The Best Hostels in Berlin, according to a local
Berlin has been my home on and off since 2012 and over the years I’ve had the chance to stay at a wide range of hostels, some which sadly do not exist anymore ( RIP: Plus Hostel and Wallyard ) I still get many people asking me the question of which is the best hostel in Berlin and to that I can’t give a definitive answer. ( Circus Hostel is pretty close though) They are hostels in Berlin to suit every type of traveller so whether you are here to party or to soak up the culture or something in between, this list of hostels should cover all your needs. If it does not or you have a question, shoot me an email ( kash AT budgettraveller.org) So, without further adieu, my list of recommended hostels in Berlin.
PS: Please also checkout my guide to the best free things to do in Berlin and also my list of my favourite cheap eats in Berlin
1. Circus Hostel
With a museum dedicated to the Hoff, its own microbrewery in the basement, the mother of all breakfast buffets, and some of Berlin’s coolest walking tours, Circus is a hostel like no other in the world. It is so much more than a bed for the night, and it remains one of my favourites in Berlin and anywhere. The location is superb: right on Rosenthaler Platz, within easy reach of everything, with Alexanderplatz a 15 minute walk away and Prenzlauer Berg just up the hill.
The rooms hit the perfect balance of value, funky vibe and comfort. Dorms run from 4 bed up to 6 bed female only rooms, all spacious and ensuite, with a reading light, USB charging, a locker and a picture of the Hoff wishing you sweet dreams. For something more luxurious, the Panorama Studio Apartment has a full kitchen and stunning views of Mitte and the TV Tower, while The Big Top sleeps up to 7 for families and groups. The crowd is a nice mix of backpackers, students, couples and mature travellers, and the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely helpful.
The heart of the place is Rosie’s, the on-site bar and cafe, where they brew their own beer and serve an excellent all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast for €10.90 from 8 to 11am. There are regular pop quizzes, happy hours, karaoke and DJ nights, free walking tours that start and end at the hostel, bikes to rent, the hostel’s own Berlin guidebook in reception, and gym discounts through their partnership with EVO Fitness across the street. They have thought of every possible need of their guests. The world definitely needs more hostels like Circus.
How to book: the code BUDGETTRAVELLER26 gives you 15% off direct bookings via the Circus Hostel website on the non-refundable rate, and the hostel plants a tree for every direct booking.
Perfect for: Solo travellers, couples and families.
2. Generator Berlin Mitte
The Generator Berlin Mitte is the flagship property of the Generator group and is situated in the heart of Mitte, the perfect base for exploring Berlin. Oranienburger Strasse S-Bahn station and Oranienburger Tor U-Bahn are within 500 metres. Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, the historic Hackesche Höfe courtyards and the Brandenburg Gate are all within 2km of the hostel, while Museum Island is only 500 metres away.
The devil lies in the design here. You can find cool, quirky design features all across the building, like Bella Leonard’s wire embroidered stainless steel “G” sculpture in the historic courtyard, the exposed wooden panels in the lobby punctured by a horizontal line of wooden pegs, or the sculptural string installation in the cafe bar area by French artist Sebastian Preschoux. You can relax in their atmospheric bar, lined with sleek black walls and raw copper panels, playfully lit with recycled fire extinguisher tubes. In the spacious corridors, famed Berlin street artist Thierry Noir has created three metre high “heads with big lips” faces, reminiscent of his poetic murals on the Berlin East Side Gallery. The hostel even has its own private nightclub that doubles up as a gallery space displaying works from local street artists.
As is standard with all Generator hostels, the Berlin Mitte branch offers brightly decorated private rooms with ensuite bathrooms alongside the ensuite dorms. On-site laundry facilities can be used for a fee, and there is luggage storage and safety deposit boxes too. Highly recommend.
Essentials: a bed in a dorm starts at just €30-40, premium rooms from €80
Perfect for: Solo travellers and couples.
3. Meininger Hostel Berlin Mitte Humboldthaus
Situated in the former home of natural scientist and astronomer Alexander von Humboldt, Meininger Hostel Berlin Mitte Humboldthaus is perfect for those looking for a quiet and relaxed base to soak in the sights of the city. Just like the Generator Berlin Mitte, I love the location. It is right beside Oranienburger Straße S-Bahn station and all the major sights are within walking distance. The hostel offers a choice of dorms and ensuite rooms, which feature a flat-screen TV and private bathroom.
For an additional €12.90 they offer an excellent buffet breakfast, plus there is a nice self catering kitchen space if you wish to cook your own meals. I love the story and heritage of this building. I have to admit I had no clue about Humboldt, but I managed to discover a lot about him through the comic strips printed on the wallpaper of the public areas of the hotel. The comic strips, drawn by Cuban artists, carry references to his numerous expeditions.
I would recommend the Meininger to anyone looking for a nice and comfortable base. If you value a comfortable bed, helpful staff with plenty of good tips and a good location, then this hostel is ideal for you.
Essentials: Dorms start from €30, double rooms from the €80 mark.
Perfect for: Couples and families.
4. Grand Hostel Berlin
Situated in the trendy Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district in a former Bishop’s Palace dating back to 1874, the Grand Hostel Berlin combines old-world Berlin charm with great hospitality and a stunning library bar. The hostel is conveniently located just a 3 minute walk from Möckernbrücke station, giving you easy access to Berlin’s U1 and U7 lines and its vibrant nightlife.
The hostel features secure, well-maintained dorms with flat beds, high ceilings and beautiful bay windows, as well as charming double rooms. Guests are welcomed with a free cup of coffee, tea or water on check-in, and the staff are known for their exceptional service. The library bar, filled with dusty books and comfortable leather armchairs, becomes a lively meeting point in the evenings. The hostel also offers a variety of amenities, including clean common bathrooms, in-house bicycle rental and activities like walking tours and pub crawls. Breakfast is not included, but the Grandwich Bar next door does delicious meals at reasonable prices. With its blend of historical charm, excellent facilities and friendly atmosphere, the Grand Hostel Berlin feels more like a hotel than a hostel, making it an ideal base for exploring Berlin.
Essentials: Via Booking.com, beds start from €40 a night.
Perfect for: Party people, solo travellers, couples and groups.
5. East Seven Hostel
If you are looking for a warm, social, family run hostel spectrum rather than the run of mill party hostel like say St Christophers, then East Seven is the hostel for you. I love the location in Prenzlauer Berg just off Senefelderplatz. You have the wonderful markethalle Pfefferberg around the corner with the best Mexican resto in town plus you have 8mm , one of my favourite dive bars also closeby. Plus you are also not far from Rosenthaler Platz ( Main Haus Am See- great bar) and also Rosa Luxembourg Platz ( home to Monsieur Vuong ) plus the U-Bahn at Senefelderplatz a five minute walk away.
The big plus for East Seven is the garden. It is a proper leafy backyard with hammocks, the perfect spot for a cold beer at the end of a long day of exploring Berlin. Other big pluses include their fully equipped guest kitchen open all day and a daily programme of events, from pub quizzes to family-style shared dinners.
Shared rooms come with fully equipped bunk beds with reading lights and USB ports, under-bed storage and a shared bathroom, from around €25. There are twin and double rooms for couples from around €73, and a triple family room that is ideal for families on the go or three friends travelling together. All bathrooms are shared, with women’s, men’s and gender-neutral options, and the hostel is proudly LGBTQIA+ friendly.
The weekly community evenings set East Seven apart from other hostels in Berlin. There is something on every night, from beer garden trips and a Tuesday trivia night to terrace drinks and a complimentary Sunday family dinner. From shared dinners to relaxing evenings in the garden, everything here revolves around community, and it is genuinely easy to start a conversation and meet other solo travellers here. The free muesli breakfast, fully equipped self-catering kitchen, garden terrace with a lounge area, free WiFi and laundry facilities make this easily one of the top hostels in Berlin.
A couple of things to know before you book. Check in is only until 10pm. They do not accept under 18’s and they do not take groups, so this stays a calm and friendly base rather than a rowdy one.
Essentials: Schwedter Straße 7. Expect to pay around €67 a night on average, with dorm beds cheaper.
Perfect for: Solo travellers, couples and families.
6. Die Fabrik
In the hostel’s own words, Die Fabrik is right at the heart of multicultural Berlin, home to whole communities of unconventional, artistic and politically-active people. Whether you fancy partying around the neighbourhood or just want to relax in a corner bar, in Kreuzberg you can enjoy everything that Berlin life has to offer. You might even run across spontaneous jam sessions on the doorstep. This is one of those almost surreal places in Berlin where you never know exactly what to expect next, so enjoy those famously long Kreuzberg nights.
The hostels is located in a converted former telephone factory from the turn of the last century, restored back in 1995, and has all the raw, industrial Berlin charm that you expect from the city. Think high ceilings, exposed brick, light and spacious rooms, and a quiet courtyard garden hidden away from the street. Some rooms still carry original East German worker posters found in the building during the renovation.
The location a big plus. You are on Schlesische Straße, a few minutes from Schlesisches Tor U-Bahn, with the East Side Gallery and the infamous Görlitzer Park both around the corner and some of Berlin’s most famous clubs within stumbling distance. This was the first neighborhood I stayed in back in 2012 and I am pleased to say, even with gentrification, the neighbourhood is still loud, full of odd weird wonderful characters, great bars ( I love Madame Claude , an upside down bar located in a former brothel ) and affordable places to eat. The hostel keeps things deliberately calm inside, with no TVs or telephones in the rooms, so you get the rare combination of a buzzing area and a quiet night’s sleep.
Two things to note before you book. There is no guest kitchen, and you pay a little extra for bed linen when staying in the dorms , which always feels slightly odd in a hostel, so factor that in. Rooms run from singles and doubles up to larger dorms, with shared bathrooms on each floor.
Essentials: Schlesische Straße 18, Kreuzberg. Beds from around €18 in a dorm, with privates from roughly €65.
Perfect for: Party people, solo travellers and anyone who wants Kreuzberg on their doorstep.
7. Generator Berlin Alexanderplatz
This is a fun hostel. Great bar with dance floor. Nice inner courtyard with half pipe for skateboarding plus there is a basement games room where you can challenge your mates to a shuffleboard tournament.
As with every Generator, the design is the draw. Expect a stylish lobby, a lively on-site bar serving German beers, a cafe, and a games room with shuffleboard and pool that does a brilliant job of breaking the ice. Most dorms come with their own chic ensuite bathroom, and you can save a little by choosing a shared bathroom instead. There are 4, 6 and 8 bed dorms, female-only dorms, and bright private rooms for those who want their own space. The breakfast buffet is a cut above the usual fare.
Location is great too- just 300 metres from Alexanderplatz, this is about as central as Berlin gets. The TV Tower is a short walk, Hackescher Markt and Museum Island are close, and the S-Bahn and U-Bahn hub at Alexanderplatz connects you to the whole city and the airport in minutes.
One note of caution- Because it is big, central and well set up for groups, Generator Alexanderplatz can fill with teenage school groups in the summer months, which gives it a bit of a summer camp energy at times. If you want a quieter, more grown-up vibe, East Seven or Generator Mitte or Circus Hostel will suit you better. But for location, design and a guaranteed social buzz, this is hard to beat.
Essentials: Otto-Braun-Straße 65, Mitte. Dorm beds from around €17.50, with privates higher depending on dates.
Perfect for: Solo travellers, couples and groups.
