Hostels in Washington
There are 8 hostels listed within about five miles of central Washington, which is 0.8% of everything on offer in the city — a thin hostel market - nearly every bed here is in a hotel. This page covers what that actually means for a trip: which hostels are here, how they rate against Washington's hotels, and which are worth it if you are coming for a show.
How strong is the hostel scene in Washington?
Two numbers answer that, and neither means much on its own. The first is how much of Washington'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 | Washington | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Hostels listed | 8 | Dedicated hostels and backpacker accommodation within roughly five miles of the centre. |
| Share of all accommodation | 0.8% | A thin hostel market - nearly every bed here is in a hotel. Measured against all 961 properties listed in the same radius. |
| Average hostel guest score | 6.7/10 | Averaged across the hostels above. Supplied by our accommodation partner, not a StubOrder rating. |
| Average hotel guest score | 8.1/10 | The same measure for Washington’s hotels, with hostels excluded so the comparison is not partly against itself. |
The short version: hostels in Washington score well below the city's hotels, which is worth knowing before you book on price alone — a gap of 1.4 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 Washington, closest to the centre first
Distances are measured from the middle of Washington. 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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Duo Housing
1223 11th Street NW, Washington
Convenient Location Just 1.8 km from The White House, Duo Housing in Washington offers free WiFi access and a 24-hour front desk. Comfortable Accommodation Rooms feature linen, to…
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I Street Capsule Hostel
Discover the perfect blend of comfort and convenience at I Street Capsule Hostel, ideally situated in the heart of Washington. Stylish and Comfortable Accommodations Relax in one …
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DC International Hostel 2
1418 9TH St NW, Washington
Central Location Located in the heart of Washington, DC, International Hostel 2 offers convenient access to major attractions such as Walter E Washington Convention Center and The…
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DC International Hostel 1
1610 7th St NW, Washington
Welcome to DC International Hostel 1! Convenient Location: Situated just 1 km from the DC convention centre and Old Dominion Brew House, our hostel offers easy access to key attra…
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Caravan Hostel DC
2311 18th Street Northwest, Washington
At Caravan Hostel DC in Washington, adults can enjoy a unique stay in a cozy property with a garden, shared lounge, and terrace. Experience evening entertainment and make new frie…
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Washington Capitol Hostel
2451 18th Street NW, Washington
Convenient Location: Located in the Northwest district, just 1.5 miles from the White House, Washington International Student Center offers easy access to popular attractions like…
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102 Private Room-Double Twin Bed in CoHi DC!
1266 Columbia Road Northwest, Washington
Convenient Location The 102 Private Room-Double Twin Bed in CoHi DC! is conveniently located within close proximity to popular attractions such as Phillips Collection and Walter E…
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Duo Nomad
1010 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Washington
Modern Accommodation with Vibrant Entertainment Experience a unique stay at Duo Nomad in Washington, offering adults-only accommodation with a garden, shared lounge, and terrace. …
Staying in a hostel for a Washington 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 Washington
- From about $48.00View Tickets
- From about $39.00View Tickets
- From about $328.00View Tickets
- From about $114.00View Tickets
- From about $79.00View Tickets
- From about $123.00View 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 Capital One Arena
- Stays near Lisner Auditorium
- Stays near DAR Constitution Hall
- Stays near Warner Theatre - DC
- Stays near Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
- Stays near National Theatre - DC
- Stays near Kennedy Center Concert Hall
- Stays near Charles E. Smith Center
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 Washington 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.
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.
How many hostels are there in Washington?
Our accommodation partner lists 8 hostels within about five miles of central Washington, out of 961 places to stay in total — 0.8% of everything listed here. That count includes both dedicated hostels and backpacker accommodation.
Are hostels in Washington any good?
Washington's hostels average 6.7/10 in guest scores against 8.1/10 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 Washington?
The hostels on this page are measured from the middle of Washington, 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.
