Hostel
A bed in a shared room, a shared bathroom, a kitchen, and other travellers.
What it is
In a hostel you usually book a bed, not a room. The bed sits in a dorm with four to twelve others, the bathroom is down the hall, and there is a kitchen and a common room you share with everyone. It is the cheapest way to sleep in an expensive city, and the easiest way to meet people — which for a lot of travellers is the actual reason, not the price.
- A bed, usually a bunk, in a room with strangers
- A locker for your valuables — often you supply the padlock
- A shared kitchen you can genuinely cook in
- A common room, and often a laundry
- Privacy — unless you pay more for a private room
- Towels and sometimes bed linen; both are commonly rented, not given
- Daily cleaning of your space; the bathrooms are cleaned, your bunk is not
What this means for your bag
Everything shared is something you have to bring or protect.
A padlock
The locker is there; the lock usually isn't. A small combination padlock is the single most useful thing in a hostel bag.
Flip-flops and a quick-dry towel
The shower is shared and the towel is often rented by the day. Both weigh almost nothing and you will use them every single morning.
Earplugs and an eye mask
Someone will come in at 3am and someone will leave at 5am for a flight. This is not a bad hostel — it is every hostel.
The cheapest option in almost every city, and the gap widens the more expensive the city is. The bed price is usually honest, but the small rentals add up.
- Linen and towel rental, per stay or per day
- City tax, same as a hotel
- A key or padlock deposit, refunded at checkout
- Are travelling alone and would rather not eat dinner alone
- Want to spend the money on the city instead of the room
- Sleep well and don't mind sharing a bathroom
Plain links, no referral tags — we earn nothing if you book. They are here because they are where this kind of place is actually listed.
Questions people ask about this
In a hotel you book a private room with a private bathroom, and you are given towels and daily cleaning. In a hostel you usually book a bed in a shared room, share the bathroom, and get a kitchen and a common room instead. A hostel costs a fraction of a hotel and is far more social; a hotel gives you privacy and no admin.
Many do. A hostel private room gives you a lockable room of your own, usually still with a shared bathroom and always with the shared kitchen and common room. It costs more than a dorm bed and often less than a hotel — a good middle option if the dorm is the part putting you off.
Broadly yes, and the risk is opportunistic rather than dramatic: a bag left on a bunk, not a break-in. Use the locker, bring your own padlock, and keep your passport, cards and phone with you rather than in the room.
A dorm open to all genders. Most hostels also sell female-only dorms, and a few sell male-only. If it matters to you, filter for it when booking — it is a normal thing to want and a normal thing to book.
Usually yes, or you rent one on arrival for a few euros. Bed linen is more often included than a towel. A quick-dry travel towel pays for itself in about two nights.
The calculator already asks where you're staying. Start with this answer filled in and it will size the list around shared bathrooms, kitchens and laundry.