As the need for alternative (and cheaper) lodging options continues to grow, a lot of travelers these days are drawn to the affordable pricing and unique experience offered by hostels.
And for those traveling to Austin, hostels provide not just a place to sleep, but a communal experience fitting a variety of budgets. Some local hostels even serve as a bar, restaurant, or music venue for locals to enjoy in addition to our out-of-town visitors and activities in Austin.
Whether you’re traveling alone or with your pals, you don’t want to miss these five Austin hostels.
Native
HostelWorld (*8.8) Booking.com (*9.1)
Map Starts at ($60) for 6 bed-dorm
**prices are shown for weekdays in Mid-season (March)
Native, originally constructed in 1897 as lodging for railroad workers, brings affordable sleeping quarters and a completely new hostel experience to Austin. Started by Michael Dickson, Antonio Madrid, and Will Steakley, this hostel was founded on “community and social engagement.”
Hostel guests get to stay in private quarters that offer bunks (complete with curtains), loft suites, and a romper room that can fit 20 people. Native gives guests the privacy they want, as well as the opportunity to socialize at the downstairs restaurant and bar, Native Bar & Kitchen, which is also open to the public and is a crowd-pleaser with guests.
Firehouse Hostel
HostelWorld (*8.8) Booking.com (*8.7)
Map Starts at ($35) for 8 bed-dorm
**prices are shown for weekdays in Mid-season (March)
Located in the heart of downtown Austin, Firehouse Lounge & Hostel offers access to all the events, nightlife, and music guests could possibly want.
Firehouse is located exactly where Austin’s oldest fire station once stood, and owners Kent Roth and Collin Ballard have transformed an 1885 structure into an international hostel that attracts both tourists and locals with fun details like the customer-favorite secret bookshelf entrance.
Drifter Jack’s Hostel
HostelWorld (*9.0) Booking.com (*8.7)
Map Starts at ($32) for 6 bed-dorm
**prices are shown for weekdays in Mid-season (March)
If you want to be where the cool college kids are, look no further than Drifter Jack’s Hostel located in West Campus. Art is the name of the game at Drifter Jack’s, with twenty-seven local artists’ art contributing to the hotel’s decor. Artist Sophie Roach’s artwork is beautifully displayed along the side of the building and can be seen by guests as they head up the entrance staircase.
Drifter Jack’s hosts 50 guests across nine rooms, making it perfect for guests who are looking to socialize and meet other like-minded travelers. The highlight for guests just might be that once these new friendships are formed, they can hit the town together with the Austin event calendar that Drifter Jack’s curates and provides each of its guests.
HK Austin
HostelWorld (*9.2) Booking.com (*8.4)
Map Starts at ($67) for 6 bed-dorm
**prices are shown for weekdays in Mid-season (March)
Feel like staying in a haunted Victorian mansion? Okay, they didn’t actually say that it’s haunted, but it is a Victorian mansion and what Victorian mansion isn’t haunted?
Hostel owners Brent Underwood and Matt Kepnes hoped to create an environment where guests could share their passions for traveling in a place that felt like an old friend’s place. Guests love that this beautiful Victorian mansion offers them wallet-friendly accommodations and plenty of opportunities to interact with other guests in historic common areas.
HI Austin
HostelWorld (*8.8) Booking.com (*8.3)
Map Starts at ($28) for 12 bed-dorm
**prices are shown for weekdays in Mid-season (March)
Hostelling International (HI) is the sixth-largest provider of travel accommodation in the world and is the federation of more than 70 National Youth Hostel Associations across more than 80 countries. HI’s Austin hostel is located in Town Lake Metropolitan Park on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, just minutes from downtown Austin.
Because of its involvement in providing hostels for youth, HI Austin’s patrons love that this is the perfect place for youth group retreats, international students who are studying abroad, or tour groups of all ages.