{"id":190035,"date":"2019-12-27T16:16:37","date_gmt":"2019-12-27T21:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=190035"},"modified":"2025-09-25T12:46:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T16:46:05","slug":"best-hostels-in-vancouver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/travel-blogs\/best-hostels-in-vancouver\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Best Hostels in Vancouver"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in the world.<\/a> It\u2019s filled with delicious food (there\u2019s lots of amazing sushi here), spacious parks (don\u2019t miss Stanley Park), and is close to both the mountains and the ocean. The city consistently ranks in the top five best places to live in the world \u2014 and it\u2019s no surprise why. It\u2019s a wonderful, wonderful city that I\u2019ve loved ever since I first visited in 2004 with my family.<\/p>\n Since then, I\u2019ve come back a handful of times to explore it on my own. I\u2019ve seen the city change a lot over the last fifteen years and one of the things that has changed for the benefit of us travelers is that there are a lot more hostels. Vancouver<\/a> now has one of the best hostel scenes in Canada, and you won\u2019t be disappointed with what you find here.<\/p>\n To help you plan your trip, here is my list of my favorite hostels in Vancouver. If you don\u2019t want to read the longer list below, the following hostels are the best in each category:<\/p>\n Want the specifics of each hostel? Here’s my comprehensive list of the best hostels in Vancouver:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re cooking, the kitchen isn\u2019t huge and seating is limited, but they also offer a 20% discount voucher to their pub. Below the hostel is the popular Malone\u2019s Social Lounge & Taphouse (the reason for the late-night noise) and Chihuahuas Mexican Grill, so you can eat and drink without going far and they have happy hour specials. Because of its proximity to the bars, it gets loud at night. If you want a lively hostel, stay here.<\/p>\n Cambie Hostel Seymour at a glance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Housed in a building dating back to the late 1800s, it\u2019s in need of a little renovation. The hostel has a small kitchen and the showers are close to the toilets, which makes it cramped. Its location is its main selling point, though, so if you\u2019re not expecting anything special other than direct access to Gastown and all it has to offer, this is a good place for you. For food, they also offer a 20% discount voucher to be used for any meal and drink at the Cambie Pub.<\/p>\n Cambie Hostel Gastown at a glance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n There are no fewer than three kitchens here too, so there’s never a wait if you want to cook your own food. There’s also a rooftop patio, a coffee bar in the lobby, and fitness center access (including a pool) in a nearby building. As a non-profit hotel, your stay supports their programs helping single mothers and their children have access to housing and food.<\/p>\n YWCA Hotel at a glance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n The dorms have individual light and power outlets to accommodate every bed, the bathrooms have been freshened up, and the Wi-Fi is better than in the past. The hostel also has a free continental breakfast, a rooftop terrace with views over the city, a game room with foosball and pool, a library, and a TV room. It also runs tours and has bike rentals so you can easily explore more of the city.<\/p>\n HI Vancouver Downtown at a glance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot to love at this hostel. It has a decent free breakfast including eggs and hot cereal, a full kitchen, common areas for meeting people and relaxing, daily hikes, and even the Beaver Bar, a lounge serving food and beer with a daily happy hour.<\/p>\n The only real downsides of Samesun are the small rooms (it\u2019s hard to maneuver in the four-bed dorm) and the lack of elevators (so you\u2019ve got to haul your belongings up flights of stairs).<\/p>\n Its location is excellent, however: it\u2019s in the Granville district, which is loaded with bars and restaurants, and near historic Gastown. Like most other hostels in the city, it\u2019s located in an area where the bars are open late, so if you\u2019re sensitive to noise, bring earplugs. <\/p>\n Samesun Vancouver at a glance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Just make sure you have some good earplugs or noise-canceling headphones if you\u2019re a light sleeper. This is a lively city, after all!<\/p>\n Book Your Flight<\/strong> Book Your Accommodation<\/strong> Don’t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong> Looking for the Best Companies to Save Money With?<\/strong> Want More Information on Vancouver?<\/strong> Photo credits – 2 – Cambie Hostel Seymour<\/a>, 3 – Cambie Hostel Gastown<\/a>, 4 – YWCA Hotel<\/a>, 5 – HI Vancouver Downtown<\/a>, 6 – Samesun Vancouver<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in the world. It\u2019s filled with delicious food (there\u2019s lots of amazing sushi here), spacious parks (don\u2019t miss Stanley Park), and is close to both the mountains and the ocean. The city consistently ranks in the top five best places to live in the world \u2014 and it\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":264558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[2506,745,3174,947],"class_list":["post-190035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-america","tag-canada","tag-hostels","tag-nahostels","tag-vancouver"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n1. Cambie Hostel Seymour<\/a><\/h3>\n

\nCambie Hostel Seymour is located in Downtown Vancouver. This hostel is pretty basic and small (dorms are two or four beds), and the hostel itself doesn\u2019t have much ambiance: expect bare rooms and bathrooms in need of a refresh. But guests don\u2019t stay here because of the property; they stay because of its prime location and easy access to other destinations in the city and to the airport. But there is a common area and a \u201cchill room,\u201d which comes complete with its very own hostel cat.<\/p>\n\n
\n <\/p>\n2. Cambie Hostel Gastown<\/a><\/h3>\n

\nThis Cambie hostel is located in Gastown, a hip area of Vancouver loaded with bars and restaurants. It has comfortable beds and a small common room to mix and mingle in. The Cambie, the hostel\u2019s bar, draws in crowds of locals, though it can get incredibly loud so bring some noise-canceling headphones because basic earplugs won\u2019t cut it. Like its sister hostel a few blocks away, there\u2019s also a housecat to keep you company (if you\u2019re allergic to cats, bring allergy meds).<\/p>\n\n
\n <\/p>\n3. YWCA Hotel<\/a><\/h3>\n

\nThis is less of a hostel than it is a budget hotel, offering affordable private rooms in downtown Vancouver. It’s a great choice for couples or families looking for a quiet yet central place to stay. The rooms are basic yet have everything you need, including Wi-Fi and mini-fridges.<\/p>\n\n
\n <\/p>\n4. HI Vancouver Downtown<\/a><\/h3>\n

\nTucked into a quieter part of the city, HI Vancouver Downtown is a good spot for heading out to explore popular Granville and Davie Streets, which offer plenty of caf\u00e9s, restaurants, and shopping. It\u2019s also a quick walk to the beach and ferries to Granville Island (where you\u2019ll find lots of shopping), as well as walking distance to the beautiful Stanley Park.<\/p>\n\n
\n <\/p>\n5. Samesun Vancouver<\/a><\/h3>\n

\nThe Samesun chain of hostels consistently ranks as some of the best in the cities where they are located. Samesun Vancouver is no exception. My favorite feature of this hostel is in the six-bed dorms, which offer cozy pod beds and give you a bit more privacy than normal bunks, as well as your own light, shelf, and outlets. The bathrooms are clean, and there are plenty of them, so you\u2019re not left waiting in line.<\/p>\n\n
\n <\/p>\nBook Your Trip to Vancouver: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n
\nUse Skyscanner<\/a> to find a cheap flight. They are my favorite search engine because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.<\/p>\n
\nYou can book your hostel with Hostelworld<\/a> as they have the biggest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com<\/a> as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.<\/p>\n
\nTravel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:<\/p>\n\n
\nCheck out my resource page<\/a> for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.<\/p>\n
\nBe sure to visit my robust destination guide on Vancouver<\/a> for even more planning tips!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n