Hostels in India Hostels in India

You are looking for hostels in India? Good news, you have come to the right place.

On this page we list every single city with hostels and other budget accommodations. Hostelz.com helps you to find your India hostel and compare its prices on the major booking sites such as Hostelworld, Hostelsclub and Booking.com. So you can sleep on a budget and save money while backpacking India.

All Cities in India

We list every single hostel in India and the world. In total, we have 267 cities in India for you. Please note that not all cities actually have a hostel to stay in. Below you can filter for cities with hostels and with no hostels-type accommodation, but guesthouses and budget hotels. This will help your planning.

All India hostels on a map

Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.

Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in India. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.

Our handwritten guide on Backpacking India

India is such a vast country. From north to south, you will find an amazing change in the architecture, scenery, and religion. As a home to a billion people, and hundreds of cheap hostels, it's a boiling pot of interesting things. The amount of experiences you can have here is never ending.

If you are starting up in the north, the major city is New Delhi. There are a large number of hostels that you can stay in here, but do your research and make sure you are staying in a good area of Delhi with access to everything you need. The city can be very overwhelming, especially for those touching down in India for the first time.

Majority of Indian travel is done by train. Be on the look out for scams constantly. Your hostel staff should be able to give you some ideas on how much particular things cost so that you don't get ripped off. When trying to figure out which trains to get on, people will scam you to try and get you to take a car with them. It is best to ask as little questions of the locals here as possible as the scams are super elaborate. Ask station staff what train you need.

In the north, the cities worth visiting are Agra for the Taj Mahal, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar and Jaipur. Rishikesh is also a very loved destination in the north for it's hippy influences and is popular with backpackers. The other not to be missed town in the north is Varanasi. It is one of the most spiritual of the cities in India and is where many of the prayers and ceremonies are held on the Ganges. There is an abundance of hostels in Varanasi and you should plan on spending at least a couple of days here to get a proper feel for the spirituality of the place. Definitely take a boat ride along the river and observe the cremations.

As you travel south, you may pass through Mumbai, one of the most famous cities for Bollywood and is full of hostels. On the west coast you will hit the beaches of Goa, also another area that is very popular with both Indian and international tourists.

A short train ride from Goa is the impressive town of Hampi. which has some of the most incredible ruins in all of India and is worth spending a couple of days exploring. The towns of Mysore, Madurai and Kochi have some great palaces and history of the region. You will find a lot of hostels in Kochi as it is quite a large city.

For some stunning beaches, hang out in a hostel in Varkala or Trivandrum down in the south and enjoy the amazing tropical wilderness. These are also great regions to check out Ayurvedic massage and treatments. Just as at your hostel which ones are the best and give the most authentic treatment.

On the east coast, you will find heaps of hostels to stay in and around the Chennai and Kolkata area.

Wherever you go in India, you will find a large number of hostels to stay in. Some of them can be very cheap and dirty. Make sure you read your reviews online and do your research before booking in to stay somewhere.

expert for India hostels

Handwritten by local expert for India hostels Globetrotter

Travel Tips for India - from the Community

Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking India. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of India. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!

FAQ on Hostels in India

There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:

Finding Hostels and Prices

What hostel booking sites are best to use?

There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.

This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.

For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.

How much are hostels in India?

Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.

You can search for exacty hostel prices in India here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.

When to book hostels?

If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.

We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.

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Safety and Packing

Are hostels in India safe?

Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.

What to pack when staying in hostels?

There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.

  1. Padlock
  2. Earplugs
  3. Sleeping Mask
  4. Quick Dry Travel Towel
  5. Head Lamp

There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.

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