Hostels in New Orleans
There are 8 hostels listed within about five miles of central New Orleans, which is 1.0% of everything on offer in the city — a modest but real hostel scene. This page covers what that actually means for a trip: which hostels are here, how they rate against New Orleans's hotels, and which are worth it if you are coming for a show.
How strong is the hostel scene in New Orleans?
Two numbers answer that, and neither means much on its own. The first is how much of New Orleans's accommodation is hostels rather than hotels — a city can have plenty of hostels and still be a hotel city. The second is how those hostels score against the hotels sitting next to them, which is the only fair benchmark, because guest scores drift by city and a 7.8 in one place is not a 7.8 in another.
| Measure | New Orleans | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Hostels listed | 8 | Dedicated hostels and backpacker accommodation within roughly five miles of the centre. |
| Share of all accommodation | 1.0% | A modest but real hostel scene. Measured against all 800 properties listed in the same radius. |
| Average hostel guest score | 8.7/10 | Averaged across the hostels above. Supplied by our accommodation partner, not a StubOrder rating. |
| Average hotel guest score | 8.3/10 | The same measure for New Orleans’s hotels, with hostels excluded so the comparison is not partly against itself. |
The short version: hostels in New Orleans score better than the city's hotels — a gap of 0.4 points. That is unusual and worth taking seriously. Hostels normally score below hotels simply because a dorm bed is a harder thing to like, so a city where they come out ahead generally has a few genuinely good ones carrying the average.
Hostels in New Orleans, closest to the centre first
Distances are measured from the middle of New Orleans. Pick your dates to see what a bed actually costs — hostel pricing moves more than hotel pricing does, because a dorm can sell out one bed at a time.
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HI New Orleans Hostel
1028 Canal Street, New Orleans
Conveniently located in New Orleans Air-Conditioned Rooms and Free WiFi The HI New Orleans Hostel offers comfortable air-conditioned rooms with cozy bed linens and towels provided…
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City House Hostel New Orleans
129 Burgundy Street, New Orleans
Convenient Amenities: Enjoy complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and an arcade/game room during your stay. Dining and Socializing: Indulge in snacks from th…
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City House New Orleans Samesun
129 BURGUNDY ST 2nd Floor, New Orleans
Central Location in the French Quarter City House New Orleans Samesun offers air-conditioned rooms in the heart of the vibrant French Quarter, just a stone's throw away from Union…
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Auberge NOLA Travelers House
1628 Carondelet St., New Orleans
Central Location and Free WiFi Access Located just 900 meters from the World War 2 Museum, Auberge Nouvelle Orleans hostel offers free WiFi access and is conveniently situated onl…
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Auberge Nouvelle Orleans Hostel
1628 Carondelet/Robert C. Blakes Sr. Dr, New Orleans
Charming Victorian Hostel in New Orleans Amenities Galore Complimentary wireless internet access and concierge services Arcade/game room, television in a common area, and a picnic…
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Madame Isabelle's House
1021 Kerlerec St, New Orleans
Luxurious Accommodation Madame Isabelle's House and hostel in New Orleans provides comfortable rooms with a seating area, perfect for relaxation. Enjoy free WiFi and unwind while …
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India House Hostel
124 S Lopez St, New Orleans
Vibrant Hostel Experience in the Heart of New Orleans Outdoor Pool and Communal Kitchen: India House Hostel offers a refreshing outdoor pool and a fully-stocked communal kitchen f…
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Site 61 Guesthouse
3701 Tulane Ave, New Orleans
Convenient Location Situated in the vibrant Mid-City district, Site 61 Hostel is just 3.3 km from Caesars Superdome, making it an ideal choice for exploring New Orleans. Shared Fa…
Staying in a hostel for a New Orleans event
A hostel makes most sense on exactly the kind of trip StubOrder sends people on: one or two nights, built around a fixed start time, where you are out of the building all evening. The bed is somewhere to sleep afterwards, not somewhere to spend the weekend, and the saving against a hotel on a sold-out event night is usually the largest saving available on the whole trip — event nights are when city hotel rates spike and hostel beds barely move.
The two things to check before you book are the ones that catch people out. First, front-desk hours: a support act running long can put you back at 23:45, which is no use if reception closes at 23:00 and there is no night code. Second, whether the rate is per bed or per room — a private twin at £70 and a dorm bed at £35 each are the same money for two people, and the private room is the better buy.
What is on in New Orleans
- From about $95.00View Tickets
- From about $44.00View Tickets
- From about $95.00View Tickets
- From about $61.00View Tickets
Distance from a specific venue
The hostels above are measured from the centre of town. If you want to know what is actually walkable from the doors of one building, each venue has its own accommodation page that sorts every nearby property by real distance.
- Stays near Caesars Superdome
- Stays near Smoothie King Center
- Stays near UNO Lakefront Arena
- Stays near Saenger Theatre - New Orleans
- Stays near New Orleans City Park
- Stays near House Of Blues - New Orleans
- Stays near Orpheum Theater - New Orleans
Dorm bed or private room?
This is the decision that actually determines what your stay is like, and it is not the same decision as hostel-or-hotel. Almost every hostel in New Orleans sells both, at prices that overlap with the cheaper end of the city's hotels.
| Dorm bed | Hostel private room | |
|---|---|---|
| Priced by | The bed. Two people pay twice. | The room, like a hotel. |
| Best for | Solo travel, and meeting people. | Two people, or anyone who wants a door that locks. |
| Bathroom | Usually shared down the hall. | Often private, but check — many are not. |
| Getting in late | Fine, but you will wake people. | No issue. |
| Luggage | A locker, usually needing your own padlock. | In the room. |
| Versus a cheap hotel | Much cheaper, especially on event nights. | Often similar money — compare properly. |
The rule of thumb that holds nearly everywhere: travelling alone, take the dorm; travelling as two, price the private room against a budget hotel before assuming the hostel wins. On an ordinary weeknight the hotel sometimes does. On the night of a sold-out event, the hostel almost always does.
What to check before booking a hostel
Hostels vary in ways hotels mostly do not, and the variation is in the policies rather than the rooms. None of the following is unusual, and all of it is easier to find out now than at 1am.
- Age limits. Some hostels are 18–35 only, some refuse under-18s without an adult, and a few are over-18 with no upper bound. This is a property-by-property rule, not a city rule.
- Reception hours and curfews. A genuine curfew is rare now, but limited front-desk hours are common. If your event finishes late, confirm there is a night entry code.
- Whether the rate includes linen. Mostly yes; occasionally a few pounds or dollars extra at check-in, which quietly changes the comparison against a hotel.
- Lockers and padlocks. Nearly every dorm has lockers. A good number expect you to bring your own padlock, and the ones sold at the desk cost more than one from home.
- Deposits. Some hostels take a key or damage deposit in cash at arrival and return it on checkout — worth knowing if you are travelling cardless.
- Cancellation terms. The cheapest hostel rates are frequently non-refundable, which matters more than usual when the trip depends on an event that could be postponed.
Two of these — cancellation terms and what the rate actually includes — are shown on the booking screen once you pick dates, so check them there rather than assuming.
Plan the rest of the trip
Frequently asked questions
Can I book a private room in a hostel?
Most hostels sell private rooms alongside dorm beds, and they are usually cheaper than a hotel room of the same size. Whether a given property has one is shown when you pick your dates — if only dorm beds come back, that hostel has no privates free for that stay.
Are there hostels near the venues in New Orleans?
The hostels on this page are measured from the middle of New Orleans, not from any one venue. For distance from a specific building, use that venue's own accommodation page — each one is linked above and sorts every nearby property by real distance from the doors.
How many hostels are there in New Orleans?
Our accommodation partner lists 8 hostels within about five miles of central New Orleans, out of 800 places to stay in total — 1.0% of everything listed here. That count includes both dedicated hostels and backpacker accommodation.
Does StubOrder sell hostel beds and tickets together?
No. Tickets come from our resale marketplace and accommodation from our booking partner. They are two separate bookings with separate confirmations, and neither depends on the other.
Is a hostel a sensible place to stay for a concert or a game?
For a one- or two-night trip built around an event, often yes — you are out of the building most of the evening anyway. The things to check are the front-desk hours and whether there is a curfew, because a show that ends at 23:30 is no use if reception shut at 23:00.
Are hostels in New Orleans any good?
New Orleans's hostels average 8.7/10 in guest scores against 8.3/10 for the city's hotels, so they score better than the city's hotels. Those scores come from our accommodation partner, not from StubOrder.
