I loved Mexico City -- felt very safe.
Hostels in Mexico
Looking for the best hostels in Mexico? You are in the right place!
On this page, we have listed every city in Mexico with backpacker hostels and budget-friendly stays. Hostelz.com makes it easy to find your ideal Mexico hostel by comparing prices across major booking platforms. Save money while backpacking Mexico and sleep comfortably on a budget.
All Backpacker Hostels in Mexico
We have got you covered with a complete list of every hostel in Mexico, across 108 cities! Not all cities have hostels, but many offer alternative budget options like guesthouses and affordable hotels. Use our filters to quickly find cities with hostels or other budget accommodations to simplify your trip planning.
Akumal
2Bacalar
14Barra de Potosi
1Brisas de Zicatela
1Cabo San Lucas
3Campeche
3Cancún
25Chetumal
3Chihuahua
2Ciudad Valles
1Comitán de Domínguez
1Contepec
1Córdoba
2Cozumel
6Cruz de Huanacaxtle
1Durango
1El Cuyo
1El Pescadero
1Ensenada
1Guadalajara
22Guanajuato
9Guayabas
1Huamantla
1Huatulco
2Isla Holbox
7Isla Mujeres
3Jalapa
2La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
2La Paz
5La Ventana
1León
2Lo De Marcos
1Loreto
1Mahahual
3Malinalco
2Mazunte
3Mérida
19Mexico City
50Monterrey
4Morelia
4Mulegé
1Oaxaca City
32Orizaba
1Palenque
3Playa del Carmen
18Progreso
2Puebla
11Puerto Escondido
42Puerto Morelos
3Puerto Vallarta
20Punta de Mita
1Querétaro
4Rosarito
1San Cristóbal de las Casas
30San Cristobal Las Casas
1San Francisco
3San José del Cabo
5San Jose del Pacifico
1San Luis Potosi
4San Miguel de Allende
6San Pablo Villa de Mitla
1Santa María Tonameca
1Sayulita
7Taxco
1Tepoztlan
4Tequesquitengo
1Tequila
1Tijuana
1Todos Santos
2Troncones
1Tulum
23Tuxtla Gutiérrez
1Uruapan
1Valladolid
17Valle de Bravo
2Veracruz
2Zacatlan
1Zihuatanejo
3Zipolite
4All Mexico hostels on a map
Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.
Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in Mexico. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.
All Top Hostels in Mexico City
We help you pick your hostel like no one else. Check our detailed guides to:
All Top Hostels in Puerto Escondido
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All Top Hostels in Oaxaca City
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All Top Hostels in San Cristóbal de las Casas
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All Top Hostels in Cancún
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Our handwritten guide on Backpacking Mexico
Mexico is one of the most fun and lively countries in the world and you will find your fill of history, parties, and incredible nature here depending on where it is that you go. Hostels are widely abundant across the whole of Mexico, but majority of them are condensed down the popular tourist strip from Cancun down to Tulum. The major towns you will find amazing parties and beaches along from here would be Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum. While this is a great area to relax and travel, you can get to some of the more quiet and yet amazing islands such as Isla Holbox in the north after a few hours on the bus.
Inland of this you will find the amazing Chichen Itza, which you can do as a day trip or you can stay at a hostel in Valladolid to be closer to the area. Explore one of the many incredible cenotes around Merida by hiring a car for the day with some friends at your hostel and checking out the area.
Around San Cristobal las Casas you will find some amazing jungle. A popular destination for backpackers, you will find many hostels to stay here. Make sure you pack a jacket as it does get quite cold here up in the hills. Also while you are here, get in a cooking class or two. They do amazing classes. A couple of hours from here you will find one of the most incredible Mayan ruins in the country, Palenque. You can go on a day trip or otherwise there are hostels that you can stay at just outside of the ruins in the town and you can get a taxi there in the morning.
The south coast has some amazing surf towns such as Acapulco and Puerto Escondido where you can hang out, relax and catch some amazing surf amidst the black sand beaches. It is a very popular destination also and people here are very relaxed. There are incredible restaurants in Puerto Escondido so check it out.
And of course any trip to Mexico needs to include your major cities. Mexico City is incredible and if you can find a hostel around the Zocalo area that is central you are in a good area to see many of the sights of the city. You should also take a trip out to Teotihuacan if you can as they are some of the most impressive ruins in the whole of Central America. Oaxaca City is another city that you should hit up. It has beautiful streets, lots to see and do, and if you can, align your trip with Día de Muertos. The hostels get together and hire a band so that all of the guests can take part in the parades and get dressed up. It is a really fun time.
Many tourists heading down from the USA like to visit Tijuana. You can get a hostel in Tijuana, and it's a good place to go if you just want to party, but keep in mind that this town is not representative of real Mexico. If you want to get away from the cliché of people on holiday, skip this out in favour for some of the more unknown towns off the beaten track.
Wherever you go and whatever you do in Mexico, you are bound to be blown away! It is an absolutely incredible place to visit!
Handwritten by local expert for Mexico hostels Globetrotter
Travel Tips for Mexico - from the Community
Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking Mexico. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of Mexico. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!
FAQ on Hostels in Mexico
There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:
Finding Hostels and Prices
What hostel booking sites are best to use?
There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.
This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.
For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.
How much are hostels in Mexico?
Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.
You can search for exacty hostel prices in Mexico here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.
When to book hostels?
If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.
We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.
Safety and Packing
Are hostels in Mexico safe?
Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.
What to pack when staying in hostels?
There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.
There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.