Leipzig is often overlooked when compared to some of the more famous cities in Germany, but visitors to this East German city will be overwhelmed by the cultural vibrancy and richness of history found on every block. With churches like the St Nicholas Church and St Thomas Church, and bustling market squares that have been holding festivals for centuries, you may come to Leipzig with low expectations, but be prepared to be blown away! Leipzig’s countless museums and markets will have you not only wanting to extend your stay in this colorful city, but maybe even looking at moving to Germany for good!
Although Leipzig doesn’t have as many tourists as Berlin or Cologne, Leipzig has plenty of backpacker’s hostels for budget travelers to choose from. From off the chain party hostels to more low key dorm rooms where you can get a good night’s sleep, how can you find the perfect hostel that will fit your own unique style of travel?
That’s where we come in! We put all of the best hostels in Leipzig in one place so you can browse with ease and find the stay that will make your adventure the stuff of legends!
We hope you’ve got some good walking shoes because you’ll be exploring all the beauty of Leipzig before you know it!
Quick Answer: The Best Hostels in Leipzig
- Overall Best Hostel in Leipzig – Five Elements Hostel Leipzig
- Best Hostel for Solo Travelers in Leipzig – Hostel Multitude
- Best Cheap Hostel in Leipzig – A&O Leipzig
- Best Party Hostel in Leipzig – Hostel & Garten Eden
- Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Leipzig – Meininger Leipzig Central Station
The Best Hostels in Leipzig
Leipzig is a picture pretty and a great stop for those backpacking Germany. Before you know it, you’ll be strolling through the marketplace and exploring the culture of Leipzig first-hand. But before you can start your adventure, you need to find the perfect hostel to call home. With each stay a little different from the last, keep your eyes open for the one hostel that calls your name!
Best Overall Hostel in Leipzig – Five Elements Hostel Leipzig
- $
- Breakfast Not Included
- Bar
- Weekly Events
The beautiful sites of Leipzig are just the tip of the iceberg while staying at Five Elements. This backpacker’s hostel offers you so much more than just a youthful atmosphere and cheap dorm beds; the team here will give you that authentic hostel experience! The lounges and terraces are there to grab a beer and snack and hang out with the other guests. With an onsite bar, you won’t have to go far to find something to drink.
With the hostel’s events happening nearly every day, you can grab a bite to eat and enjoy a different side fo Leipzig! You’ll be hopping out of bed every morning to pick up a delicious breakfast and start another adventure in Leipzig.
Best Hostel for Solo Travelers in Leipzig – Hostel Multitude
- $$
- Bar
- Lounge
- Cafe
If you’re a solo traveler and have spent a fair amount of time on the road, you may be looking for some company. Not only do you want a cheap place to sleep, but you’re after a hostel where you can kick back and hang out with other backpackers. There’s no better place in Leipzig to lay out in the lounge and socialize than Hostel Multitude! With its onsite bar and cafe, you can grab a bite and a drink and start swapping stories with the other travelers!
When you’re not relaxing at the hostel, you’ll find all the best sites and restaurants just a short walk away from your dorm bed.
Best Cheap Hostel in Leipzig – A&O Leipzig
- $
- Bar
- Cafe
- Breakfast 7.9 €
A&O is a fantastic budget backpacker hostel. Not only does it take the crown for being one of the cheapest hostels in Leipzig, but this youth hostel is also one of the most historic. Putting you in a renovated post office built during the infamous German Third Reich, you’ll actually be sleeping in a piece of local heritage. Located in Hauptbahnhof, all the best sites and restaurants are just a few steps away from your door.
While chilling at the hostel, you’ll have the option of staying a bit closer to home and grabbing a beer and a bite to eat onsite! History, friends, and food… what more could you want from your backpacker’s hostel?
We’ve tested countless backpacks over the years, but there’s one that has always been the best and remains the best buy for adventurers: the broke backpacker-approved Osprey Aether and Ariel series.
Want more deetz on why these packs are so damn perfect? Then read our comprehensive review for the inside scoop!
View on Osprey View on REIBest Party Hostel in Leipzig – Hostel & Garten Eden
- $
- Bar
- Garden
- Breakfast Not Included
Sure, you can grab a drink at the bar at Hostel & Garten Eden in Leipzig, but that’s just a mere fraction of the fun to be had at this backpacker’s paradise! In this historic building and around the hostel, you’ll discover a neighborhood pulsing with creativity and life! Even the hostel itself was decorated and designed by local artists, so you can relax in the garden or chill in the lounge in an atmosphere unlike any other!
With some of the cheapest dorm beds in Leipzig, a shared kitchen, and a spacious backyard, Hostel& Garten Eden will quickly become your new home away from home.
Best Hostel for Digital Nomads in Leipzig – Meininger Leipzig Central Station
- $
- Cafe
- Bar
- Breakfast Not Included
If you’ve spent some time traveling through Europe, you should be all too familiar with Meininger. Leipzig’s Meininger Central Station is no exception when it comes to the quality sleep and comfort of its sister hostels. If you’re a backpacker looking for a cheap and cozy place to stay, or a digital nomad wanting a hostel where you can open up your laptop and catch up on some work, Meininger is the place to go!
Not only will you have spacious lounges and ample room to spread out in, but this backpackers hostel also has its very own cafe and bar, perfect for grabbing a bite or a drink. And with Gewandhaus Concert Hall and all the sites of the publishing district right around the corner, you couldn’t ask for a better place to base yourself out of in Leipzig.
Best Hostel for Couples in Leipzig – Hostel Blauer Stern
- $$
- Lounge
- Terrace
- Games
As a backpacker, you’ll always choose a cheap dorm bed over a private room if there’s a big price difference. But if you’re traveling through Germany as a couple, you’ll probably want to get some extra privacy to turn on the romance while in one of the most beautiful cities in the country. Lucky for you, Hostel Blauer Stern has the cheapest private rooms in Leipzig, so you can get some much needed alone time! When you’re not relaxing at the hostel, you can stroll to the Lindenau Market and Palmengarten Park just around the corner.
This means you’ll be first in line to check out the bi-weekly traditional markets in Leipzig! With its own lounge and terrace, as well as loads of things to do nearby, there’s no better place to kick off your Leipzig adventure!
Hostel Blauer Stern is one of our favourites in Leipzig but they’re not taking guests right now. We’re not sure if they’re closed for good but we hope they’ll come back soon.
Stash your cash safely with this money belt. It will keep your valuables safely concealed, no matter where you go.
It looks exactly like a normal belt except for a SECRET interior pocket perfectly designed to hide a wad of cash, a passport photocopy or anything else you may wish to hide. Never get caught with your pants down again! (Unless you want to…)
Hide Yo’ Money!More of the Best Hostels in Leipzig
Sleepy Lion Hostel
- $$
- Breakfast 5 EUR
- Lounge
- Shared Kitchen
This historic hostel has everything – from cheap dorm beds and spacious lounges to a shared kitchen where you can save a little extra money by cooking for yourself. With its very own cafe serving breakfast, you can get your mornings started right with a delicious meal and a piping hot cup of coffee.
Sleepy Lion Hostel puts you right by the city center, so you’ll have all the best museums and churches around the corner. From windsurfing to busy market squares, your adventure will always start with the Sleepy Lion Hostel!
Home Planet Hostel
- $
- Restaurant
- Bicycle Hire
- Breakfast Not Included
This boutique-style hostel has an atmosphere and design unlike any other. You’re probably used to the same old metal-framed bunk beds, but Home Planet Hostel will have you living a life of luxury for a budget price with its unique wallpaper, leather sofas, and cosy private beds. It’s not just the style that will blow you away at this backpacker’s hostel; Home Planet Hoste also has its very own cafe – you can wake up, grab a bite, and hit the ground running exploring all of the beauty of Leipzig.
Hostel Absteige
- $$
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Lounge
What could be better than staying in a backpacker’s hostel with a fully operational bar, restaurant, and lounge? You can get a dorm bed for a budget price yet still enjoy all the activities and atmosphere that make a backpacker’s hostel great. Hostel Absteige may reel you in with the food and drinks, but it’s the location that’ll have you clicking that “book now” button. Putting you near tons of restaurants, bars, clubs, and all the best sites in the city, you’ll literally be staying in the heart of Leipzig!
Whether you’re looking to get some shuteye or party it up with the other guests, Hostel Absteige is the hostel for you.
Central Globetrotter Hostel
- $$$
- Terrace
- Lounge
- Bar
Central Globetrotter Hostel gives you a location near all the best sites of Leipzig. Right outside your door, you’ll find the famous Leipzig Zoo, the Central Station, and all the churches and museums of the downtown! Before you head out to explore the city, you’ll want to grab a bite to eat at the cafe. For 5.5 Euros, enjoy an all-you-can-eat breakfast to fuel you for the capers ahead! After a long day of exploring, Central Globetrotter Hostel has plenty of space to spread out in to relax and chat with other travelers.
Central Globetrotter Hostel is one of our favourites in Leipzig but they’re not taking guests right now. We’re not sure if they’re closed for good but we hope they’ll come back soon.
What to Pack for your Leipzig Hostel
Pants, socks, underwear, soap?! Take it from us, packing for a hostel stay is not always quite as straight forward as it seems. Working out what to bring and what to leave at home is an art we have perfected over many years.
Ear Plugs
Snoring dorm-mates can ruin your nights rest and seriously damage the hostel experience. This is why I always travel with a pack of decent ear plugs.
Hanging Laundry Bag
Trust us, this is an absolute game changer. Super compact, a hanging mesh laundry bag stops your dirty clothes from stinking, you don’t know how much you need one of these… so just get it, thank us later.
Sea To Summit Micro Towel
Hostel towels are scummy and take forever to dry. Microfibre towels dry quickly, are compact, lightweight, and can be used as a blanket or yoga mat if need be.
Monopoly Deal
Forget about Poker! Monopoly Deal is the single best travel card game that we have ever played. Works with 2-5 players and guarantees happy days.
Grayl Geopress Water Bottle
Always travel with a water bottle! They save you money and reduce your plastic footprint on our planet. The Grayl Geopress acts as a purifier AND temperature regulator. Boom!
Check out our definitive Hostel Packing list for our top packing tips!
Why you should travel to Leipzig
The historic churches, massive museums, green parks, lively city squares, and festivals of Leipzig are just a few clicks away. You may be so busy planning what to experience first that you might forget that one of the most important things for any trip is to find the perfect hostel to set the tone!
If you’re still a bit unsure about where to stay in Leipzig, we can totally relate. With so many great places to choose from, it is hard to pick just one. If you want our recommendation, go ahead and book yourself into Five Elements Hostel Leipzig, our pick for the best hostel in Leipzig!
FAQ about Hostels in Leipzig
Here are some questions backpackers ask about hostels in Leipzig.
Travel Safety Tips for Leipzig
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.
Over to you
Make sure you’re well-rested by the time you arrive in Leipzig because you’ll be dying to explore as soon as you step off the plane or train! With your nights spent at the local bar and days spent discovering all the breathtaking churches and fascinating museums, you may quickly find that a few days isn’t enough to do Leipzig justice! The historical monuments and elegant restaurants are just the beginning; so much more is left the be explored as you begin to wander the streets of Leipzig!
What will really make or break your trip is the backpacker’s hostel you end up checking into. While some travellers may like to have a few beers at the onsite bar before going to bed, you might be a bit more focused on catching that sunrise over the Leipzig skyline the next morning. With so many great hostels in Leipzig to choose from, you’re bound to find the right stay for you!
If you have ever travelled to Leipzig, we’d love to hear about your trip! Let us know in the comments below if there are any great hostels that we may have missed.
Pushed for time? Why not come to Leipzig on a day trip from Berlin instead.
And for transparency’s sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links. That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we don’t believe are up to scratch. Again, thank you!
