Hostels in Vancouver
There are 10 hostels listed within about five miles of central Vancouver, which is 1.5% 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 Vancouver's hotels, and which are worth it if you are coming for a show.
How strong is the hostel scene in Vancouver?
Two numbers answer that, and neither means much on its own. The first is how much of Vancouver'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 | Vancouver | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Hostels listed | 10 | Dedicated hostels and backpacker accommodation within roughly five miles of the centre. |
| Share of all accommodation | 1.5% | A modest but real hostel scene. Measured against all 683 properties listed in the same radius. |
| Average hostel guest score | 6.8/10 | Averaged across the hostels above. Supplied by our accommodation partner, not a StubOrder rating. |
| Average hotel guest score | 8.4/10 | The same measure for Vancouver’s hotels, with hostels excluded so the comparison is not partly against itself. |
The short version: hostels in Vancouver score well below the city's hotels, which is worth knowing before you book on price alone — a gap of 1.6 points. That gap is normal and mostly measures the product, not the management: a shared room with six strangers in it will rarely be scored like a private one, however well the place is run. It is worth reading the individual scores below rather than the average.
Hostels in Vancouver, closest to the centre first
Distances are measured from the middle of Vancouver. 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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Samesun Vancouver - Hostel
1018 Granville Street, Vancouver
Experience the vibrant pulse of Vancouver at Samesun Vancouver - Hostel, ideally situated near BC Place Stadium and other iconic attractions. Prime Location Nestled in the heart o…
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Hotel Ambassador - Hostel
1212 Granville Street, Vancouver
Central Location Experience the vibrant heart of Vancouver at Hotel Ambassador - Hostel, steps away from Granville Street and minutes from BC Place Stadium. Discover the city's ic…
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St Clair Hostel
577 Richards St., Vancouver
Winter Sports Paradise Experience the best of Vancouver's winter at St Clair Hotel-Hostel. Located in the heart of downtown, you can easily access Grouse, Cypress, and Mount Seymo…
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C&N Backpackers Hostel - Vancouver
927 Main Street, Vancouver
Make use of convenient amenities, which include complimentary wireless internet access and tour/ticket assistance.Featured amenities include multilingual staff, luggage storage, a…
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The Cambie Hostel Gastown
310 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Central Location in Historic Gastown Located just a 10-minute walk from Roger's Arena and BC Place, Cambie Hostel Gastown is the perfect choice for travelers looking to immerse th…
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Cambie Downtown Hostel
515 Seymour Street, Vancouver
Recreational Amenities Unwind in style at our hostel with a nightclub and bikes for rent. Dining and Drinking Savor delectable dishes at the restaurant, grab a snack at the deli, …
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HI Vancouver Downtown - Hostel
1114 Burnaby Street, Vancouver
Rooftop Patio and Free WiFi Located in Vancouver, this non-smoking hostel offers a charming rooftop patio for guests to enjoy the city skyline. Stay connected with complimentary W…
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Backpacker College at EC Vancouver: APT Living
1125 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver
Recreational Opportunities Don't miss out on the many recreational opportunities, including an outdoor pool, a sauna, and a fitness center. Home-like Guestrooms Make yourself at h…
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Vincent Guest House
Experience comfort and convenience at Vincent Guest House, your perfect retreat in vibrant East Vancouver. Spacious Accommodations Our four inviting guest rooms provide a cozy atm…
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HI Vancouver Jericho Beach - Hostel
1515 Discovery Street, Vancouver
Prime Location near Jericho Beach Park Comfortable Dormitory-style Rooms Experience the convenience of backpack-size lockers, linens, and shared or private en suite bathrooms. Del…
Staying in a hostel for a Vancouver 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 Vancouver
- From about $51.00View Tickets
- From about $34.00View Tickets
- From about $59.00View Tickets
- From about $40.00View Tickets
- From about $39.00View Tickets
- From about $45.00View Tickets
- From about $74.00View Tickets
- From about $72.00View 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 Rogers Arena
- Stays near Pacific Coliseum
- Stays near Orpheum Theatre - Vancouver
- Stays near Queen Elizabeth Theatre - Vancouver
- Stays near Malkin Bowl - Stanley Park
- Stays near Commodore Ballroom
- Stays near Vogue Theatre - BC
- Stays near The Centre In Vancouver For Performing Arts
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 Vancouver 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
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.
How many hostels are there in Vancouver?
Our accommodation partner lists 10 hostels within about five miles of central Vancouver, out of 683 places to stay in total — 1.5% of everything listed here. That count includes both dedicated hostels and backpacker accommodation.
Are hostels in Vancouver any good?
Vancouver's hostels average 6.8/10 in guest scores against 8.4/10 for the city's hotels, so they score well below the city's hotels, which is worth knowing before you book on price alone. Those scores come from our accommodation partner, not from StubOrder.
Are there hostels near the venues in Vancouver?
The hostels on this page are measured from the middle of Vancouver, 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.
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.
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.
