Beijing on a budget

Best hostels

Beijing is too large to treat as one city when you book a cheap bed, and the ring roads decide more than the nightly rate does. The budget picks across these 10 neighborhoods run from about $29 a night out by Nanfaxin to about $71 at Dongzhimen, and that spread buys location, not comfort. Inside the Second Ring, around Qianmen Street, Dashilan and Shijia Hutong, you pay for grey-brick lanes and the ability to walk to Tian'anmen Square before the tour buses arrive. East of the center, Dongzhimen and Panjiayuan trade imperial scenery for subway interchanges, late dinners and everyday Beijing. The two airport districts and the West Railway Station area are transit beds, useful for one night and dull for three. A note for hostel hunters: the strongest budget inventory here is small hotels with private rooms at dorm-adjacent prices, so compare on neighborhood first and bed type second. Decide whether you want hutong mornings, subway convenience or a short ride to the gate, then choose the area that matches.