Our Budget-Friendly Family Trip to Israel: Flights, Hotels, Food & More
Updated: May 15
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Our 2025 trip to Israel was unforgettable! We spent six nights in Yerushalayim, “living” there leisurely, while making the most of points and miles to keep costs low. This year we chose to do a budget-friendly family trip to Israel. Here’s how we made it happen.
How We Got There: Flights
Booking direct Elal flights to Israel can be expensive, with one-way tickets from JFK to TLV typically costing between $800 and $1,200 per person. Since we were traveling as a family of three, that would have meant paying around $4,800 to $7,200 round trip in cash. Instead, we used points transferred from Capital One and AMEX to Qantas, booking direct El Al flights for 37,800 miles plus $33 per person on the way there and 37,800 miles plus $75 per person on the way back. That totaled 226,800 points and $324 for three round-trip tickets which is an incredible value! (Although my husband initially had a different route home, he ended up flying home on ElAl as well, due to cancellations. You can read more about that here.)
This was our first time flying economy on a long-haul flight. In past years we flew business class with a stopover in Europe. To say it was a downgrade is an understatement! Not only were we in economy, but we ended up in a row right outside the bathroom with no window. Talk about luck. 😅
The experience definitely reinforced our commitment to staying in the points game, so we can go back to flying business class next time!
Where We Stayed: Hotels
The David Citadel Hotel:
Our first three nights (Thursday, Friday, Shabbos) were spent at the luxurious David Citadel Hotel, booked through the Chase Travel portal using 166,000 points (instead of $2,500), thanks to my Chase Sapphire Reserve, which gave me1.5 cents per point value. We upgraded to a room with breakfast which is a must at this hotel, as the breakfast spread is outstanding.
We landed at 5 a.m. on Thursday and initially had a cheaper hotel booked nearby (for only 10,000 points) so we have a place to crash after our flight. This is a great points saving tip if you’re flying in too early for typical check in. Unfortunately, when we got to the hotel at 5 AM, no one was there to let us in! But this ended up being to our ultimate benefit and here’s how! Taking a chance (we had early check in at the David Citadel as a benefit when booking through Chase Travel), we trudged over to the David Citadel (5 minute walk that became 15 cuz tired and exhausted 5 year old) and to our relief we were able to access our room right away! So we basically got another night for free, plus we got to enjoy the breakfast buffet for an extra morning. The room was beautiful, with stunning views of the Old City, and the breakfast buffet was a great way to fuel up after a long recovery nap.
The Prima Palace Hotel:
For the second half of our trip, we moved to the Prima Palace Hotel for 3 nights (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday), also booked through Chase Travel using 56,500 points (instead of $848). Though not as luxurious as the David Citadel, Prima Palace was conveniently located near Machane Yehuda Shuk, Geula, and the Jaffa shopping areas. It’s also one block over from the light rail, making it super convenient for getting around as well as to/from the airport. We booked an upgraded room with breakfast and a balcony, but you should skip the upgrade. The balcony is fully enclosed, offering no view, and the breakfast was nothing special. My advice is save the points and grab breakfast at a local cafe.
Where We Ate:
Breakfast:
When it comes to breakfast in Jerusalem, your best bet is to get a hotel with a good breakfast buffet. As kosher travelers, we don’t get to enjoy hotel breakfasts around the world, so when in Israel, just enjoy the kosher hotel breakfast! The David Citadel Hotel’s buffet is unbeatable with a huge variety, high-quality ingredients, and a perfect way to start the day. We had a similar experience in 2024 at the Inbal hotel. Although the Prima Palace breakfast wasn’t worth the upgrade, it’s more centrally located making it easy to grab something from one of the nearby bakeries or cafes instead.
Lunch:
Here are some of our favorite lunch spots:
Jerusalem Pizza (Geula): Classic, cheesy goodness with sit down tables.
Big Apple Pizza (Ben Yehuda): we like to go here on Motzai Shabbos and then hang out in the area. The pizza is good American pizza. Get the slush too!
Big Bite Pizza (Rav Shefa): pizza crust is a little too thick but we love their milkshakes and fries. It’s also right near Osher Ad and a bustling American community.
Cafe Rimon and Aroma Espresso: Both offer hearty brunch and light lunch options. We ate at the Mamilla mall locations and loved both of them. Incredible brunch spot on the way to and from the Kosel.
Skip: Sam’s Bagels was overpriced and not worth the hype. I had a scrambled egg sandwich that could not have had more than one egg in it, yet it cost over $12 😏. Sad to see this one off my list as I remember it fondly from my teenage days.
Supper:
Halo Teiman: The shawarma here is unbeatable. It’s located right beside a gas station near the Chords Bridge. Get as many rounds of pickles as you can!
BP Netanya: Perfect for finer dining after a day trip up North. Although most entrecôte (steak) in Israel doesn’t compare to the quality of steak in the US, theirs is surprisingly good!
Hatzot (near the Shuk): The unlimited dips alone are worth it, and the food is excellent.
Zalmans: High-quality fast food at an affordable price. This place is justifiably popular!
Herbert Samuel (Herzliya): For an upscale meal with a view. Their dishes are unique and delicious.
Shabbos Food:
We generally try to eat Shabbos meals at the hotel. In 2024 we ate at the Inbal hotel and learned a valuable lesson. The food is not very heimish. So although it works for Friday night (gefilte fish, brisket and potatoes anyone?), the morning meal does not include cholent (gasp!). And for the price they charge, I don’t want to eat kebabs and rice. So this year, we ate the Friday night meal at the David Citadel hotel. We paid a total of $355 for the 3 of us, which is absolutely worth it in our opinion. We were able to apply a $100 property credit to that total that we got by booking through Chase. The spread they put out is incredible! Dips, salads, multiple fish varieties including gefilte, brisket and sides. You definitely won’t leave hungry. For the morning meal we picked up challah and dips at the Shuk, cholent from a local store, grabbed hard boiled eggs from Friday morning breakfast buffet, and a couple slices gefilte fish from the night meal. We then spread a bed sheet over the desk in our room and had a beautiful meal there! We used the Hot Logic to keep our cholent warm. Absolute game changer. You can get the Hot Logic here.
Places we like getting Shabbos food from in Jerusalem:
Goldys (Ezras Torah): Reliable and tasty. They offer a full spread of heimish Shabbos food plus all the trimmings (think magazines, tablecloths, wine, etc).
Maadnei Hashabbot (Old City, Rechov Chabad 62): you can find this on the way back from the Kosel to Shar Yaffo, through the old city. It’s right up the stairs after passing the menorah. More limited offerings but food is delicious. We saw cholent, 3 different salmon fish options, and dips.
Machne Yehuda Suk is a great place to pick up all the extras (ok fine, necessities😉) such as challah, dips, pickles, and so on.
Back in 2023, we were in Israel with family and were able to order a fully catered, heimish shabbos package. However, that is only available for groups of 6 or more. If you are in Israel with a group, I highly recommend going with a catered package. It's affordable, delicious, and convenient.
Where We Shopped
Jerusalem is great for picking up everything from souvenirs to practical items:
Hazorfim: picked up a beautiful silver plated Shabbos candles tray here. Although they couldn’t deduct the VAT right away, I got a nice discount.
Leader: Fantastic spot to stock up on affordable kids’ clothing. I recently discovered this brand in America and found the prices in the Israeli stores to be even better!
Shekel Store: A treasure trove of small, inexpensive items that will likely be forgotten within a week of returning home—but it’s so much fun to browse! You can’t walk down Geula without stepping in there, especially with a 5 year old 😂.
Gade: we’ve never left Israel without a stop at the duty free shop JR in Ben Gurion to restock on Gade products!
What We Did: Activities
Jerusalem is a city rich with history and culture, and the best part is that many activities or attractions are completely free.
The Kosel (Western Wall)
We visited the Kosel several times throughout our stay. There’s something truly special about being at the Kosel, whether you’re there to daven, reflect, or just take in the atmosphere. Going with a kid takes that experience to a whole new level. Their innocence puts a whole different perspective on it. Pro tip: Go early in the morning or late afternoon for a more peaceful experience. You’ll also avoid the midday sun.
Kever Rachel
This does not need an explanation. This is a must stop every time we visit Israel. We like to go the day we have a car rental to make the trip quick and convenient. Note that the road from the traffic circle to the tree was closed for construction, but they did offer a free shuttle service that take sunder 60 seconds.
Dovid Hamelech’s Kever
This was my first time visiting the Kever of Dovid Hamelech and it was a surreal experience. We went Motzai Shabbos. It was a little detour off the typical route to the Kosel, through the old city. We took in the dancing men with lively music and get to take part in an actual Seudas Dovid aka melava malka. After a couple kapitlech tehillim we headed on further to the Kosel to say nishmas at midnight.
Geula and the Old City
Exploring the winding alleyways of the Old City and the bustling streets of Geula is always such a feel good experience. Geula is packed with stores and bakeries, while the Old City’s ancient architecture and narrow lanes are a unique adventure. Kids especially love the narrow streets and getting on and off the road as cars pass.
Machne Yehuda Shuk
The Shuk is a sensory overload in the best way possible. Fresh produce, aromatic spices, street food, and local crafts. It’s a great place to grab a bite, do some shopping, or just people-watch. Notable stops are the slush station that puts a sour stick in place of a straw, knafe Jerusalem, any of the fresh fruit smoothie vendors, and a gummy candy shop.
How We Got Around:
We skipped renting a car for the full week. Parking is a nightmare, and the public transportation system is excellent.
From the airport: We took a cab to the hotel since the train wasn’t running, which was pricey and slow. We paid almost $100 😫. It also took us over 45 minute, with zero traffic. Definitely do not recommend.
Around the city: The buses and light rail were easy to navigate, efficient, and affordable. We did rent a car for one day, to drive up to Netanya and visit our Rebbe. Hertz is our go to in Israel and they have a convenient location a couple blocks from the David Citadel Hotel. We paid $52 total for our day rental plus around $35 for gas.
We also took some cabs where it was inefficient to use public transportation.
Back to the airport: Luckily, this time the train was running. We took the light rail to the Central Station (8 shekels per person) and then the train to the airport (21 shekels per person), totaling $25 for the three of us, a much better deal than the cab! It also took us 15 minutes to get from our hotel to the Central Station (all the ways past ticket machine and 3 giant escalators down to the platform). The train to the airport is a total of 20 minutes and runs super on time! So although it’s not a major time saver (obviously depending on time of day and traffic), it definitely is much cheaper without adding a ton of extra time to your travel. The Central Station signage is incredible and so easy to follow. Just make sure the train is running at the time you need it and be super on time.
Total Expenses:
Expense | Cash | Points |
Flights | $336.00 | 226,800 |
Hotels | $0.00 | 232,500 |
Food | $888.31 | 0 |
Transportation | $220.22 | 0 |
Activities | $0.00 | 0 |
Total: | $1,444.53 | 459,300.00 |
Is that more or less than you were thinking? Would you go to Israel for a week for that price?
Must-Have Travel Products:
Here are a few items that make our trips smoother:
Good luggage! It pays to invest in a suitcase that glides smoothly so you’re not dragging 100 pounds of luggage over airport carpet. We have had the Travelers Choice carry on for over 3 years and love it. For this trip we got the 29” checked luggage size and it did not disappoint. You can shop the carry on size here and the checked luggage size here. 29” is perfect. Even when stuffed to capacity, it wasn’t overweight.
Portable Charger: you don’t want to get stuck halfway through your day without battery. We love Anker. This portable charger is wireless and magnetic which makes it as inconspicuous as possible. Juice it up before you leave for the day and you’re all set. You can choose from 5 different colors. Shop the Anker wireless charger here.
Lightweight Travel Backpack: you want to have a backpack that serves as a catch all on travel days and an easy wear for day trips once at your destination. We’ve had this waterproof travel backpack for over 5 years now. We love the fact that it’s waterproof (confirmed, since orange juice spilled on it during our flight), has the zipper on the inside (great for securing important documents like your passport), and is deceptively big. It looks small and compact but actually can hold enough snacks for a family of 6 on a 12 hour flight. Shop the backpack of every traveler’s dream here.
Reusable Water Bottle: long days can get tiring and you should make sure to stay hydrated. We save money on buying water, by filling up a reusable water bottle in the morning at the breakfast buffet. Plus points if there’s ice. That keeps your water cold all day. Some cities, like Rome and Jerusalem, have free water refill stations all over! We love this time stamped water bottle. Large enough for all 3 of us to share. You can shop our favorite water bottle here.
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