The Best Hostels for Backpackers in Santiago, Chile

This welcoming whitewashed hostel works hard to charm the budget traveler, with shiny parquet flooring throughout. Dormitories, including one for women only, are dressed with smart lime green and orange blankets and crisp white bedlinen. Rooms vary from twins and doubles to four-bed dorms. Enjoy time outside in the sweet patio space, which is filled with bistro tables and chairs, lush palms and a large tree. Make your morning coffee in the shared kitchen, or use it to chill goodies from the local market to sling on the barbecue later in the evening.

A restored 19th-century house not far from Parque Forestal gives a warm welcome with cozy red walls, open wooden beams and an attractive stone fireplace. It aims to please travelers with a variety of entertainment, including DVDs, a pool table, hockey table and a terrace with a barbecue. There’s also a large, cheerfully painted, well-equipped kitchen. Rooms range from doubles and triples to family and dormitory-style.

Every possible room and dormitory type exists at this boutique hostel, close to the Parque Forestal in the Lastarria neighborhood, including doubles, four-, eight- and 10-bed dormitories with mixed or all-female options. The historical building will charm you with wooden floorboards and smart white bunk beds, lit by charming arched windows and modern art on the walls. The terrace is set with cool metal chairs and atmospheric lighting, creating a social space for mixing with fellow travelers.

Steps from Ñuble metro station, this hostel makes you think of an explosion in a paint shop – but in a good way. Color is used to create a welcoming space, with tropical murals on the bright walls and striped rugs and bedding. Rustle up a late night snack in the communal kitchen, then enjoy it on the monochrome patio – which has a turquoise hammock to relax on. Homey rooms range from single to quadruple and rates include a light continental breakfast.

This whitewashed hostel, a 15-minute stroll from Parque Forestal in Lastarria, offers clean-lined but cozy single, twin, double and quadruple rooms plus dorms with lockers. Stop at the in-house tour desk, where staff will be happy to whisk you off to the Santa Rita vineyard for a tour and glass of wine, or a cycle tour – probably best enjoyed before the glass of wine. Missing home? Free national and international calls are also on offer.

This restored 20th-century house close to Mercado Central features an abundance of original features, from high ceilings and wooden floors to wood panelling and intriguing framed photos and etchings. Rest up in mixed dorms and private doubles or twins – come morning, sip your breakfast juice on the terrace with mountain views. Unusually for a hostel, there’s an in-house restaurant. Sample typical Chilean cuisine in the Adobe Restaurant, where guests are rewarded with a complimentary welcome drink and appetizer.

Something of a party pad, La Casa Roja is a whirlwind of pool parties and barbecues based around the outdoor freeform swimming pool in Barrio Brasil, a few minutes from the city center. Simple rooms are available, including women-only and mixed dormitories, plus double, twin, triple and quadruple rooms. The accommodation features parquet floors and wooden furniture. The shady patio is the perfect spot for a coffee break, or you could play table tennis in the sun, in mature grounds with thick-trunked palm trees.