Barcelona is a great city to visit, but hotels and holiday apartments can be expensive. Therefore, a lot of tourists are looking for something cheaper. If you’re one of them, you should definitely read our guide to the best hostels in Barcelona!
The benefits of staying in a hostel are many: You save money, you get to meet other travelers and be social, and you get to use all the nice facilities that hostels usually provide.
This guide is perfect to read if you’d like to have several good options to choose between. We are recommending a hostel within four different categories: The best hostel in Barcelona for young people, the most central hostel, the most social hostel, and the most affordable one that gives you the best value for your money.
In other words, every kind of traveler will have an option that suits his or her need. The thing that all our recommended hostels have in common is that they are very comfortable, have great facilities, and that they are located in nice parts of the city. Especially that last point is an important one.
Let’s get started!
Best hostel in Barcelona for young people
Sweet BCN Youth Hostel: Book here
Since a lot of young people are reading here, we will start out by recommending a youth hostel. Sweet BCN is arguably the best option, since it’s a high quality hostel that gets great reviews. At the same time, it is fairly affordable with an average price of 35 euros per night during the summer – and cheaper during the other seasons of the year.
It’s a really clean place, and almost everybody staying there are young people. The comfort is top notch, and the hostel provides rooms with 8 and 6 beds, along with a couple of private rooms. There’s a kitchen that everybody can use, there’s a common dining area, and there’s a big common area where you can socialize and meet fellow youngsters traveling to Barcelona.
The hostel is also located quite central in the city. You will find it in the L’Eixample district. Most big sights are within walking distance, and if you’re feeling lazy, you can easily take the metro to get around. Nearest stop (Girona) is less than 500 meters away.
→ View photos and make your reservation here!
Most central hostel
Barcelona Central Garden: Book here
We consider this hostel to be one of the best central hostels in Barcelona. Actually, the location is somewhat similar to the youth hostel we recommended above, but it is slightly closer to Passeig de Gràcia and Arc de Triomf.
This is the hostel to choose if you’re the kind of traveler that wishes to see a lot of things in Barcelona. You can easily get around, and it’s the ideal location for discovering every part of the city. Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarters are within <10 minutes of walking distance.
The hostel is not particularly large, but it does have amazing quality. There are private rooms as well as shared rooms, so you can book whatever you feel most comfortable with. Extra facilities are on point, and Barcelona Central Garden is getting great reviews by previous visitors. Solo travelers rate the hostel 9.1 out of 10 on average!
Pricewise, you have nothing to fear. Even though it’s a central Barcelona hostel with great conditions, the average price is just 28 euros per night. However, be aware that the hostel is very popular and usually quite full. So check the availability and snatch a bed if you can – otherwise someone else will be fast to do it.
→ Book your room with Barcelona Central Garden here!
Most social hostel
Hostel One Paralelo: Book here
If you’re looking for a super social hostel in Barcelona with great chances of meeting new friends, look no further. Simply book your room with Hostel One Parallel and enjoy your time!
It’s a very popular hostel among solo travelers. Almost everybody there is looking to have a good time in the city. In some ways, it can also be considered a party hostel since there are pub-crawls every single night, and since you will always find some fellow travelers that are interested in a night out.
Even though the social vibe of the hostel is the best part, it also impresses in several other ways. The rooms are nice, the location is perfect, and they actually serve a free meal for dinner every night! It doesn’t really get much better.
The price will change depending on the season and depending on which type of room you choose. Paying between 40-50 euros per night is what you should expect, so it is slightly more expensive than the other hostels we have recommended so far.
However, if you value quality over quantity, and if you don’t mind paying a few extra euros for a great experience, go ahead and book this one. The average rating by previous visitors is 9.2 out of 10. Incredibly impressive, and we are also huge fans of this social hostel in Barcelona!
→ Go to Booking.com and reserve your room immediately!
Best value for the money
Jam Hostel Barcelona: Book here
Jam Hostel Barcelona is probably the best option if you’re looking for a hostel that offers it all, but at a solid price.
While not the cheapest, it provides immense value for the money. Average price per night is just 24 euros. Yet you get everything you could possibly wish for – a central location, nice facilities, and a great vibe from the staff and the fellow travelers.
The hostel is located in Gràcia, one of the famous bohemian quarters of Barcelona. The main attraction of the city, La Sagrada Família, can be reached in less than 10 minutes by foot. It’s one of the best possible places to stay if you are into architecture and you like to take long walks and experience what the city has to offer.
There are different types of rooms. You can book a bed in a large shared room, a medium shared room, or even a private room just for you. But be sure to book early: This is a very popular hostel, and the quality is high. Therefore, the availability is not always high, so if you happen to see a free space, then take the opportunity and don’t look back.
→ View pictures and book your bed right here!
Hostel vs hotel
Maybe you’re still thinking about whether you should choose a hotel or a hostel in Barcelona. It can be a difficult choice. However, there are two simple factors that you can take into account, and that should leave you with a pretty good idea about what will suit you best.
First of all – your budget. How much money do you have to spend on your holiday? If you can’t afford to spend any more than 40 euros per night, a hostel will always be the way to go. On the other hand, if you don’t mind paying a 100 euros (or even more) for something nice, then a hotel is the obvious choice. The range in between is quite difficult. If you have 50-60 euros to spend daily on accommodation, we probably still think it’s best to pick a hostel. The reason is simple, you can find an amazing hostel for that amount, but you can only find a cheap hotel. Besides, let’s say you pay 30 euros for the hostel, then you have money left to spend on other things, such as entry tickets, food and drinks.
The other factor is the social one. Are you introverted or extroverted? If you prefer having some private space, pick a hotel or a holiday apartment. If you’re extroverted and gain energy from being around other people, then go for a bed in a hostel. However, Barcelona is a city where it’s very easy to be social, so no matter what you choose, you will always have the opportunity of meeting people and having fun.
If you are considering the thought of staying in a hotel, then read our full guide to hotels in Barcelona. It’s a bit like this one, except that we focus on hotels instead of hostels!
Best areas to stay in
Barcelona is a fairly large city, so there are a lot of different neighborhoods. Like you would expect, some are better than others. So which areas are the best ones to find a hostel in?
For culture-loving travelers, we recommend staying in (or close to) the Gothic Quarter. An amazing part of Barcelona, and definitely one that you will enjoy. Similar areas are El Born and El Raval – both are also great for cultural travelers, and they also offer a great nightlife. El Born is the obvious choice if you want to go out at night. El Raval is an awesome place to stay if you are the artistic type that likes special surroundings.
L’Eixample is a huge area that appeals to almost everyone. Here, you will also find a lot of great attractions, and it is arguably one of the areas with the highest amount of hostels.
Other options are Sants, Le Corts and Gràcia. All of them are nice areas, and should also be considered!
If you want to learn more about the best areas to stay in Barcelona, click that link. It’s an article that describes everything with a few more details.
Browse for more hostels
We highly recommend all of the four hostels above. But if you wish to see other options as well, or if you simply couldn’t find any availability, you can also search for more hostels in Barcelona by yourself.
Our favorite place to do so is Booking.com. They have an insanely large selection, and basically all of the best Barcelona hostels are listed with them.
Aside from that, we hope you will enjoy your trip to Barcelona. It truly is an amazing and fascinating city. Feel free to browse around our site some more, if you want some more tips for the city. We have looked into everything from the airport, to the public transportation options, to the best sights and attractions.
Photo: Bernhard Latzko – Creative Commons 2.0
Content in this article
Leave a reply