STAY IN THE BEST HOSTELS ACROSS THE WORLD
HOSTEL RECOMMENDATIONS
EUROPE
ALBANIA
BERAT – MAYA HOSTEL
10/10
In Berat there are 2 sister hostels, the Maya Hostel and the Backpackers Hostel. I stayed at the Maya Hostel. The hostel was beautiful. They offered free breakfast, served in a beautiful outdoor area. As far as the rooms go, they have a clean in-dorm bathroom, privacy curtains on the bed and personal plugs. The staff was amazing, and the location of the hostel is just outside the center.
Book your stay at Maya Hostel here
GJIROKASTER – STONE CITY HOSTEL 10/10
If you are looking for a lovely host, free breakfast, great location and fun activities, you need to stay at Stone City Hostel. The owners are actively involved in the hostel. There are activities organized daily that take you to hidden gems in the city. It’s simply the best hostel in the area.
Book your stay at Stone City Hostel here
HIMARE – SUN BAKERS HOSTEL
8/10
This hostel is located on the far end of the town of Himare. However, despite being quite the walk over, it is worth it to stay in this hostel. They offer amazing breakfast every morning. The hostel is also very close to some of the prettiest beaches in Albania and Himare. They don’t offer many activities but the common outdoor area allows for making friends easily. Showers are a bit compact and not the easiest to use.
Book your stay at Sun Bakers Hostel here
SARANDE – SR BACKPACKERS
6.5/10
Initially this hostel was not my favorite in all of Albania. The rooms are okay but some bunks are 3-tier which is a bit uncomfortable for the bottom and middle bunk. The rooms do have a nice balcony you can relax at. The hostel is split into 2 main sections. The bathrooms were clean, but could use an update. Free breakfast every morning and sometimes there were also some activities. The hostel owner Tommi is very helpful in organizing your stay in Sarande, and the surrounding areas.
Book your stay at SR Backpackers here
SHKODER – THE WANDERERS HOSTEL
9/10
If you are looking to hike in the north of Albania this hostel is your ideal starting point. The hostel is split into a common area on one side of the street including a large outdoor area, a small indoor area, and a kitchen + storage. On the other side you can find the dorms and bathrooms. The hostel had amazing staff, were all very helpful and accommodating and offered free breakfast, cheap dinners, and drinks. A must stay in Shkoder.
Book your stay at The Wanderers Hostel here
TIRANA – TRIP’N’HOSTEL
6/10
This hostel was a different vibe from other hostels in Albania. There was a heavy drinking culture, which might have been because of the bad weather. But also, the atmosphere was a bit more alternative. It was a clean hostel, and the beds were comfortable, but it was not the best hostel in Albania. They have information on tours to join but offer just a place to sleep and free breakfast.
Book your stay at TRIP’N’HOSTEL here
Bosnia & Herzegovina
MOSTAR – MIRAN HOSTEL
9/10
This is by far one of the smallest hostels I’ve stayed at. This allowed for a good atmosphere in the hostel and all guests knowing each other. Miran was also an incredible host, as were the other volunteers. There is a day tour which he offers that takes you throughout the surrounding area and tells his personal story of living through the war. If there is one hostel to add to your list in BiH it’s this one. Rooms were clean and spacious. The bathrooms were also well maintained. Sometimes it felt a bit crammed in the outdoor area.
Book your stay at Miran Hostel here
Croatia
PLITVICE LAKES (KORINICA) –
FALLING LAKES HOSTEL 8.5/10
If you are planning an overnight stay near the lakes, this is the place to be. It is one of the few hostels in the area, despite that it is in great condition and very accommodating for hikers. I recommend at least 3 nights here. This will allow you to do more than just the lakes and see more of the area. Especially if you love longer hikes, this place is a great home base. The rooms + bathrooms were clean, they had cheap dinners and a family atmosphere in the common areas.
Book your stay at Falling Lakes here
SPLIT – GRAVITAS HOSTEL
8.5/10
This hostel might seem scary at first with a 20 dorm bed but this small boutique hostel was lovely. There are only 2 big rooms, which led to people chilling together in the common room up front. Amazing owner, great location and
clean beds/bathroom. Only downside is that there is no big kitchen, only very basic supplies for a breakfast or lunch. Highly recommend this hostel if you aren’t looking for a massive party vibe.
Book your stay at Gravitas Hostel here
SPLIT – BOOZE AND SNOOZE HOSTEL 4.5/10
This is very much a party hostel. I personally did not enjoy my stay at this hostel. The beds and bathrooms were dirty. Sleeping on the ground floor meant sharing your bathroom with everyone who was on the balcony. The party games were very sexual and booze heavy. Heavy English influence, a lot of “lads on holiday”. If that is the vibe you are looking for this might be a better hostel for you. However, take note that it was also just dirty.
Book your stay at Booze & Snooze hostel here
ZADAR – LAZY MONKEYS HOSTEL AND APARTMENTS 9.5/10
This hostel is located near all the best beaches in Zadar. Look out it’s not located in Zadar Old Town! However this location was perfect, it’s near beaches, a few restaurants and is just the perfect spot to stay with a super social vibe, great staff and comfortable rooms. They also organize hostel dinners which leads to making friends easily.
Book your stay at Lazy Monkeys Hostel and Apartments here
ZAGREB – SWANKY MINT HOSTEL
6/10
This hostel was neither good nor bad, just very average on all sides. The dorms are large 3-tier bunks, with an in-room bathroom. The common kitchen is very small and not comfortable to chill. The bar upstairs was not made for solo travelers and was also just open for locals to visit, which made it hard to make friends here.
Book your stay at Swanky Mint here
Czech Republic
PRAGUE – MADHOUSE HOSTEL 8/10
The Madhouse Hostel and Radhouse hostel are 2 sister hostels located in the city centre of Prague. I stayed at the Madhouse and really enjoyed my stay. The rooms were a bit big to have in room bathrooms which meant you had to use the bathrooms downstairs but these were not always open (at night they close with reception till 8 am). The hostel does organize cheap dinners, daily activities and has amazing common rooms! Easy to make friends at this hostel.
Book your stay at The Madhouse Hostel here
Montenegro
KOTOR – THE OLD TOWN HOSTEL
10/10
There is only 1 right choice when booking a hostel in Kotor, Montenegro… and that is Old Town Hostel. They just got it right.. Rooms are perfect, with privacy curtain, lockers, and in room bathrooms (some smaller dorms share a bathroom with 2-3 rooms). They organize daily tours around Montenegro as well as have evening activities hosted by the staff daily! Super social hostel, amazing location, superb owner and staff.
Book your stay at The Old Town Hostel here
PORTUGAL
LAGOS – THE OLIVE HOSTEL
7.5/10
The Olive Hostel’s location is in the city center of Lagos. This means it is not super close to the beaches (about 10-15 min walking). The rooms are basic but clean and there are some bathrooms spread out in the building, but it can be a bit busy. The kitchen and outdoor common spaces were amazing. The staff is helpful however they do not organize any activities themselves.
Book your stay at the Olive Hostel here
LISBON – WE HATE F* TOURISTS
9/10
This hostel has been one of my favorite hostels. The staff is amazing and welcomes you to the city with very detailed explanations of what there is to do in Lisbon. There are daily activities including Sintra day trips, pub crawls and Portuguese nights. The beds have privacy curtains, and the bathrooms are nice and clean (although each floor either has just female or just male bathrooms).
Book your stay at We Hate F* Tourists here
LISBON – LOST INN
8/10
This hostel is a party hostel located in the barrio alto (party district). They offer some activities especially on the weekends and have free sangria every night for 2 hours (which is the perfect pre-game for a night out). If you are into the whole party vibe I recommend staying here. The noise was never too loud that you cannot sleep. The common space is a bit underwhelming.
Book your stay at Lost inn here
Spain
GRANADA – EL GRANADO
8/10
This hostel is located in a quiet area of the city. Most spots were at least 10min walking. The rooms are nice with privacy curtains. The lockers were a bit on the smaller side (could only fit personal item in there). The hostel organized activities every day at affordable prices. Nice common areas and small bar to enjoy a beverage. Kitchen was nice and clean. Overall nice vibe, but nothing outstanding.
Book your stay at El Granado here
MADRID – THE HAT
5/10
This hostel is a hotel with bunk beds. There is no social vibe at all. The beds were clean and you had an ensuite bathroom which were nice and clean. But this place is not the place to be when traveling solo and wanting to meet new people. Food at the restaurant is very expensive and there is a small kitchen but it only has very basic supplies for cooking. If you are looking for a cheap stay with friends this could be okay.
Book your stay at The Hat here
MALAGA – THE URBAN ROOFTOP
JUNGLE HOSTEL 7/10
The hostel is located in the center of Malaga. Close to the shops and restaurants. It is about 40min walking from the beach. The rooms are clean and modern. Bathrooms were a bit on the smaller side, but always clean. There are daily activities and dinners for 10eur most nights. The price of the food was a bit high for what you got.
Book your stay at The Urban Rooftop Jungle here
MEXICO & CENTRAL AMERICA
MExico
SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS – PUERTO VIEJO 8/10
This hostel is one of the best in San Cris for solo travelers. The rooms and bathrooms were cleaned often. The female dorm was huge! Disadvantage of some of the rooms was that the lockers were outside on the hall. They offer free breakfast and dinner every day. Also a wide list of activities in and around Chiapas which makes it easy and affordable to see the region.
Book your stay at Puerto Viejo here
VALLADOLID – CHE VALLADOLID
7/10
The Che hostel chain is a newer hostel chain in Mexico. Many of the hostels were built in 2020 and more recent. Which means their facilities are very nice and modern. It is a party hostel with a bar and rooms next to the pool and bar area. After 12PM the music goes quiet on weekdays, weekends might be later. Majority of activities from the hostel involved alcohol or drinking.
Book your stay at Che Valladolid here
PALENQUE – CASA JANAAB
8/10
I only really spend 1 late evening in this hostel. The rooms are airconditioned, bathrooms are clean. Kitchen is a bit on the smaller side. Unfortunately most of their space is outdoor and when I was there it was raining. So I would only recommend if you know the weather will be good. However overall nice vibe and 24/7 reception.
Book your stay at Casa Janaab here
ISLA HOLBOX – TRIBU HOSTEL
7/10
This hostel is located only a few steps from the beach. The rooms are a bit more basic but still clean. Most dorms had a toilet in the room and a shower outside. A nice kitchen & outdoor area which was free to use. The hostel organized 2-3 activities per day but the prices were a bit high. Mainly outdoor spaces, not many covered areas.
Book your stay at Tribu Hostel here
MERIDA – CHE NOMADAS MERIDA
9/10
The Che hostel chain is a newer hostel chain in Mexico. Many of the hostels were built in 2020 and more recent. Which means their facilities are very nice and modern. It’s generally a party hostel however the Merida location was the “least party heavy” out of all of them. It has a massive pool and daily activities which were affordable and an easy way to make friends.
Book your stay at Che Nomadas Merida here
SOLO TRAVEL 101
Staying in a hostel for the first time? Not sure about solo travel yet? Make sure to watch this introduction video all about making friends, general safety & more tips for your first backpacking adventure.