Hostels in Lisbon Are Better Than You Think

Vienna has a hostel culture that is functional and unromantic. Lisbon has a hostel culture that is genuinely good, which surprised me more than it should have. Two years in I have stayed in three Lisbon hostels for various reasons — once when my flat had a plumbing issue, twice hosting visiting friends who needed the cheaper option — and the category is better here than in most European cities I have visited.

The reason is competition. Lisbon has been a backpacker destination long enough to have multiple generations of hostel operators who understand what makes the experience work. The best ones have private rooms as well as dorms, rooftop terraces, and the specific social infrastructure that makes a hostel worth staying in rather than merely affordable.

Home Lisbon Hostel (homelisbonhostel.com — Rua de São Nicolau 13, Baixa) is in Baixa, central, and has a reputation earned over many years for being exactly what a hostel should be. LX Boutique Hotel (lxboutiquehotel.com — Rua do Alécrim 12, Chiado) is not a hostel but sits at the bottom of the boutique hotel range and is worth knowing about for slightly higher budgets. Both are in Chiado walking distance.

For the cheapest option that is still functional: Hostelworld (hostelworld.com) filtered to Lisbon with a minimum rating of 8.5 will get you somewhere reliable. Do not book anything below 8.0.