is very good being in the center of the city. I have been in several different hostels in Jerusalem over the years but this is the worst.
Comment by Mette, Danish
August 2008
5 Clean, perfect location, and friendly staff
I stayed for a week at New Swedish Hostel and I can only recommend it. The room we had was -- yes -- very small, but it was clean, which is hard to find in Old Town Jerusalem. The same goes for the bathroom. The location is perfect in the middle of the souq and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Also the rooms are very cheap.
Comment by anonymous, USA
August 2008
1 Shabby
It's in a good location, but it's in the market, so you have to walk down a bunch of slippery stairs to get there, and then, when you arrive, you have to carry your stuff up a huge, steep staircase. Then, when you arrive, the people who work there are really rude. The floor has a slippy, wet spot I nearly killed myself on. Besides, that it is pretty clean, and the mattress in the dorm was comfortable, though the sheets were threadbare.
Comment by little family, Germany
March 2008
1 Can't rely on booking
we booked a private room two months earlier, because we traveled with a little kid. unfortunately we arrived a bit too late at night and our room was already sold. They presented us very unkindly another inadequate room where we had no space for our child. so we had to find another hostel at 11 p.m. with a sleeping child carrying. the next day, we went back and didn't even get back our deposit!
Comment by Steve, Irish
December 2007
1 Unhappy
Myself and another Irish friend arrived from Bethlehem to stay for two nights. For some reason the housekeeper and the other guy didn't like us. I don't know why as we were completely friendly and straight. I could see the house keeper being friendly to others but he was pig-ignorant to us. Shame, as every other Palestinian I met on my trip was really friendly and decent. The facilities are very shabby and this -- combined with seemingly boundless rudeness -- made us very glad to leave the place. Don't know what the housekeeper's problem was but there is no excuse for treating guests the way he treated us. I would never go back and would urge others to avoid this place. It's the cheapest bed in Jerusalem but there's a very good reason for that.
Comment by Ingrid Norrman, Sweden
September 2007
5 Excellent service, nice staff, good rooms and facilities.
I lived three months in the New Swedish Hostel. The room was quiet and dark, and had air conditioning. The price is good and the staff is especially kind and helpful. The location is perfect, in a vibrant old city street, just between the Western city center and East Jerusalem. There is access to both showers and kitchen. In sum, I would recommend the New Swedish Hostal for both shorter and longer stays in Jerusalem for those who seek both a good price and good service.
Comment by j, sweden
June 2007
4 Nice time
pretty small, but cozy and clean enough. beds were comfy. staff were friendly and helpful. wished they had the free breakfasts, but at least there was an open kitchen available, and free coffee and tea. TV room was nice. great location in the old city if you plan to do all the religious stuff, but if you just wanna party in the new city, it's about a fifteen-minute walk, still not too bad. hard to find amidst the chaos on david street, but what an adventure just looking for it on that great street! it was weird how a family lived above the hostel. i've stayed in better hostels, but i'd stay here again.
Comment by Gianfabrizio
December 2006
5 Perfect location within the old city -- closed to everything but in a quiet area. Equipped with everything -- good kitchen, bathroom with hot water twenty-four hours a day, TV room with satellite, and optimal cleaning. Really kind and helpful staff. I'm here one month for working reasons and it's always a pleasure to spend some hours together just talking and smoking the hostel's narghila.
Comment by John Hadvall
October 2006
5 Stayed during over a week during my trip in israel. Have been all over the country and stayed at several hostels, some of them really good, but no one as good as the new swedish hostel. Great stuff, fresh and clean. The new swedish hostel really made a great impression.
Comment by PETER
October 2006
3 I stayed there twice in April and May 2000. There's one big dorm room with lots of beds. Very small kitchen and bathroom but cozy. I can't believe there's still the same poster above television ("Why"). It seems like nothing changed.
Comment by Claire, Australia
February 2006
4 Sleep above the street market in an arched niche, enjoy free tea and coffee and chat with the friendly and knowledgeable staff. The location is fantastic and the showers hot.
Comment by Matt
July 2005
4 This is a very nice, but small hostel in the old city near Jaffa gate. They have some double rooms which cost 60-160 NIS and dorm beds in a small dorm which are 25 NIS [New Israeli Shekel]. They offer free tea and coffee and use of satellite TV. The management has nice people. The location is perfect and I had a great time.
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