Hostels are a great way for backpackers and budget travelers to discover new areas and luckily, Turkey has quite a few. Raising their standards over the past few years, a number of popular hostels also double as great music venues and hip cafes, making any stay even more enjoyable.
The following is a list of the best hostels in Turkey, each being excellent budget options, whether for their comfortable accommodation, relaxed atmosphere or hip hang out spots:
Role Street in Antalya
Role Street in Antalya was the inspiration for this article. This hostel, which opened nearly five years ago, has become one of the coolest places to chill out in Antalya. Located in Karaalioğlu Park just outside of the historical area of Kaleiçi, Role Street Hostel & Coffee is both a hostel and a garden cafe that serves third-wave coffees and has live performances by the likes of Bora Uzer and Allen Hulsey and his Monality. The hostel has four and six-person female and shared dormitories as well as a number of doubles. The venue has an industrial chic feel with bunk beds made out of metal piping, and seating and dressing areas covered in street art, including a mural of Jimi Hendrix. They also have bikes to rent, and the hostel is a five-minute walk from Mermerli Beach.
#bunk
In a league of its own, #bunk has filled the need for stylish, clean and cheap accommodation in Istanbul. Dubbed a design hostel, #bunk is located in a renovated historical building in Harbiye, just a five-minute walk from Taksim. The hostel boasts 170 beds in four and six-room dormitories that have lockers, individual lights and cubbyholes. A breakfast buffet is served on the sixth floor terrace, which also dishes up excellent food throughout the day and is a hip terrace cafe that occasionally even hosts events.Its spectacular lobby, the terrace and laundry facilities all make for a convenient, stylish stay.
Juliet Rooms & Kitchen
Located on a peaceful residential street in the beloved neighborhood of Moda, just a short walk from the cafes and shops that make Kadıköy great and on a street that leads straight to the shore, Juliet Rooms & Kitchen is a pleasant hotel and hostel as well as a relaxing courtyard cafe. Their dormitory rooms are just as stylish as their private doubles and have wooden bunk beds equipped with their own private reading lights and closet space makes for a comfortable place to stay and discover a great part of Istanbul.
Hush Hostel Lounge and Hush Moda
While both locations are in Kadıköy, Hush Hostel Lounge and Hush Gallery are in the colorful Yeldeğirmeni district with streets marked by murals painted by international graffiti artists. There is a garden and a terrace with panoramic views of the city. They have female-only dorms and four, six and eight-bed mixed dorms as well as en suite doubles and even basic singles with shared bathrooms. Hush Moda is also boasts the Hush Rooftop, a great place to hang out and listen to some of Istanbul's top DJs.
Moda Hostel
Less than a year old, Moda Hostel, located in the heart of Kadıköy's shopping and cafe district, is an extension of Aylak Rock and Blues Cafe. The rooms are clean and the modern dorms with bunk beds are comfortable and equipped with individual lights, curtains and seating areas. A great place to stay if you plan to enjoy the nightlife as its common area is also the cafe downstairs. The cafe even hosts live music performances and bimonthly stand-up comedy open mike nights.
Deeps Hostels in Ankara and Eskişehir
Deeps Hostels first opened in Ankara in 2012, and this summer began operating a second branch in the university town of Eskişehir. Both hostels are located in their own buildings with lots of spaces to chill out. The Ankara branch even has a ping pong table. Their innovative and comfortable white wooden bunk beds even have fold out tables, but they also have doubles available.
In House Hostel Kaş
In House Hostel started off in Izmir's Alsancak but has since branched off into the beloved holiday town of Kaş. Newly opened this summer, In-House Hostel Kaş is a stunning villa turned into a hotel and hostel with doubles and shared dorms. The wooden bunk beds are comfortable enough but what stands out about this hostel is the fantastic pool and terrace directly overlooking the coast of Kaş. The venue is located slightly out of town but easily accessible through public transportation or a nice stroll.
Sakura Hostel & Pub
Opened in 2017, Sakura Hostel & Pub is a modern hostel in the center of Fethiye with doubles and female, male and mixed dorms that have modern custom-built comfortable and private bunk beds equipped with individual curtains and shelves. Located in Paspatur in the old city, Sakura doubles as a terrace pub from where you can relax and mingle while watching Fethiye from above.
Natureland Cave Hostel
Located just a five-minute walk from the center of Göreme and the Göreme Open-Air Museum, Natureland Cave Hostel has rooms that were once a seventh century wine cellar. There are doubles as well as dorms available, with the upside being that the dorms are single beds rather than bunk beds. The peaceful terrace of this hostel has spectacular views of the fairy chimneys the region is famous for.
Shoestring Cave House
Located in the center of Göreme, Shoestring Cave House consists of a combination of cave buildings with one devoted to a dorm. You get to sleep in an actual cave, albeit on a bunk bed, although they do have doubles and other luxurious accommodation options. They serve a buffet breakfast and also have a pool and a terrace to enjoy being in the heart of this historical and naturally wondrous area.
