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This is one of the jewels of New Zealand’s tourism network so it’s not surprising that there are many hostels in Queenstown to look after all those travelers. This can be an expensive town, particularly if you have to stay in hotels, but the Queenstown hostels tend to be very reasonably priced so you can spend more of your hard-earned cash on adventure stuff rather than on mints for your pillow.

If you’ve never been to Queenstown you are in for a very pleasant surprise. The center of town is compact and brimming with life. There is loads of shopping and restaurants and bars and there are several of the better Queenstown hostels in the center as well. If you are on foot this is an ideal location because everything is very easy to get to here and yet the rest of the town is rather spread out. If you’ve got a car or campervan you’ll likely want to stay somewhere further out, but parking in Queenstown isn’t quite the nightmare it is in some larger cities.

If you are new to this part of the world you should be aware that nearly all the hostels are actually known as “backpackers” instead. But they are exactly the same thing, and they welcome everybody. It’s rare to find one that has an age limit, and most of them also offer small private rooms in addition to the cheaper dorm beds that hostels are so famous for. Prices of the private rooms tend to be the same or lower than nearby hotel rooms, and these rooms also come with all the extras like self-catering facilities and lounges that make it easy to meet fellow travelers.

The Discovery Lodge Queenstown is a new place right in the center of the cities entertainment area. They’ve got a restaurant and a bar, but the best nightlife in the area is just outside so you’ve got a lot of options here. Their dorm beds start around $NZ26 per night, and they’ve also got private twin and double rooms starting around $NZ39 per person.

The Pinewood Lodge is in a quiet part of the town but still a fairly close walk to the nightlife if you want to mix your peaceful sleep with a pub-crawl. They are one of the highest rated and most popular hostels in Queenstown so if you want a bed here you’ll want to book well in advance. Their dorm beds start around $NZ25 per night and their private double and twin rooms start around $NZ33 per person.

The Thomas Hotel combines an interesting mix of affordability and luxury. They are located right on the lake not far from the center of town, so they rent sea kayaks, but are also a fairly short walk to the nightlife. Beds in their 5-bunk dorms start around $NZ32 per night, with a bathroom in each dorm. And they also offer private twin and double rooms, also with en suite facilities, starting around $NZ75 per person. These are deluxe hotel rooms with a great location, and of course you get to take advantage of the hostel’s bar, lounge, and self-catering facilities as well.

Hostels in Queenstown