Last updated on 10/29/2026
Staying on a budget and still being close to everything works particularly well in Berlin. The best hostels in the city have long offered more than an inexpensive bed, namely atmosphere, a good location and plenty of extras. The Circus Hostel on Rosenthaler Platz in Mitte brews its own beer in the basement, while the Grand Hostel in Kreuzberg occupies an 1874 building with a bar styled like an old English library. For something greener, the St.-Michaels-Heim by the Herthasee in Wilmersdorf offers a youth guesthouse in the former Palais Mendelssohn. From the largest house in the city with 400 beds to the school camp at Wannsee, there is something here for school groups, students and backpackers alike. Which of these houses will become your base camp in Berlin?
Yulia Veksler
For this list I made sure that affordable does not mean basic. Cleanliness, a central location and modern facilities mattered to me just as much as friendly staff and cool extras. I picked the houses that turn class trips and city breaks into a real experience and offer more than just a cheap place to sleep.
The Circus Hostel at Rosenthaler Platz has been one of the established addresses for hostels in Berlin since 2001, offering rooms from ten-bed dorms to rooms for seven people. The hostel brews its own beer in the basement. Groups of ten or more people receive reserved floors, and an elevator and wheelchair-accessible bathroom are available.
The Grand Hostel Berlin is located in a historic building from 1874 on Tempelhofer Ufer, one hundred meters from Möckernbrücke U-Bahn station. Its centerpiece is the Library Bar, styled like an old English library. Unusual for hostels in Berlin is its experience with school trips: supervised quiet hours and alcohol served only by arrangement with the group leader.
Pfefferbett Hostel Berlin is located on the historic Pfefferberg grounds in Prenzlauer Berg and is operated as a non-profit. 45 rooms are spread across seven categories, from single rooms to eight-bed rooms. For school trips, there are free spots for accompanying persons and a dedicated school camp at Großer Wannsee for up to 59 people.
The Generator Berlin Prenzlauer Berg utilizes a former GDR office building on Storkower Straße and offers the widest range of rooms among Berlin hostels: from four-bed rooms to fourteen-bed rooms. A bed starts at 13 Euros per night. For groups, there's a private bus stop and a free private room for twenty beds or more.
The Three Little Pigs Hostel Berlin is housed in a former nunnery on Stresemannstraße, two hundred meters from Anhalter Bahnhof. All rooms face the quiet inner courtyard. Among Berlin's hostels, it is clearly geared towards school trips, with group rates starting from 18 Euros and a nightly security team.
Hostel Ballhaus Berlin is part of the complex of Berlin's oldest ballroom on Chausseestraße, 1100 meters from the main train station. Behind the facade, you'll find 1920s industrial design with a spiral staircase and a disco ball. Suites, private rooms, and dorms for up to ten beds are available, and a small stage equipment is provided for music classes.
The Industriepalast Hostel is located in a red brick building from 1906 on Warschauer Straße and, with around 400 beds, is the largest among these hostels in Berlin. Two minutes' walk to the East Side Gallery. Useful for school trips are the seminar room with a projector as a classroom and a basement hall with table tennis and foosball.
St Christopher's Berlin is located on Ziegelstraße in Mitte, a few minutes from Friedrichstraße S-Bahn station and a ten-minute walk from Museum Island. Belushi's with a rooftop terrace is on the ground floor. A bed costs from 13.90 Euros per night, school groups are accommodated together on one floor and do not share their dormitory.
The Sunflower Hostel Berlin has been operating in Friedrichshain since 2001, with the footpath to it following the course of the Berlin Wall. Among Berlin's hostels, it is one of the few to offer sleeping pods with their own light and ventilation. Students receive a five percent discount upon proof, and the breakfast buffet costs 6 Euros.
The St.-Michaels-Heim Youth Hostel is located in the former Palais Mendelssohn by Lake Herthasee in Grunewald and has 140 beds in 40 rooms, many with balconies. Four bus parking spaces are available free of charge on the property. The group rate for twenty people or more starts at 34 Euros with breakfast; several halls serve as seminar rooms.