You are looking for hostels in Malaysia? 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 Malaysia 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 Malaysia.
We list every single hostel in Malaysia and the world. In total, we have 45 cities in Malaysia 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.
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 Malaysia. 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.
There are two major parts of Malaysia that you can travel to. Most people are doing one or the other, a few travelers actually find time to get to both. There is the Malaysian Peninsula just south of Thailand, and then there is Malaysian Borneo (composed of the states of Sabah and Sarawak).
The Malaysian Peninsula is attached to Thailand and there is an abundance of things to see and do here from beaches to jungle to temples. The capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is in this part of the country and it is one of the major flight hubs around the world for cheap flights. If you get a chance, spend some time in Kuala Lumpur some of the surrounding towns and cities if you get a chance before moving onward. Make sure you go and check out the Petronas Towers, catch some of the amazing live original music in the music scene here and catch a cultural show. Shopping is also very popular to do in Kuala Lumpur. If you get a chance, head out to the Batu Caves. You will find an abundance of hostels here in the capital city so do your research as to where your hostel is and make sure that it is accessible to transport to get around the city. For a more local experience, head out to Petaling Jaya, known to the locals as "PJ" and have a midnight snack at some of the mamaks. Try some cendol or a Ribena Special.
South of Kuala Lumpur you will find the stunning Penang Island. With a rich Chinese history, you will find a huge number of beautiful temples here. It is worth taking a hike up Penang hill if you are fit, and if not, take the bus. The climb is brutal in the heat. Malacca, or Melaka, is also a beautiful beach town worth exploring here in the south.
North of Kuala Lumpur on the peninsula you will find the amazing Cameron Highlands area with the stunning town of Tanah Rata. From here you can explore the tea plantations in the hills, go on a hike with a local guide. If you are lucky and it is the right time of year you may even encounter the largest flower in the world, the rafflesia. Langkawi is a very popular island off of the west coast in the north and you will find an abundance of snorkeling and beach activities to do here and a pretty good party scene. You will find multiple hostels per destination in all of these places.
Malaysian Borneo is the more relaxed of the two different parts of Malaysia. You can fly into Kuching, which is one of the larger cities on the island. You will find quite a large number of hostels here. Take your time to explore the amazing scenery of the surrounding area. You can book a trip to climb Kota Kinabalu if it is in the dry season. It's the largest mountain in Malaysia and is a stunning climb. There are lots of hostels here and in the surrounding area for you to rest before and after your climb. The island of Borneo is also well known for being home to orangutans. Ask at your hostel as you land the best way to experience these amazing creatures in the wild and they should be able to help you out.
Handwritten by local expert for Malaysia hostels Globetrotter
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 Malaysia. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of Malaysia. 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!
There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:
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.
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 Malaysia 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.
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.
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.
There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.
There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.
