Where to Learn Spanish, French, Arabic, German or Italian in Tel Aviv

This is for olim, expats, long-stay visitors and anyone who works in English here and wants to learn another language. Most Tel Aviv language schools publish in Hebrew only, and several publish no price at all. This page puts what they do publish side by side in English.

This guide is written by Ulpan Bayit, the Hebrew school in Tel Aviv. HaAmbatia, which we recommend below, is our sister school: same building in Florentine, same team. We say so up front so you can weigh it.

Facts and prices are as published by each school in September 2026.

What to check before you sign up

  • Group or private. A group makes you speak and lets you hear other people's mistakes. Private suits someone with old errors to correct.
  • The actual group size. Ask how many students are in the room, not how many are allowed; eight to twelve balances speaking and listening.
  • Real hours, not meetings. Fifteen two-hour meetings are 30 hours; fifteen ninety-minute meetings are 22.5. Some schools count academic hours of 45 minutes.
  • Who teaches. Native speakers bring the accent and the culture; a good local teacher knows the mistakes learners here make.
  • Materials. Many schools use textbooks written for immigrants in the country where the language is spoken; books written for learners here cover different ground.
  • Location and schedule. A course you cannot get to easily is a course you drop. Check the light rail and parking, or go online.
  • What the price includes. Ask about the textbook, registration fees and instalments, and compare per hour, not per course.
  • Level check and trial lesson. If you have studied before, a level check saves you a whole course at the wrong level.

Spanish

Instituto Cervantes runs four-month general courses, one two-hour meeting a week, in person or online, plus DELE preparation. Groups start at four students; the maximum and the course price are not published. Only its AVE Global self-study track is priced: ₪500 for 5 hours in a group, ₪100/hour. Dialog, the Open University's language school, charges ₪3,180 for 15 meetings, about ₪71/hour, in branches or on Zoom, group size not published. Berlitz groups hold five to seven and publish no price; NewSchool teaches three levels in small groups, size not published, at ₪53–107/hour.

HaAmbatia teaches six levels of Spanish in groups of up to 10: 15 weekly two-hour sessions, 30 hours, native-speaking teachers, its own books and podcasts, in Florentine or online. ₪2,900 a course, about ₪97/hour, up to four instalments, after a free phone level check. Classes run in the target language, so you don't need Hebrew to join; the office speaks English. HaAmbatia's Spanish page

French

The Institut Français teaches groups and private lessons at every level. Its conversation course runs 10 two-hour meetings, 20 hours, at ₪1,320 or ₪1,200 reduced — about ₪66/hour; its intensive is 20 three-hour meetings, 60 hours, at ₪3,030, about ₪50/hour. Group size is not published, and neither Dialog nor Berlitz publishes a price for French. NewSchool offers three to five levels in small groups at ₪53–107/hour, a full course from ₪1,670.

HaAmbatia teaches six levels of French in groups of up to 10: 15 weekly two-hour sessions, 30 hours, teachers at native level, its own books and podcasts, in Florentine or online. ₪2,900 a course, about ₪97/hour, up to four instalments, after a free phone level check. Classes run in the target language, so you don't need Hebrew to join; the office speaks English. HaAmbatia's French page

Spoken Arabic

Madrasa, a non-profit, runs a small-group Zoom course with a teacher — 12 weekly ninety-minute meetings, 18 hours — for ₪870, about ₪48/hour, and its self-study website is free; its subsidised in-person groups, two in Tel Aviv, hold 10 to 15 people at an unpublished price. HaMidrasha LeAravit uVitachon, on David Hachmi 15, runs 15 three-hour meetings, 45 hours, for ₪3,500 — about ₪78/hour, textbook and lesson recordings included. NewSchool teaches four levels in groups of four to seven at ₪53–107/hour. Dialog teaches the Palestinian dialect in Tel Aviv and on Zoom; neither it nor Berlitz publishes a price.

HaAmbatia teaches nine levels of spoken Palestinian Arabic in groups of up to 10: 15 weekly two-hour sessions, 30 hours, native-speaking teachers, its own books and podcasts, in Florentine, Haifa or online. ₪2,700 a course, ₪90/hour, up to four instalments, after a free phone level check. Classes run in the target language, so you don't need Hebrew to join; the office speaks English. HaAmbatia's Spoken Arabic page

German

The Goethe-Institut on Lincoln 20 is the obvious name, but from October 2026 its adult courses are online only: two ninety-minute Zoom meetings a week plus four hours of self-study, over seven weeks, for ₪2,650. Only 28 of its 56 teaching units are Zoom with a teacher — 21 taught hours, about ₪126 per taught hour. In the classroom it runs only a youth course and a B2+ special, ₪1,900 for 30 hours, about ₪63/hour. Group size is not published. Dialog does not teach German in Tel Aviv, Berlitz publishes no price, and NewSchool teaches three levels at ₪53–107/hour.

HaAmbatia teaches six levels of German in groups of up to 10: 15 weekly two-hour sessions, 30 hours, native-speaking teachers, its own books and podcasts, in Florentine or online. ₪2,900 a course, about ₪97/hour, up to four instalments, after a free phone level check. Classes run in the target language, so you don't need Hebrew to join; the office speaks English. HaAmbatia's German page

Italian

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura on HaMered 25 publishes more than anyone else here: 10 two-hour meetings, 20 hours, for ₪1,000 — ₪50/hour, or ₪900 for returning students — in groups of 8 to 15 in person and 7 to 11 online, textbook about ₪130 extra. It is the cheapest teacher-led option for Italian, and the shortest. Dialog teaches Italian in Tel Aviv and on Zoom, and NewSchool runs a speaking course of up to 8 people at ₪53–107/hour; neither Dialog nor Berlitz publishes a price. The Dante Institute averages 5.6 students a group but sits in Jerusalem, reachable only by Zoom, and publishes no price.

HaAmbatia teaches six levels of Italian in groups of up to 10: 15 weekly two-hour sessions, 30 hours, native-speaking teachers, its own books and podcasts, in Florentine or online. ₪2,900 a course, about ₪97/hour, up to four instalments, after a free phone level check. Classes run in the target language, so you don't need Hebrew to join; the office speaks English. HaAmbatia's Italian page

Practical notes

The Florentine building is at HaRav Yizkhak Yedidya Frenkel 43; the light rail stops at Allenby, eight minutes' walk away. Courses can be paid in up to four instalments, and the level check is a free phone call, not a test. The office speaks English: 03-300-4070, harshama@ha-ambatia.com.

Questions people ask

Do I need Hebrew?

No. Classes are taught in the language you are learning from the first lesson, and the office handles registration and payment in English.

Can I join mid-term?

Not at level 1 — beginners start together. From level 2 you can join after a level check, if there is a free place. Miss a lesson and you can usually make it up in a parallel group.

Is online as good as in person?

For languages, yes. Online groups are the same size, run the same syllabus and use the same materials. The real question is the commute, which online removes.

How do I compare prices per hour?

Divide the course price by 60-minute hours, not by meetings, and check whether the school counts academic hours of 45 minutes. Then ask what is included: some prices exclude the textbook, and some low rates apply only across several levels.

Questions about learning Hebrew? contact us.

Facts as of 2026-09-15.