Europe
London, England
Wombat’s City Hostel London: 8.5/10
I have stayed here multiple times. I like the location. Right near tower of London and Tower bridge. Easy to get the tube to other parts of the city. The bar area is very nice and is a good place to meet people. The rooms themselves are ok. Not bad but not great. And the washing machines and dryers all seemed to be broken the last time I was there. The washer drenched my clothes making them very difficult to dry.
Nice, France
Antares Hostel: 9.1/10
This was my first hostel at the start of a solo trip, and I had a really great time. It is less than 2 minutes from the train station, which is perfect for arriving and leaving but also for day trips around the South of France or to Monaco! There is free wine some nights and some breakfast in the morning, which is good for meeting people. The rooms were nice as well. I really enjoyed my time here and would recommend it to a solo female traveler.
Marseille, France
Vertigo Vieux-Port: 7.7/10
I was only here for one night, but overall the hostel was ok. It was a good crash pad for the night I was there before flying out. The hostel is in a safer area of Marseille (I believe), and I felt safe in the hostel, but was somewhat nervous to go out on my own. The staff was really nice. The kitchen does not have the best equipment, but it’s a good place to meet people. I think if you are spending one or two nights in Marseille, this hostel is an ok option.
Corfu, Greece
The Pink Palace Hotel & Hostel: 7.4/10
I think this is a great hostel for 2 or 3 nights, but not much more than that. I found it hard to meet people as a solo traveler. The hostel advertises many events and activities, but a lot of them were not even offered during my time there. I was there for 5 nights and found myself bored. The actual town of Corfu is about a 40-minute bus ride away. If you are looking for a beach getaway with friends, this is the place, but I can’t say I recommend it for a solo traveler. Oh also be prepared for a lot of stairs!
Athens, Greece
Safestay Athens Monastiraki: 9.0/10
I had a great time at Safestay Athens! It is in a great location, close to the metro station, the Athens flea market, the Acropolis, nightlife, etc. There is a pub crawl every night, which is a nice way to meet people. The rooftop bar has great views of the city and the Acropolis. The rooms and bathrooms are a little small, but doable.
Athens, Greece
Athens Backpackers: 9.4/10
While I only stayed one night, I had a great time! The rooms seem pretty new and are comfortable. My room even had a balcony! The rooftop bar is a great place to socialize, but it’s just a bummer that it closes around 10 or 11 pm. The free breakfast is also nice. You are very close to the Acropolis but a little farther from the main parts of the city. Would stay again!
Santorini, Greece
Youth Hostel Anna: 7.1/10
This is a good option if you want a more affordable place in Santorini or want to chill by the beach. If you want to go to Fira or Oia (the main parts of Santorini), it’s a 20-40 minute bus ride, which isn’t too bad but can be a hassle. I didn’t find it to be very social, so I had a hard time meeting people.
Santorini, Greece
Fira Backpackers Place: 9.1/10
I really enjoyed my stay at Fira Backpackers. It is in a great location. It is walking distance to everything in Fira and only a few minutes from the bus station, which can take you all over the island. It had a nice atmosphere, which made it easy to meet people. I made some good friends here. Would stay again!
Paros, Greece
Paros Backpackers: 8.2/10
I was only here one night. It seemed pretty social, but I was exhausted, so I didn’t put in effort to meet people. It is a nice location, just steps from the beach. A little farther from the port and the old town, but not too far (10-15 minute walk).
Split, Croatia
En Route Hostel: 8.5/10
The rooms are nice. I really liked the beds and the privacy curtain. The main room is a place to socialize, but most of the time, I found people just sitting out there awkwardly, not talking to each other. The location was quite odd. It seems to be in an old shopping center where most of the stores have gone out of business. While I felt safe in the hostel, the area around it creeped me out a little.
Zagreb, Croatia
Hostel Mali Mrak Zagreb: 9.1/10
You will not meet a nicer hostel owner than Igor. He is so helpful and easy to talk to. The garden is a great place to meet people, socialize, and chill. While it is a little farther from the city center, you can catch the tram right around the corner, and you’ll be in the city within 10 minutes. I loved the chill vibe of the hostel. Would stay again!
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Hostel Vrba: 8.5/10
I really enjoyed my time here. While the hostel is a little further from the main street of restaurants and bars, it’s a very short, nice walk along the river. There is a bakery and a grocery store very close. The rooms and bathrooms are nice. My only complaint would be that the kitchen doubled as a common room, but the kitchen closed at 10 pm, so after that, there was no communal area.
Budapest, Hungary
Wombat’s City Hostel Budapest: 8.2/10
I had a really good time at this hostel. It was easy to make friends, and it’s in a great location. It is steps away from the metro and a lot of bars/restaurants. However, the main issue was the bathroom. The shower would work for maybe 5 minutes and then completely stop working. The bathroom also constantly smelled like a sewer. I do think, overall, the hostel is good and I would consider staying again. The bathroom just needs fixing.
Prague, Czech Republic
Onefam Miru: 9.4/10
This hostel is a great balance between a party atmosphere and a chill atmosphere. There were drinking games most nights in the common room, and then some people would go out to bars/clubs. It was nice that you could take part in those games, but also chill without a bunch of noise or rowdy people if you wanted to. The staff were great. Gina specifically was amazing. She was very fun and energetic while leading all the games and pub crawls. The hostel is a little far from the old town, but not too bad to walk or take the metro.
Milan, Italy
Ostello Bello Milano Duomo: 8.8/10
I only stayed here one night, but I would stay again. The hostel is very clean and modern. Loved the kitchen and terraces. The main drawback was that it was very expensive when I stayed. Besides that, it was a very nice hostel.
Brussels, Belgium
Latroupe Grand Place: 9.4/10
This is a very nice, clean, and modern hostel. It’s in a great location, and the hostel has a nice atmosphere in the lobby/common space. I met some good friends here as a solo traveler.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen Downtown Hostel: 7.5/10
The bar is a very social area but besides that there wasn’t much of a social atmosphere. There weren’t really any events happening. A pub crawl or game night would have been nice to meet more people. The location was very nice. Close to Tivoli Gardens, the train station, and a lot of stores and restaurants. The room was quite small and the lockers were designed poorly for the setup of the room. Opening them got in the way of people walking through the room. The shower was also very cold and would not warm up. I probably would not stay here again.
Stockholm, Sweden
City Backpackers Hostel: 8.8/10
The hostel's common areas are very nice and good places to meet people. There were always people out there chatting. The location is nice as it is close to the train station and the main shopping street. It would have been nice to have events to meet more people.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Hostel Angelina Old Town: 8.3/10
Great location in the old town. I met a lot of cool people here and made friends easily. It is a bit weird that the hostel is split between the main building and other buildings in the old town. If you are not in the main building, it can be harder to socialize. But the hostel does a good job of hosting events for everyone to get together. I would stay again!
Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Hostel Miran: 8.2/10
Miran is so wonderful. He is kind and helpful. You can tell he really cares about his guests. The hostel is close to the main bus station, but it is a further walk to Old Town than I expected. It is about a 15-20 minute walk. People were very nice here as well. I made some good friends!
Kotor, Montenegro
Montenegro Hostel 4U: 6.8/10
Nice if you are young and looking for a party hostel. There were a lot of 18 to 20-year-olds and posters around the hostel about drinking. The rooms and the location were nice, but the bathroom smelled all the time. If you do not want to drink/play drinking games, you will have a hard time meeting people.
Budva, Montenegro
Freedom Hostel: 8.5/10
The hostel itself is lovely. Nice big bed with privacy curtain. It is in a good location in the old town and is very close to a gorgeous beach. There was not much of an atmosphere, but that could have been because the weather was not great while I was there.
Central America
Jaco, Costa Rica
Socialtel Jaco: 9/10
This hostel was called Selina Jaco when I visited in February 2024. I am not sure if it has changed at all under the new branding/ownership. I visited with my 3 friends and we loved this hostel. We stayed in a private room, which was a little small but doable. You are right on the beach, and it is an easy walk to markets, restaurants, bars, etc. There are a lot of activities at the hostel too! They can be a little expensive, but there are also free ones. I think if I were there solo, it would have been a little harder to meet people, but as a group, it was great.
Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Selina Manuel Antonio: 8.5 /10
There are a few pros and cons to this hostel. Some of the pros are that there are a lot of activities, three pools, and a restaurant with beautiful ocean views across the street. One of the cons is that this property is really big, so there are a lot of stairs, and it can be harder to meet people when you spread out so much. Note: This property has closed!