The 5 Best Hostels in Melbourne

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Here it is – the crème de la crème of Melbourne’s hostels, neatly split into travel niches just for you. Picking a place has never been easier, so you can get out exploring the city ASAP.

1. Little Drifter Melbourne: Best Overall Hostel

• Price: $$
• Best for: First time backpackers who want a social hostel without sacrificing comfort or style
• Highlights: Killer CBD location steps from Queen Victoria Market, nightly events (trivia, schnitzel nights, Sunday roasts), fully-equipped communal kitchens on every floor
• Dorms from: [confirm on Hostelworld]
• Private rooms from: [confirm on Hostelworld]
• Location: Melbourne CBD, Franklin Street

Picture the scene: an overwhelmed backpacker, a rabbit in the headlights, touches down in Melbourne for the first time. It’s late, mind is reeling from the newness of everything, the possibility that comes with it. With a weary head, I head towards the scruffy backpacker at the front desk to check in. I’ve spent two years in Asia, and the reverse culture shocks are staggering. People are drinking pints, playing pool, there’s someone in the corner on decks mixing…garage? I am home.

Melbourne’s hostel scene seems to possess a great divide. Those for working holiday folks finding their feet in their new life down under, and those who are simply passing through on a grand sweep of the East Coast. Little Drifter Melbourne, oddly enough, manages to do both. It’s one of the biggest hostels in the city, meaning the full spectrum of backpackers are covered here. Long termers soon sniff out their own whilst those in holiday mode are always keen to take advantage of the social events and drinks deals.

Why you’ll love this hostel:

• Pool tables, table tennis, and games
• Each floor has its own chill-out area
• Super comfortable dorms with curtains and en suites

What attracted me to Little Drifter in the first place was how swanky the amenities are. Hostels in Aus are somewhat scary compared to their SEA counterpart, and I’d long become accustomed to curtains on the beds. For long term living, the dorms are perfect. Ample storage space, pod-like dorms and soft close furnishings so even the early risers heading to their coffee shop jobs won’t stir you from their banging about. The kitchens are huge with crowds to match, and come dinner time it feels like Armageddon, but that’s just the law of the jungle in any Aussy hostel.

When you feel like socialising, you can do so easily. They have events on pretty much every day, and the common area downstairs is huge and seperated from the dorms so noise is never an issue. Each floor has their own common area so you can get to know those who live on your floor more easily. Smack bang in the CBD, it took me a good month to even hop on a tram here. With a location so central, it really isn’t needed. The perfect entry point, this hostel will always mark the start of my journey down under.

2. The Nunnery: Best for Meeting People

• Price: $
• Best for: Backpackers after a social, neighbourhood vibe over a CBD party hostel
• Highlights: Super chill vibes, ‘living room’ common area with TV and games, right next to a tram stop
• Dorms from: $26
• Private rooms from: $81
• Location: Fitzroy, Nicholson Street (tram to CBD, 10-min walk)

This is probably the closest you’re going to get to uni house vibes in a hostel. You’ll probably stick out like a sore thumb if you’re only hanging around for the weekend – this one is for the long-termers. Like most uni houses I’ve stayed in, this one is a little rough around the edges but more than makes up for it in charm. Housed in a genuine 1888 heritage building, you’ve got grand staircases, high ceilings and cosy nooks to call your home. The ‘common area’ is an actual living room, making movie nights and job hunting feel like your actual home – not just a make-shift one.

Why you’ll love this hostel:

• A genuine 1888 heritage building with stained glass and grand staircases. It’s a beautiful building to live in.
• A fairy-light courtyard with social vibes
• Fitzroy location – one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the city

The dorms are as no frills as you’d expect for the baseline in Australia (does it sound like I’ve got some kind of qualms with hostels in Aus?!) but there are tons of bathrooms dotted about that are kept pretty clean. I won’t lie the kitchen is small, kind of gross and to be absolutely avoided during peak hours. For the people you’ll meet and the cool ass location in an even cooler Fitzroy, I’d pick this hostel over any other time and time again. Home to a weird, eclectic mish-mash of backpackers from all over the world, you’ll make friends in no time.

3. Nomads St. Kilda: Best Party Hostel

• Price: $$
• Best for: Party-minded backpackers who want beach access and a non-stop social scene
• Highlights: On-site Red Eye Bar with a packed nightly events calendar (boozy bingo, silent disco, trivia, beer pong), ensuite bathrooms in every room, free lockers and luggage storage, and a 5-minute walk to St Kilda Beach
• Dorms from: $25
• Private rooms from: $81
• Location: St Kilda, Carlisle Street (tram to CBD, 6km from city centre)

St Kilda is backpacker central in Melbourne, and Nomads is right in the thick of it: five minutes from the beach, a tram ride from the CBD, and home to one of the best bar scenes of any hostel in the city. Big Willy’s Bingo on Monday nights is notorious for a reason, and it didn’t take long to become a non-negotiable part of my Melbs routine. Fair warning: it gets rowdy.

Why you’ll love this hostel: 

• Ensuite Rooms 
• Incredible location
• Multiple room options 

The nightly events calendar runs the full spectrum from interactive trivia to silent discos, so there’s always a reason to stay in rather than go out. Grab a game of free pool at the Red Eye Bar, cook up something cheap in the big communal kitchen, or claim a spot on the terrace and let the social scene come to you. Every room comes with an ensuite and its own split-system air con, and the balcony dorms are suuuuuper nice.

4. Landing Pads Brunswick: Best for Community

• Price: $$
• Best for: Backpackers planning a mid-to-long-term stay in Melbourne who want work support and a tight-knit community over a party scene
• Highlights: Family dinners and BBQ events, linens and towels included, located in the oh-so-cool neighbourhood of Brunswick
• Dorms from: $24
• Private rooms from: N/A
• Location: Brunswick, Blyth Street (trams, trains and buses minutes away, 5.4km from CBD)

If you’ve just touched down in Melbourne and you’re planning to stick around, do yourself a solid and book Landing Pads Brunswick. The name says it all: this is where you land, find your feet, find your people, and hopefully find the job that funds the rest of it.

Why you’ll love this hostel:

• Jobs board to help you get sorted fast
• Fully equipped kitchen with an espresso machine (yes, really)
• Lounge, sun porch, covered outdoor area and BBQ for the days you can’t be bothered leaving

The community events are great, but the best moments tend to happen spontaneously, which tells you everything about the crowd it attracts. This isn’t a hostel for people chasing two-night friendships. It’s for backpackers who want real connection, the kind that turns into a group chat that’s still going six months later. Think big uni house energy, but a LOT cleaner. Brunswick itself is a cracking base: Sydney Road has supermarkets, cafes, bars and great shopping on your doorstep, and trams, trains and buses are minutes away for when you need to venture further.

5. Roamer St Kilda – Best for Flashpackers

• Price: $$
• Best for: Flashpackers and digital nomads who want a polished St Kilda base with a solid events calendar
• Highlights: Winner of Most Popular Hostel in Melbourne at the 2024 HOSCARs, rooftop bar with live music, cinema room, co-working space, wellness deck, and nightly events including happy hour, music quiz and pool competitions
• Dorms from: $30
• Private rooms from: $85
• Location: St Kilda, Grey Street (5.3km from CBD, close to beach and tram stops)

If your hostel non-negotiables include a bed that doesn’t make you question your life choices, Roamer Melbourne is worth the extra few dollars. This St Kilda flashpacker favourite sits firmly at the nicer end of the spectrum. Dorm beds come with curtains, USB sockets, reading lights and a locker right beside you, so you can stop doing the awkward crouch-and-rummage at 6am. Located in St Kilda, this hostel is a flashpacker’s dream, with a rooftop bar to match the vibes. Squint, and you can barely see your backpack in the corner of the dorm!

Why you’ll love this hostel: 

• Rooftop bar and terrace with serious views
• Cinema room, co-working space and wellness deck
• Dorm beds with curtains, USB sockets and personal lockers

Beyond the dorms, there’s a cinema room, co-working space, wellness deck, rooftop terrace and a 24-hour reception with a tour desk for whenever inspiration eventually strikes. The on-site restaurant and bar handles dinner if you’re too lazy to cook in the kitchen, and the rooftop bar handles everything after.

Getting Insured BEFORE Visiting Melbourne

Unfortunately, things can go wrong when you least expect it. This is why good travel insurance is essential before you head on your trip to Melbourne.

ALWAYS sort out your backpacker insurance before your trip. There’s plenty to choose from in that department, but a good place to start is Safety Wing.

They offer month-to-month payments, no lock-in contracts, and require absolutely no itineraries: that’s the exact kind of insurance long-term travellers and digital nomads need.

SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to it!

Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.

The Sydney vs. Melbourne debate has been raging for ages, but let’s be real – Melbourne’s where it’s at. It’s like the effortlessly cool younger sibling who just knows how to do everything right. Whether you’re here for the killer coffee, the live music, or just to soak in the city’s unique vibe, there’s a spot on this list that’ll feel like it was made just for you.

My honest advice: pick your neighbourhood first and let the hostel follow. St Kilda if you want coastal vibes, Fitzroy if you want to feel like a local within about 48 hours, Brunswick if you’re planting roots for a while, and the CBD if you want everything on your doorstep and don’t mind trading character for convenience. Get that right and the rest tends to sort itself out. That’s my mantra anyway.