The 13 Best Hostels in Beijing

This modern hostel is located in the thick of the action, a 15-minute walk from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, just steps from the Dongdan subway station that connects you to the rest of Beijing. The flower-filled garden fuses the old and the new: surviving segments of city walls dating back to the Ming Dynasty sit alongside modern decor and a trendy in-house bar.

Yolo House is not your average hostel; it comes with luxuries such as an outdoor swimming pool, a terrace and even a spa and wellness centre, and all at reasonable rates. The rooms include mixed dorms, family rooms and dorms with cable TV and on-demand movies. At only a 10-minute taxi ride from Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and other popular sites, this place is a rare find.

Fancy yourself as a budding Bruce Lee? Book a bed at Fly by Knight, which features a martial arts practice area as well as on-site kung fu lessons for guests. And the Chinese traditions don’t end with martial arts: this guesthouse offers authentic accommodation in a beautifully restored Chinese courtyard house.

Located just around the corner from Sanlitun, the heart of Chaoyang District, Lab Hostel offers guests convenient access to some of the city’s best attractions and nightlife. Unlike most hostels in Beijing, this one is designed in a minimalist Nordic style, which means white linens and walls, simple wooden furniture and warm lighting. It offers private and shared dorm rooms, and there are a couple of common areas where you can chat with other guests or watch a movie.

Peking International Youth Hostel is among the most popular hostels in Beijing, which is both good and bad: good because it means it’s pretty awesome, bad because it rarely has vacancies. Located at the south end of Nanluoguxiang, a famous hutong in Beijing, this hostel is a short stroll from some big attractions and a metro station. The staff can help you organise hiking trips and book tours and shows. The rooms are colourful, clean and brightly decorated; the shared bathrooms have hairdryers; and there’s Wi-Fi everywhere. There’s also a café, a sun terrace and a book bar where you can relax during your down time.

The fun and friendly 365 Inn is a Western-style backpacker joint in the heart of Beijing. There are dorms full of great-value bunks, common areas furnished with the flags of the world, an on-site eatery serving tasty European and local cuisine and a bar pouring cheap drinks – all in a 150-year-old building just a 10-minute walk from Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum and Tiananmen Square.

Sitting on the doorstep of Tiananmen Square, this hostel is an institution of the Beijing backpacker scene. Leo Hostel offers neat dorms, a reception desk that can book tours and transport, and a lively on-site bar that’s always crowded with backpackers from every corner of the globe.