Best hostels in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires concentrates hostel inventory along two axes: the historic core radiating from Plaza de Mayo, and the parrilla-and-park belt that runs through Palermo. The city's Subte (lines A through E) and an aggressive bus network mean any of these seven neighborhoods is 20–30 minutes from any other, so the real question is less 'what's reachable?' and more 'what street do you want to step onto at 2 a.m.?' City Center puts you under the Obelisco on top of the major Subte interchanges; Palermo's sub-districts (Soho, Hollywood, and the broader Palermo proper) trade central transit for tree-lined streets, late-closing parrillas, and Plaza Serrano's weekend market. Balvanera, anchored on the Abasto block, is the closest budget hostels get to the geographic middle of the city — useful if you're catching dawn buses from Retiro or Once. Recoleta sits between the two, with the cemetery, the French-mansion blocks of Avenida Alvear, and a quieter late-night character than Palermo. Inventory skews backpacker-budget; 9-rated hostels exist under $20 a night in the core and Palermo Soho, while 'budget' in Recoleta and Palermo proper drifts toward the $40–$80 apart-hotel and cowork range. Pick by walking radius, not distance from a single sight.

1. 1

   Buenos Aires City Center, Buenos Aires

   Microcentro grid around the Obelisco, central Buenos Aires

   Subte-hub microcentro under the Obelisco — dense by day, office-empty by night, cheapest launchpad for outward Subte commutes.

   City Center sits at the convergence of Subte lines A, B, C, D, and E — Florida Street's pedestrian mall, Avenida 9 de Julio with the Obelisco, and Plaza de Mayo with the Casa Rosada are all inside a 15-minute walk. Late-night character is the inversion of Palermo's: the office grid empties after 8 p.m., with bars clustering east toward Puerto Madero or west into San Telmo's antique block. Che Juan Hostel BA is the rare sub-$15 bunk this central, and the review's mention of the courtyard, full kitchen, and work area matches the converted-old-building stock in this part of downtown. If your trip pivots around museums (MNBA, Teatro Colón a 10-minute walk up Cerrito) and Subte transfers outward, this is the cheapest place in the city to base from.

   1. Budget

      Che Juan Hostel BA

      Great location, lots of space: there's an open courtyard (it's on the second floor of a three-story building, so it doesn't feel like a well), a large kitchen with a full cooking area, a work area, a

      9.4 rating ~$14/night
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2. 2

   Buenos Aires City Center

   Eastern Microcentro toward Puerto Madero, central Buenos Aires

   The cowork-hybrid seam east of the Obelisco where converted-office stock meets the Puerto Madero waterfront.

   This City Center cluster sits slightly east of the Florida-Obelisco core, along the Reconquista–Diagonal Norte axis between Plaza de Mayo and the financial district. Efe Hotel & Cowork lands at the budget/mid-range seam — its $79 nightly is the lower edge of the cowork-hybrid category that remote workers route through Buenos Aires for, and the review's tight rooms with helpful front desk read as typical converted-office stock. Walk 10 minutes east for Puerto Madero's dock-converted waterfront and the Reserva Ecológica beyond it; west for Avenida Corrientes' bookstores and the pizza canon (El Cuartito, Güerrín); south for San Telmo's Sunday market on Defensa. Quieter at night than the strip immediately around the Obelisco, with more 24-hour cafés than late bars, and the Catedral/L. N. Alem Subte stations within a five-minute walk back to the rest of the line network.

   1. Budget

      Efe Hotel & Cowork

      Great location very close to downtown area. Room very small, shower leaking water on the floor. Front desk people very nice and helpful

      9.2 rating ~$79/night
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3. 3

   Palermo, Buenos Aires

   Palermo proper around Plaza Italia, north-central Buenos Aires

   Park-belt Palermo with apartment-heavy inventory, morning runs around the Bosques, and Plaza Italia on Subte Line D.

   Palermo in the broadest sense covers the slope from Plaza Italia (Subte Line D) north and west toward Las Cañitas and the racetrack. Within a 15-minute walk are the Botanical Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Eco-park, and the Bosques de Palermo with its lakes and rose garden. Deluxe Apartments in Palermo by BueRentals reflects this neighborhood's inventory tilt — full apartments under $80 rather than hostel bunks, suited to couples and longer stays, which is what the review's 'so nice having an apartment to ourselves' language signals. Palermo proper trades Soho's bar-crawl density for parrillas with sidewalk tables and morning runs around the parks. It borders Palermo Soho (a 15-minute walk southwest) and Recoleta (similar distance southeast across Avenida Las Heras), with Plaza Italia's Subte interchange running you back to downtown in under 20 minutes.

   1. Budget

      Deluxe Apartments in Palermo by BueRentals

      It was a a wonderful experience for a couple of first timers in Buenos Aires. After spending the past couple of weeks in hotel rooms it was so nice having an apartment to ourselves. The apartment was

      9.5 rating ~$76/night
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4. 4

   Balvanera, Buenos Aires

   Balvanera and Once around the Abasto block, central-west Buenos Aires

   Three-Subte-line convergence at Abasto — Once train station nearby, viable budget base for early long-distance bus departures.

   Balvanera spans from the Once train station up through the Abasto block; Subte lines A (Plaza Miserere), B (Carlos Gardel), and H (Once) all touch this neighborhood inside a 10-minute walk of each other. Sarmiento Palace Hotel sits at the $46 seam between hostel and hotel, the price point that makes Balvanera viable as a base if you're catching long-distance buses from Retiro (a 15-minute Line C transfer) or coming in from Ezeiza. The Abasto Shopping mall, Carlos Gardel's house museum, and Avenida Corrientes' tango clubs anchor the neighborhood's identity, and the review's 'I was alone but it was all perfect' language matches the steady-budget character of the surrounding blocks. It abuts Almagro (literary cafés, the Konex cultural center) and is a 20-minute walk to either Palermo or San Telmo. Day feel: bustling-market. Night closes earlier than Palermo, with action concentrated on the Corrientes strip.

   1. Budget

      Sarmiento Palace Hotel

      The stay was amazing, I was very afraid because I was alone, but it was all perfect, from the passage to the hosting. All the very educated staff, everything I asked was asked. I was a little bit more

      8.2 rating ~$46/night
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5. 5

   Palermo

   Palermo Hollywood wedge west of the elevated railway, north Buenos Aires

   Hollywood's restaurant grid west of Juan B. Justo — late parrillas, fewer tourists, longer walks back to the Subte.

   This Palermo cluster leans toward Palermo Hollywood, the wedge west of Avenida Juan B. Justo and the elevated railway — historically the TV and radio production belt, now Buenos Aires's densest restaurant grid. Trendy Apartments in Palermo Hollywood by BueRentals matches the inventory pattern here: short-term apartments rather than bunks, mid-budget for the area. The review's note that the stay felt 'a bit far from the tourist area' is structurally accurate — Hollywood is a 15- to 20-minute walk to Plaza Serrano or the parks, with the Ministro Carranza station (Subte Line D) the fastest link back to downtown. Late-night character is the reverse of City Center: bars and parrillas run past 2 a.m., and weekend brunch radiates out from the Bonpland/Honduras intersection. Mornings are quieter than Soho's, with more sidewalk café space and less foot traffic crossing your block.

   1. Budget

      Trendy Apartments in Palermo Hollywood by BueRentals

      The stay was very good, although a bit far from the tourist area. But overall, everything was great.

      9.1 rating ~$58/night
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6. 6

   Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires

   Plaza Serrano core of Palermo Soho, north Buenos Aires

   Plaza Serrano's boutique-and-bar grid — the densest under-$20 hostel cluster in the city, weekend market spilling for blocks.

   Palermo Soho centers on Plaza Serrano (officially Plaza Cortázar) — a tight grid of low buildings, boutiques, and bars bounded by Honduras, Gurruchaga, Borges, and El Salvador. PH Palermo Hostel anchors the under-$20 backpacker tier within a five-minute walk of the plaza, and the Spanish-language review's emphasis on the location and free lockers at checkout is the operational shape most Soho hostels share. The weekend market on Plaza Serrano fills the surrounding blocks Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with crafts spilling toward Plaza Armenia. The Plaza Italia station (Subte Line D) is a 10-minute walk north, but most travelers here stay on foot — Palermo Hollywood is a 15-minute walk west, Villa Crespo's craft-beer and bookshop block about 10 minutes south. Late-night character is the densest in the city; bars on Honduras and El Salvador don't peak until well past midnight.

   1. Budget

      PH Palermo Hostel

      El hostel se destaca por la ubicacion, mejor imposible. La gente que te recibe es muy amable y predispuesta a ayudar. Nos han ofrecido lockers gratis al hacer el check out para poder pasear tranquilos

      8.3 rating ~$19/night
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7. 7

   Recoleta, Buenos Aires

   Recoleta and Barrio Norte along Avenida Las Heras, north-central Buenos Aires

   French-mansion belt around the cemetery — quieter nights, weekly-stay-friendly apart-hotel stock, weakest Subte access of the set.

   Recoleta is the French-mansion belt — Cementerio de la Recoleta, the Centro Cultural Recoleta, and Plaza Francia's weekend craft fair all sit inside a 10-minute walk of the Avenida Las Heras / Avenida Pueyrredón axis. Up Barrio Norte is on the border with Barrio Norte (the southern half of Recoleta proper), where $40-tier inventory still exists despite the neighborhood's overall luxury skew; the review flagging a one-week stay extended to two is consistent with the apart-hotel character of the stock here. The MNBA is a 15-minute walk north along Libertador toward Palermo Chico and MALBA. Subte access is the weakest in this set — Line H at Las Heras is the only direct connection, with most travelers using the 60, 67, or 130 buses along the avenue. Late-night character is older and quieter, weighted toward dinner restaurants on Vicente López and Ayacucho rather than bar crawls.

   1. Budget

      Up Barrio Norte

      Service is good , I stayed here for a week and extended for another week . Everything is good very clean rooms and hotel in general. Very good price also . It’s close to stores, transportation and alo

      9.0 rating ~$40/night
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This is an early version of the Buenos Aires list. We add picks as we test more places.