Book Your Accommodation in Australia

See all my accommodation booking platforms and stay in the best hostels in Australia and worldwide

Best hostels for backpackers in Australia and my strict criteria on how to choose a hostel

Disclaimer: Clueless Travel works with affiliates, and if you purchase something from this site, we may receive a small commission. You’ll pay the same price or more elsewhere, but buying through this site may offer additional bonuses and support for Clueless Travel. Additionally, we participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Are you ready to book your accommodation? Down below I have summarized all booking platforms I have used during my more than 10 years of traveling.

Don’t know where to start? You will also find accommodation suggestions for different cities and countries by clicking the search boxes!

My favourite hostels

Get to know some of my favorite hostels and hotels in Australia and worldwide! I stayed easily more than 200 hostels and have chosen always carefully where to stay!

best digital nomad working hostels

Best hostels: My criteria to stay in a hostel

You don't just choose random hostels on Hostelworld.com or Agoda.com. Hostels must fulfill certain criteria for me be considered "best hostel". Find yout all my criteria to choose a hostel and you should too!

Best hostel for digital nomads criteria

Best hostel in Sydney for solo travelers, social Backpackers and party nights

See the best hostels for solo travelers, social vibes and party hostels in Sydney, where you alsi can stay long-term

Crowd of backpackers dancing under disco balls at a Sydney nightclub during a hostel pub crawl in Australia

Best hostels in Sydney for digital nomads

I always recommend Sydney for your working holiday start! Get to know some social hostels I stayed at and lived in long term. These hostels offer plenty of space where you can look for jobs with calm.

where to stay in Sydney

Best hostel chains in South-East Asia!

No time to look for a good stay? Choose these hostel chains blindly and get the same standard wherever you are in the world!

Best hostel chains worldwide

Best Websites to book your accommodation worldwide

Hostelworld

Hostelworld is clearly your first address when it comes to hostel booking.
It has the widest range of hostels worldwide and niches down enough with good filters so that you can tailor your stays!
 
One feature of Hostelworld that stands out is that you can chat with other guests who are already at your hostel or about to stay!
How cool is that? Even easier to get to know people!
>>go to hostelworld

Booking

Everybody knows booking.com. It just offers the most accommodations. Sometimes you can find very good offers, especially if you are a “genius” booking.com user. You receive this status if you book a few times via booking.com and you must be registered!

>>Go to booking.com

Trip.com

Nowadays, Trip.com is more than just booking accommodations.

Besides being one of the cheaper options for SEA, you can also look for cheap flights.

They also offer a membership program where you upgrade quite fast to get more amenities like discounts and free airport lounge access.

You just need a few booking to get started!

>>go to trip.com

Agoda

I had very good experience in Agoda.com. Especially in South-East Asia (SEA) it can be cheaper than booking.com, and it offers you weekly discounts. It helped me save tones of money while staying in Australia. As you might know, Australia’s hostels can be very pricey too, but with Agoda I found nice offers for weekly bookings an you can too! Highly recommend!

>>go to agoda.com

Couchsurfing

Looking to stay for free? Then you should use Couchsurfing  (app and desktop). It’s more useful for backpacking, if you want to have the “real” local experience. You can request to stay with local people, a certain period of time! The app also has a “hangout” feature where you can meet local people and traveler all over the world! I use it every time I’m traveling. It’s one of the best apps overall for traveling in my opinion and an open secret! Must download!

>>go to couchsurfing.com
-

“The best and easiest start for your travels is staying in hostels. This is the place where magic happens!”

Eduard Dederer

Blog posts about Accommodation

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best hostels in Sydney right now?

Sydney has a solid range of hostels depending on what kind of trip you’re after. Wake Up! Sydney in Pitt Street is consistently one of the most recommended — it’s central, well-run, and has a great social atmosphere. YHA Sydney Harbour is brilliant if location is your priority, sitting right next to The Rocks with views of the bridge. Base Sydney and Big Hostel are also popular picks for travellers who want a lively, sociable vibe without blowing the budget.

For solo travellers, the most important things are safety, social spaces, and central location — and Wake Up! Sydney ticks all three. It’s one of the largest hostels in the Southern Hemisphere, which sounds intimidating but actually means there’s always someone to meet. The common areas are genuinely sociable, and being in the middle of the city means you’re never stuck figuring out transport.

If meeting people is your main goal, look for hostels that organise social events, have a bar on-site, or run group activities. Base Sydney is well known for this — it has an attached bar and regularly runs social nights. Big Hostel on George Street is another one that comes up constantly in traveller conversations for its easy-going communal atmosphere. See all hostels here: https://clueless.travel/best-hostels-and-hotels-for-backpacker/

Base Sydney is the go-to for party-focused travellers. It has its own bar, regular events, and a crowd that’s generally there to socialise. Wake Up! Sydney also has a lively nightlife scene given its size and central location. Keep in mind that Sydney’s nightlife has quieted compared to a decade ago, but the Kings Cross and Darling Harbour areas still offer plenty once you’re out the door.

Stay central. The CBD, Darling Harbour, or The Rocks area puts you within walking distance of the major sights — the Opera House, Circular Quay, Hyde Park — and keeps transport simple. At Clueless Travel, we always tell first-timers to prioritise location on their first few nights, then consider moving somewhere cheaper once they’ve got their bearings.

Generally yes, especially in the well-reviewed, established hostels. Wake Up! Sydney and YHA properties in particular have strong reputations for safety, with female-only dorm options available. As with anywhere, it’s worth reading recent reviews on Hostelworld or Booking.com before committing — look specifically for comments from other solo female travellers as they tend to give the most useful detail.

Sydney isn’t cheap, even by hostel standards. Expect to pay around AUD $35–$60 per night for a dorm bed depending on the season and how central the hostel is. Private rooms in hostels typically start around AUD $100–$130 per night. Booking in advance — especially during summer (December to February) — can save you a noticeable amount.

Look past the photos and go straight to recent reviews — anything in the last three to six months. Pay attention to comments about cleanliness, staff attitude, and noise levels, as these tend to vary more than the listings suggest. Clueless Travel breaks down the real differences between Sydney’s top hostels so you’re not just going off polished marketing photos. See all recommendations here: https://clueless.travel/best-accommodation/

In peak season — summer and school holidays — absolutely book ahead. Sydney’s best hostels fill up fast, and turning up without a booking in January or February is a gamble. In the quieter months you have more flexibility, but for the most popular places like Wake Up! or YHA Harbour, booking a few days ahead is always the smarter move.

Start typing and press enter to search