Busan is a colorful, pulsing port city in South Korea known for its nice beaches, beautiful surrounding mountains, and ancient Buddhist temples.
Anyone backpacking around South Korea will in all likelihood make the rounds into Busan.
As Busan has grown popular with travelers, more and more hostels have sprung up.
The results are mixed.
That is exactly why I wrote this no-stress guide to the best hostels in Busan for 2018!
This hostel guide makes it easy for you to book the real gems of Busan instead of staying in a crappy alternative.
Busan is a super fun place for backpackers to explore. Spend your time planning your adventure (and dreaming about kimchi) to Busan instead of taking ages to stumble over different hostels of dubious quality.
This is the only guide you will ever need to rock your backpacking trip to Busan. Book your hostel with confidence knowing that this guide only offers up the very best accommodation options in this eclectic South Korean city.
Let us now dive right in…
Quick Answer: The Best Hostels in Busan
- Overall Best Hostel in Busan – Hostel The Local
- Best Hostel for Solo Travellers in Busan – The Wendy House
- Best Cheap Hostel in Busan – Melon Guesthouse
- Best Hostel for Couples in Busan – Indy Guesthouse
- Best Party Hostel in Busan – Backpackers’ House
- Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Busan – Mozzi Hostel
- Best Hostel with a Private Room in Busan – Good Day Mate
Welcome to my ultimate guide to the best hostels in Busan for 2018!
The 10 Best Hostels in Busan
Overall Best Hostel in Busan – Hostel The Local
Clean. Calm. Quiet. Fun. All of these attributes go in to making Hostel The Local the best hostel in Busan.
- $$$
- Cafe
- Air Conditioning
- 24-Hour Security
One of the best hostels ever let alone the overall best hostel in Busan, The Local is a DREAM of a place to stay. We’re talking quiet. We’re talking cozy. We’re talking cafe on level 2 which is a cute cafe by day and place-to-drink-beer-you-got-in-the-nearby-convenience-store by night. There are places to chill, places to work, places to meet people and make friends – a lot of space in general. Not to mention that this Busan backpackers hostel is also in a pretty good location too. It’s pricey compared to the rest, but for the best hostel in Busan 2018, well, it’s worth it.
Best Hostel for Solo Travellers in Busan – The Wendy House
The folks at The Wendy House really do make sure you’re having a good time. For this reason Wendy House is my top pick for best hostel for solo travelers in Busan.
- $$$
- BBQ
- Free Breakfast
- 24-Hour Reception
It makes a huuuge difference when the staff is on hand to make sure everyone’s having a good time. Well actually not even that, just that the team running a hostel are friendly, and knowledgeable about the area around the hostel, the city, and actually helpful enough to share that knowledge – well, that’s The Wendy House. Cute name, right? But the host, Wendy, is literally a star. This fact and the hearty breakfast is a combo to be reckoned with. But the friendliness, and willingness to help guests, simply have to make this the best hostel for solo travellers in Busan. We know what it’s like to be by yourself in a new city – trust!
Best Cheap Hostel in Busan #1 – Melon Guesthouse
Melon Guesthouse has got everything we look for in a solid budget hostel. This place is certainly the best cheap hostel in Busan…
- $
- Air Conditioning
- Free Breakfast
- Common Room
Great great great budget hostel in Busan, this one. It’s great value for money based on location alone – very near the famous Haeundae Beach, which (especially in summer) is a beautiful spot to chill. Sure, the dorms feel a little bit as though you’re sleeping in a children’s room, but it’s kinda cute – if a little basic. The common areas are great though, spacious, nice big TV lounge area, plus an outdoors bit for, well, outdoors socialising. More of the same, but outside. Also very very clean. We like very very clean. And for these reasons and more it’s the best cheap hostel in Busan. Melon, though – what?
Best Cheap Hostel in Busan #2 – The New Day
The New Day really has that home away from home feel. Definetly one of the best cheap hostels in Busan.
- $
- Free Breakfast
- Towels Included
- Self Catering Facilities
Ominously named The New Day is fresh and friendly, warm and homely, all of that stuff – a classically superlative top hostel in Busan, to be honest. Rooms and facilities are modern and clean, there’s a spaaacious common room (complete with guitar and piano for a knees-up and a sing-song and all that… maybe?) and there’s a serve-yourself free continental breakfast. Staff are great. Location is great. The eclectic decor is really fun, mismatched rugs and different table/chair sets – yet another little detail of greatness in this top-notch youth hostel in Busan.
Best Cheap Hostel in Busan #3 – INSIDE Busan
It’s unique location makes INSIDE BUSAN another one of the best cheap hostels in Busan.
- $
- Free Breakfast
- Air Conditioning
- Self Catering Facilities
There are restaurants and bars on the doorstep of INSIDE Busan. You can really get INSIDE BUSAN FROM HERE- Oh, caps lock. Maybe that was their trouble. And with a location like this – near Chinatown – it actually does give you the opportunity to really get IN the bustling city, explore it, walk around, try food, drink soju with the locals, away from the beach scene (and therefore – at some times of the year at least – the tourist scene) and more properly INSIDE the city. Really IN it. But seriously we can’t fault this highly, highly recommended hostel IN Busan. Especially for its price.
Best Hostel for Couples in Busan – Indy Guesthouse
Great breakfast and comfortable private rooms? Welcome to the best hostel for couples in Busan: Indy Guesthouse.
- $$$
- Free Breakfast
- Towels Included
- Free Jimjilbang
Very new and very clean, the quiet cosy atmosphere of Indy Guesthouse easily put it up there as the best hostel for couples in Busan. In fact, we’re gonna go all out and call this place extremely clean. There, we said it. But seriously: everything’s so neat and tidy here you’ll be second-guessing every other hostel you’ve stayed in before this point. And since the price is based on a couple sharing a private room it’s P expensive, but the dorms aren’t bad at all. Oh, and those private rooms? Like boutique hotel rooms. Super, super nice. Not like a youth hostel in Busan at all. Except it is. And OMG they offer FREE access to jimjilbang (Korean-style sauna)… ugh we’re in heaven.
Best Party Hostel in Busan – Backpackers’ House
Backpackers House is the best party hostel in Busan for those looking for a place with a great location in addition to rowdy tendencies…
- $$
- Free Breakfast
- Common Room
- 24-Hour Reception
What if a very convenient hostel also turns out to be the best party hostel in Busan? No awards for the name ‘Backpackers House’ (though the grammar is exactly correct), it’s nevertheless an amazing place if you want to have some FUN. The hosts like, never stop trying to entertain you in some form – whether it’s a bit of Korean BBQ at the hostel itself, or going out drinking in one of the area’s (many) local bars, or various other events, they’re always going for it. And we always say it, but the staff really make a place. They’ve definitely made this place a highly recommended hostel in Busan. Also that 3 min walk from the beach, whaaat!
Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Busan – Mozzi Hostel
Fast wi-di, open work spaces, and a fine location. Mozzi Hostel is the best hostel for digital nomads in Busan
- $$
- Free Breakfast
- Common Room
- Self Catering Facilities
Quite possibly the coolest hostel in Busan, Mozzi is the sort of place you could easily sink into for a week or two – or even longer. Comprehensive desk and table space in the common areas means working on your laptop is a breeze, with stylish modern surroundings that make for a refreshing change. We also think that this is the best hostel for digital nomads in Busan because of its location: 1km from the ferry terminal means trips to the rest of Korea – or even Japan – aren’t a trauma. Busan Station is really close too. Plus a games room feat. foosball table and other things help keep it nicely social. 10/10 – we love it.
Best Hostel with a Private Room in Busan – Good Day Mate
For those looking to splurge on a truly magical hostel/room then Good Day Mate is the best hostel with a private room in Busan.
- $$$($)
- Free Breakfast
- Rooftop Terrace
- Air Conditioning
Good Day Mate. Well, it is a good day, mate, if you get to stay in this Busan backpackers hostel. It’s seriously stylish AF. The rooms have, like, polished plaster walls, wood flooring, wooden beams exposed in the ceiling, all clean and minimalist. It’s the best hostel with a private room in Busan, not only because it exclusively offers private rooms, but because these rooms are NICE. Truly, truly. Chuck in a free breakfast, a lounge to chill and meet other travellers, a rooftop terrace for a beer or two in the evening, super super nice staff and this place is hard to beat. Contender for best hostel in Busan, really – just that price though. Ouch.
Psst! Heading to a hostel? Don’t forget to pack a padlock! It’s well worth having one so you can secure your locker and protect your stuff!
More Best Hostels in Busan
Busan L’ete
Last but not list, Busan L’ete rounds off our list of the best hostels in Busan!
- $$
- Cafe
- 24-Hour Security
- No Curfew
Another fine, fine example of a budget hostel in Busan, this one is right next to a metro station that takes you to the Gwangalli Beach area in 2 mins. Now that’s a nice location: think restaurants, shops, nice neighbourhood, things to do, – and a beach, obvs. Busan L’ete is quite a kooky hostel with a friendly owner and modern (but a little bit basic) decor. But it’s fine, effortlessly minimalist and stylish in its own way, and, well what else do you want? The beds are comfy, it’s neat and tidy, the location is great, it’s a bargain, etc. etc. ETC. Yep, it’s another top hostel in Busan – the city of top hostels, it seems!
Final Thoughts on the Best Hostels in Busan
Alas, we have reached the end of my guide to the best hostels in Busan for 2018.
All the information you need to book a quality, low-priced hostel for yourself in Busan is at your fingertips.
Backpacking in Busan is bound to be one of the highlights of your South Korean adventure. To take full advantage of what this city has to offer, I recommend booking up your hostel as soon as you shore up your travel plans to ensure you score the hostel YOU have your eye on.
Still not sure which hostel to go with? Feeling conflicted over which hostel is best for you? Picking a hostel is like picking the right kimchi: only you can decide which one is the best.
I’ll simplify things for you. When folks are in doubt I usually recommend that you just book my top pick for best overall hostel in Busan: Hostel The Local. Everyone one who stays here seems pretty damn stoked!
I wish you the best of luck as you explore Busan and South Korea.
See you down the line my friends…
Clean. Calm. Quiet. Fun. All of these attributes go in to making Hostel The Local the best hostel in Busan.
Don’t forget to sort your travel insurance! We’ve put together a roundup of the best travel insurance for backpackers – check it out here, or if you’re low on time, get a quote from World Nomads now, our favourite travel insurance provider.
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