The Best Budget Hostels in Puebla, Mexico

With only a single four-bed mixed dorm and a selection of doubles, Azul is more a budget guesthouse than a hostel. But, it’s well situated – a few hundred meters from the 16th-century baroque convent of St Francis and among the buildings of the Spanish colonial center – and offers a skyline view from the sunny rooftop terrace.

This well-located hostel-guesthouse has bright 1960s-retro rooms flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling glass and offers space for one or two couples (thanks to double and shared sofa beds). There are a sun-baked rooftop terrace and a shady park on the doorstep. The zócalo (the main square) and cathedral in the city center – and the restaurant-packed Los Sapos neighborhood – are a 15-minute walk away.

Rooms and six-bed dorms at Gente de Más are barely bigger than the bed, but they’re cheap, bright and painted with striking street art. And, they sit over an airy central atrium lounge – in a converted mid-19th-century townhouse. The location couldn’t be better – four blocks from downtown Puebla and the cathedral, a stroll from the historic Fonda de Santa Clara Mexican restaurant and a 10-minute walk from the bus stop to Cholula.

Simply decorated with colorful tapestries and cloth, Hostal Santo Domingo gives off a warm, orderly vibe in a stately colonial home near the Santo Domingo Church in downtown Puebla. It has 10 private rooms and dorms, many with large windows overlooking the city. The rooms are clustered around a central patio and its tables and chairs.

Hostal Casona Poblana has a small shared kitchen, a simple central patio with tables and chairs and common sitting areas. You’ll stay in either a private room with a vibrant feature wall or a warehouse-chic dorm with in-room sinks. It all sits in a great location, just steps from Biblioteca Palafoxiana, the oldest public library in the Americas and a must-see on your Puebla adventure.

This cozy hostel resides inside a classic baroque home, with balconies and windows offering magical views of the city streets. Enjoy a free breakfast in the central courtyard or on the upper balconies. And, you’ll get 24-hour security, plus free towels, free internet and a late check-out option.

Built in the 17th century, Leonora Hostal retains the glory of its building’s era with intricate woodworking, original oil paintings and plenty of gilded furniture. And, that style flows through to the seven “suites” (really a mixture of private rooms and dorms). There are also a games room and a library, plus a boutique outlet selling textiles from indigenous Mexican communities.