Last Updated: 8/6/2023 | August 6th, 2023
I’ve been staying in hostels in Europe for over 15 years. I’ve probably stayed at close to a thousand by now. Some were wonderful; others I couldn’t leave fast enough. Some have stood the test of time while others have long since vanished.
Unlike hostels in the US, the hostel scene in Europe is very popular and established. In fact, there’s a growing boutique hostel trend that incorporates more amenities for travelers who want more than just bare-bones accommodation.
In short, hostels today aren’t the hostels you found ten years ago. They are way nicer, cleaner, and offer a lot more amenities and activities.
To help you plan your trip, here is my list of the best hostels in Europe. If you don’t want to read the longer list below, the following hostels are the best in each category:
Best Hostel for Budget Travelers: Hostel Mostel
Best Hostel for Solo Female Travelers: Goodnight Hostel
Best Hostel for Digital Nomads: City Backpackers
Best Hostel for Partying: Greg and Tom’s
Best Overall Hostel: Kabul or The Flying Pig
Want the specifics of each hostel? Here’s my comprehensive list of the best hostels in Europe:
1. City Backpackers (Stockholm, Sweden)
I stayed here years ago and recently returned when my tour group was in Stockholm. The place was just as amazing as I remember. They still have a very nice café and an outdoor eating/sitting area. Their beds and pillows are still super cozy and comfortable, plus they have a huge kitchen, common room, sauna, and laundry facilities. It’s my go-to hostel whenever I’m in the city.
City Backpackers at a glance:
- Organizes tons of events
- Lots of free perks (free coffee/tea, free pasta, free sauna)
- Social outdoor patio for relaxing and meeting people
Beds from 27 EUR, private rooms from 68 EUR.
2. St. Christopher’s (Barcelona, Spain)
Located right near Barcelona’s most famous thoroughfare, La Rambla, I really love the curtains on the dorm beds and the gigantic bar/outdoor area next to the hostel. The mattresses aren’t super thick, but the beds are cozy pods, so you can actually get a decent night’s sleep (they have lockers too, so you can keep your stuff secure).
In general, I really like the St. Christopher’s brand. They offer fun, clean, social, and modern hostels all over Europe.
St. Christopher’s at a glance:
- Huge bar/outdoor common area makes it easy to meet people
- Fun, social atmosphere
- Privacy curtains so you can get a decent sleep
Beds from 21 EUR, private rooms from 199 EUR.
3. The Flying Pig (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
This is still one of my all-time favorite hostels. The facilities here are standard and the price a bit expensive, but I love the atmosphere. While this hostel is popular with travelers looking to chill and smoke, the bar area gets very busy at night with people who don’t want to get high. The staff here is what really makes this place special. They hang out with guests, are experts on the city, and are always helpful.
Moreover, this hostel has some of the comfiest beds and fluffiest pillows of any hostel I’ve ever stayed at. It may not be the cheapest hostel in the city, but the showers are good, and the pillows and beds are super comfy. There are charging points by each of the beds too.
The Flying Pig has three locations in Amsterdam (uptown, downtown, and the new beach location). I prefer the uptown location because it’s smaller and easier to meet people.
The Flying Pig at a glance:
- Great place to meet people
- Super fun and social atmosphere
- Bar on-site
Beds from 38 EUR, private rooms from 220 EUR.
4. Goodnight Hostel (Lisbon, Portugal)
I stumbled across this hostel in Lisbon (mostly because it was super cheap), and I’m really glad I did. Conveniently located downtown, they offer free dinner and sangria and organize nights out. There’s a small common area, and the showers had amazing water pressure. This small hostel becomes very intimate and makes it easy to meet fellow travelers.
Goodnight Hostel at a glance:
- Organizes lots of activities (pub crawls, walking tours)
- Free breakfast
- Intimate atmosphere makes it easy to meet people
Beds from 31 EUR, private rooms from 90 EUR.
5. Gallery Hostel (Porto, Portugal)
This “luxury” hostel in Porto, Portugal, is probably one of the best I’ve ever stayed in and is definitely on my “all-time favorite” list. It’s not the cheapest in Porto, but this hostel/art gallery features home-cooked Portuguese food, a backyard, free after-dinner drinks, a game room, and friendly staff committed to making sure everyone gets to know each other. I loved the nightly dinners they organized the best.
The art on the walls is from local artists and is for sale (for those not traveling on a budget). The beds have very thick mattresses and the rooms have lockers to store your stuff. There are lights for each bed as well and some beds have small dividers for extra privacy.
Keep in mind that sometimes they have a two-night minimum.
Gallery Hostel at a glance:
- Delicious communal meals
- Great place to meet people
- Free drinks
Beds from 46 EUR.
6. Hostel Mostel (Bulgaria)
This hostel has locations in two cities in Bulgaria (Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo), and they all follow the same principles: comfy beds, a pool table, and free, fast Wi-Fi. I honestly haven’t ever seen a hostel offer so much free stuff to travelers.
Usually, everyone stays at all the Hostel Mostel locations, so you run into the same people frequently. I found them booked up a lot, so book in advance if you want to stay here.
Hostel Mostel at a glance:
- Social atmosphere so it’s easy to meet people
- Lots of free perks
- Organizes lots of activities
Beds from 9 EUR, private rooms from 18 EUR.
7. The Beehive (Rome, Italy)
Run by Linda and Steve for the past few decades, this is one of the less corporate hostels in the city. It’s a great place to meet other people and be social as they organize events each night, such as quizzes and happy hours (they also do pizza nights). The hostel also offers a WhatsApp group so travelers can message each other about plans. There’s both an indoor lounge and an outdoor courtyard, two fully equipped guest kitchens, and the showers have really nice water pressure. They offer fresh bagels every morning from Monday-Thursday as well.
The beds and pillows are comfy, though there are no privacy curtains in the dorms. While it’s a social hostel, it’s not a party hostel so it’s easy to get a good night’s sleep here. The hostel also has female-only rooms. It’s located near Termini (the main station) so it’s east to access. Just note that they don’t have 24/7 reception so you can’t arrive late.
The Beehive at a glance:
- Two guest kitchens
- Very friendly staff
- Organizes weekly events
Beds from 45 EUR, privates from 86 EUR. HostelPass members get 10% off
8. Greg and Tom’s Party Hostel (Krakow, Poland)
I came here on the strength of a friend’s glowing recommendation. What I liked about this hostel was that on the one hand, there’s a strong focus on taking full advantage of Krakow’s lively nightlife.
On the other hand, they have two separate buildings, so if you want quiet at night, you can stay in the non-party building. They offer free breakfast, they cook you a meal every night (salad, potatoes, pasta, or meat), they have Nintendo and Playstation consoles, and there’s a large movie collection. But what I loved the most was the massaging showers. It was the best shower I took in months.
Greg and Tom’s Party Hostel at a glance:
- Great place to meet people
- Lots of free perks (free breakfast, free dinner, free video games)
- Separate building for non-partiers so you can get a good sleep
Beds from 19 EUR.
9. Kabul (Barcelona, Spain)
Kabul is tied with The Flying Pig as my favorite hostel in Europe. It attracts travelers who are looking for a good time. This isn’t a quiet hostel where people go to bed. If you come to this hostel, be prepared to party.
They have a lively common room area and organize nightly outings. The dorms are very clean, the beds comfy, and the showers have good pressure. But what makes Kabul so wonderful is the downstairs common area. The common area takes up a whole floor of the building and comprises a café, bar, tables, internet kiosks, and a pool table. Here travelers eat, play pool, drink, and hang out – and the people here want to hang out. It’s a good hostel for a solo traveler because everyone here wants to make friends. The hostel is booked out weeks in advance, especially during summer, so don’t book last minute!
Kabul at a glance:
- Lively party atmosphere
- Organizes lots of activities
- Really easy to meet people
Beds from 32 EUR, private rooms from 46 EUR.
10. Archi Rossi (Florence, Italy)
They had me at breakfast. I’ve never been to a hostel that had a menu for breakfast. You can get eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes — the works. It’s not the normal European bread and coffee breakfast that makes me sad in the morning. It’s a full-on hearty breakfast! More than the food, the hostel has character. You can sign your name or draw on the wall, their kitchen is the size of a cafeteria, and they have a great outdoor garden where you can kick back with a bottle of wine!
While the bunks are basic metal bunks, the mattresses are decent and there are lockers for your things. And did I mention they have a full breakfast?
Archi Rossi at a glance:
- Amazing breakfast
- Laid-back outdoor garden for relaxing and mingling
- Great place to meet people
Beds from 30 EUR, private rooms from 75 EUR.
11. Francesco’s (Ios, Greece)
With a view like this, how could you not like this place? There’s a pool, kitchen, very clean rooms, and comfy beds. The owners are super friendly and accommodating, the porch area is a great place to make new friends, and every night they have a hostel get together so everyone can meet people (free shot included). They also organize pub crawls (because it’s Ios and everyone comes here to party). It’s also the most centrally located hostel on the island so it’s easy to walk home…even if you’ve had one too many drinks!
Francesco’s at a glance:
- Communal events every night
- Pool
- Convenient location (you can walk everywhere)
Beds from 16 EUR, private rooms from 30 EUR.
12. Snuffel Backpacker Hostel (Bruges, Belgium)
Close to the Bruges city center, this hostel is located in a very old building which means the rooms are small and it’s pretty inconvenient to take a shower as you have to go downstairs and then into the back courtyard. However, they have a back courtyard, free Wi-Fi, an amazing selection of Belgium beers (watch out for the 13% alcohol ones!), and bikes.
Snuffel Backpacker Hostel at a glance:
- Convenient location in the city center
- Bar on-site makes it easy to socialize
- Social backyard courtyard for relaxing and meeting people
Beds from 24 EUR, private rooms from 68 EUR.
13. Castle Rock (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Located near Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile and (you guessed it) the castle, this hostel is gorgeous. The building is old, with beautiful wood interiors, stone staircases, and a very historic royal feel. It’s like being in an ancestral family mansion. The common area features pool tables, T.V., newspapers, and free Wi-Fi. They organize events, dinners, and the staff is really nice.
While the bunks don’t have curtains, the mattresses are decent and there are plenty of outlets to charge your devices.
Castle Rock at a glance:
- Organizes tons of events
- Spacious common area makes it easy to relax and mingle
- Beautiful interior design
Beds from 25 EUR, private rooms from 151 EUR.
So there you have it: my current favorite list of the best hostels in Europe. Europe has thousands of hostels — and god knows I feel like I’ve stayed in all of them. But only a few dozen follow the guidelines that make a hostel truly great, going out of their way to provide stellar services and making guests feel welcomed and at home.
For more hostel suggestions for each city, click here to check out my list of the best hostels in each destination!
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Book Your Trip to Europe: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner to find a cheap flight. They are my favorite search engine because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- Safety Wing (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (best for everyone)
- Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)
Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.
Want More Information on Europe?
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