3 Best Hostels in New Orleans, USA – A Mix of Chill and Party in the Heart of the ‘Big Easy’

3 Best Hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Let’s kick start your American adventure with a collection of the best hostels in New Orleans. Aka the ‘Big Easy’!

This Louisiana city near the Gulf of Mexico is famous for spicy food and round-the-clock nightlife. It’s a melting pot of African, French and American cultures. Cool, huh?

Your shortcut:

  1. The Quisby New Orleans – great for female solo travellers
  2. Auberge NOLA Hostel – one for solo travellers
  3. Madame Isabelle’s House – top pick for older travellers

Any questions about hostels in New Orleans?

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In late winter you can also enjoy the festive spirit of Mardi Gras!

It’s hot, so expect swimming pools. There’s crazy nightlife, so of course there are party hostels.

This guide is perfect for YOU, when …

  • tired of bad and crappy hostels
  • want to avoid the “young party kids”
  • happy to spend 1-2€ for a better experience

This collection is part of our guide to the 45 best hostels in USA – don’t miss it.

What we cover in this article?

You can find all 5 Star Hostels here with Hostelgeeks and all guides to “Best Hostels In” here.

Quick Introduction to New Orleans

Average price for a bed: Hostels in New Orleans cost 18€ – 22€ per night for a bed in a dorm. A private room starts from 36€ up to 94€ per night. This is a rough average just to give you an idea.

Prices always depend on season and holidays. Please always check exact rates on Hostelworld.com or Booking.com.

Check-In and Check Out: The average check-in time is from 15:00 (3pm), while the Check Out time is before 11:00 (11am). Hostels usually offer luggage storage in case you arrive earlier or leave later. Make sure you check if luggage storage is free or if there is an extra cost.

Tourism Tax: Just be aware that in most hostels in New Orleans, the 16% tax is not included in the booking price. You will need to pay this extra fee on arrival.

🎁 New to Hostels? Read our guide to staying in a Hostel for the First Time here. We especially recommend reading:

The 3 Best Hostels in New Orleans

Let’s jump right into the boutique hostels in New Orleans.

  1. The Quisby New Orleans
  2. Auberge NOLA Hostel
  3. Madame Isabelle’s House

We put all three accommodation on the map, you will find the map at the end of the article.

Overview: Best Hostels by Traveler Type

🦸 Solo Traveler: Auberge NOLA Hostel
🙎‍♀️ best for Female Solo Traveler: The Quisby New Orleans
🥳 Party Hostel:India House Backpackers Hostel
👩‍❤️‍👨Couple Hostel: The Quisby New Orleans
👨‍👩‍👦 Family Hostel: Auberge NOLA Hostel
👩‍💻 For Digital Nomads: Madame Isabelle’s House
🧘 Cozy Hostel: City House Hostel New Orleans

1. The Quisby New Orleans

The Quisby New Orleans first came on the scene in 1929 as a hotel. Completely renovated in 2016, it is now an upscale hostel in the Garden District of New Orleans.

Alongside ridiculously comfy beds and an en-suite bathroom in EVERY room, The Quisby offers:

  • 24 hour bar downstairs
  • Free breakfast
  • Fast WiFi throughout
  • 24/7 reception = no curfew

Although there is a bar that offers Happy Hour and the occasional pub crawl, this is not a crazy party hostel.

Instead the fun, social vibes are flowing all the time for you to dip in and out as you like. The place is seriously alive and kicking!

Never fear: you won’t be affected by the noise if you fancy an early night.

Furthermore, the staff host a few more events including movie nights, game night and even tarot card reading – oo err!

So what about room types?

There is a mix of 4-6 bed mixed and a 4-bed female dorm, plus private rooms.

The reason the beds are so comfy is because they come with memory foam mattresses.

So don’t be too hard on your neighbour for snoring.

Alongside that you’ll get multiple sockets, a reading light and a big locker.

Location: Steps away from the WWII Museum and a handy supermarket. The French Quarter is less than 1 mile away. Within half a mile there are dozens of famous restaurants and bars.

This is one of the best hostels in New Orleans for

  • Female solo travellers
  • Couples
Book The Quisby here

Compare prices and read reviews at: Booking.com | Hostelworld

The Quisby is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA The Quisby is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

2. Auberge NOLA Hostel

Okay so let’s cut to the chase: Auberge NOLA Hostel is a party hostel.

BUT! It’s one of those party hostels where you can easily escape the crowds and wind down thanks for the array of dorm rooms.

If you’re keen to get involved, book a 8 or 10-bed dorm as a means to break the ice.

Otherwise, there are 4 and 6-bed dorms for those that wish to get a sound nights sleep ready for the next day. There is even a female only dorm!

To completely avoid any disturbance in the night, why not book a double private with great city view?

So now you’re feeling better about the room situation, let’s look at the organised fun.

There’s plenty of smiling to be had thanks to the…

  • Free nightly social events
  • Free breakfast
  • Outdoor courtyard w/ BBQ
  • Games, Netflix & cinema room

Auberge is constantly noted for the great staff you’ll find here. They go above and beyond to make everyone welcome, creating a family atmosphere.

No wonder they’ve won so many awards!

We vote this a top option for social travellers. Mix, feel at home and soak up the great atmosphere.

Location: Auberge NOLA Hostel is directly between the Garden District and the French Quarter. It’s one block from the main transportation known as Streetcar.

This is one of the best hostels in New Orleans for

  • Solo travellers
  • Party animals
Book Auberge NOLA Hostel here

Compare prices and read reviews at: Booking.com | Hostelworld

Auberge NOLA Hostel is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Auberge NOLA Hostel is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Auberge NOLA Hostel is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Auberge NOLA Hostel is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

3. Madame Isabelle’s House

Moving on from party to a beautiful house built in 1831. Madame Isabelle’s House is full of character and colour.

Here you’ll find a deck and jacuzzi with your name on it!

The tasteful ornaments and furniture inside the house truly represent typical old houses in the New Orleans area. Madame Isabelle’s family did a great job.

If you like the sound of quiet time between 9pm and 8am, this is the hostel for you.

You can start your day with a yummy breakfast (it’s free) in the secret courtyard garden. How nice does that sound?

To be honest, you could easily spend all of your time in the garden soaking up some sunshine.

Otherwise you might prefer hanging out in the grand indoor spaces.

It’s your opportunity to feel fancy, sipping wine under a chandelier and playing a princess as you walk down the grand staircase.

The elegance reminds us of Beauty and the Beast, or is that just us?

We think you’ll also be happy with the room choices on offer:

  • 5 and 7-bed mixed dorms
  • 8-bed female dorm
  • Twin w/ ensuite
  • Double w/ ensuite
  • Triple w/ ensuite

Instead of privacy curtains, dorms come with fixed boards that cover the beds partway. But don’t let that you hide away for too long!

Location: Set in a quiet area not too far from Frenchman Street and Bourbon street where great bars and restaurants can be found.

This is one of the best hostels in New Orleans for

  • Older travellers
  • Friends
Book Madame Isabelle’s House here

Compare prices and read reviews at: Booking.com | Hostelworld

Madame Isabelle's House is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, USA Madame Isabelle's House is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, USA Madame Isabelle's House is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, USA Madame Isabelle's House is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, USA

What about cheapest hostels in New Orleans?

Of course, there are always cheap hostels.

We think, it’s not worth it to go with the cheapest hostel out there.

Why?

The difference is usually 1-2€ ($1-2) per night, and a lot of amenities are not included. This can be breakfast or linen.

However, if you are traveling on a shoe-string budget and you wanna save every penny, there are ways to find the cheapest places in New Orleans.

  1. Open Hostelworld with full list of budget places to stay in New Orleans
  2. Order the listing by price

Simple as that.

Read: 15 hacks for booking hostels

Make sure you use then the other filters and rank per price.

Also keep a close eye on the ratings, especially the “extreme ratings”. Meaning, the best and worst. These ratings can give great insight on what to expect.

Best Hostels in New Orleans for Solo Travellers?

What is seriously the best hostel in New Orleans for solo travellers?

It has to be a tie between our #1 and #2 hostels.

For the female solo travellers heading to New Orleans, we recommend choosing The Quisby. You can relax in a 4-bed dorms with other ladies, and get sociable at the 24hr bar.

As for New Orleans solo travellers as a whole, whether you’re male, female, gay or trans, Auberge NOLA Hostel is a wonderful choice.

Like we already mentioned, it’s the place to enjoy a good party, and find respite in a small or private room if you wish. There’s a good balance between social and quiet that should suit all solo traveller types.

The Quisby is one of the best hostels in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Party Hostels in New Orleans

Are you looking for good times, drinks and that all important party hostel experience? We thought so!

Luckily for you, alongside our #2 hostel Auberge NOLA Hostel, we have three more great party hostels in New Orleans to tickle your tastebuds.

  1. India House Backpackers House: Booking.com | Hostelworld
  2. City House Hostel New Orleans: Booking.com
  3. Atlas House New Orleans  Booking.com | Hostelworld

India House Backpackers Hostel

India House Backpackers Hostel has been delivering good times for 28 years.

Surrounded by several great pubs and with nightly organised events, you’re in for a good time here.

Get ready for pub crawls, pool parties, movie nights and fantastic staff to guide you every step of the way.

And guess what? It’s the ONLY hostel in New Orleans with a swimming pool! If that’s the only reason you need to stay, we salute you.

Check out the outdoor kitchen for fine food on offer, and find bands jamming out on the outdoor deck.

Book India House Backpackers Hostel here

Compare prices and read reviews at: Booking.com | Hostelworld

India House Hostel is one of the best party hostels in New Orleans, USA India House Hostel is one of the best party hostels in New Orleans, USA

City House Hostel New Orleans

Have a blast at City House Hostel New Orleans and enjoy quiet time after 10pm. We like that deal.

It’s less of a crazy all-night party hostel, and more of a ‘few drinks with new friends’ kind of place.

Having said that, there is option to join the New Orleans pub crawl list on Bourbon Street.

Other activities include a local tour by a local, jazz exploration on Frenchman Street and a free burlesque show!

The common rooms are big, bright and homely. Slide off your shoes and relax when you’re had enough to drink.

Book City House Hostel New Orleans here

Compare prices and read reviews at: Booking.com

City House Hostel is one of the best party hostels in New Orleans, USA City House Hostel is one of the best party hostels in New Orleans, USA

Atlas house New Orleans

Located by a walking distance to the Convention Center and the historic French Quarter, the Atlas House New Orleans offers:

  • Free WiFi
  • Air Con
  • Lines and a fan
  • Share kitchen where you can cook and store food, how great is that!

This hostel is run by a very friendly staff who organizes amazing activities every day from game night, music night and pub crawls.

Book Atlas House New Orleans here

Compare prices and read reviews at: Booking.com | Hostelworld

How to book?

We recommend using Booking.com or Hostelworld for your reservations.

Hostelworld is the most popular website when it comes to hostel bookings.

Read: step-by-step guide on how to book with Hostelworld

On both platforms your credit card is 100% protected and the booking 100% confirmed.

We included the handy links to each of the recommended hostel. Just click on the hostel name. The link will lead you to check prices and availability.

Here is the overview:

  1. The Quisby: Booking.com | Hostelworld
  2. Auberge NOLA Hostel: Booking.com | Hostelworld
  3. Madame Isabelle’s House: Booking.com | Hostelworld
  4. India House Backpackers House: Booking.com | Hostelworld
  5. City House Hostel New Orleans: Booking.com
  6. Atlas House New Orleans  Booking.com | Hostelworld

We recommend booking your hostel as early as possible!

All of New Orleans best hostels are popular; especially in high-season. To make sure you end up in those stylish hostels, secure your room or bed as soon as you have your travel dates fix.

Any Discounts?

Currently, we have no special hostel discounts in New Orleans. I know, it’s a pity. You can subscribe to our newsletter to receive our newest hostel discounts always to your inbox.

You can find all our hostel discounts worldwide here.

Our Favorite Hostels in New Orleans put on a map + sights

Let us have a look on the map. Below we list all three best New Orleans hostels on a map.

Personally, we love to plan our trips with a map having all sights and potential hostels on it. We thought this map will help you with planning your trip too.

We also included the main tourist attractions you’ve to know in this list:

  • French Quarters
  • Bourbon Street
  • Jackson Square
  • St. Louis Cathedral
  • The National WWII Museum
  • French Market – Shops of the Colonnade
  • City Park
  • Mardi Gras World
  • Harrah’s Casino New Orleans

Any questions about hostels in New Orleans? 🤔

Join our Facebook Group!

Ask all your questions and connect with like-minded wanderers 🔥

FAQs

We have decided to add this section with the most asked questions for you.

What are the best hostels in New Orleans?

That is what we have this guide, Check our top 3 hostels in New Orleans

  1. The Quisby New Orleans – great for female solo travellers
  2. Auberge NOLA Hostel – one for solo travellers
  3. Madame Isabelle’s House – top pick for older travellers

What is the best hostel to stay in New Orleans?

If we have to choose the best hostel New Orleans,

Our top #1 with no doubts is: the Quisby New Orleans

The fun, social vibes are flowing all the time for you to dip in and out as you like.

The place is seriously alive and kicking!

What is the cheapest way to stay in New Orleans? 

We think it’s not worth it to go with the cheapest hostel out there.

Why?

The difference is usually 1-2€ ($1-2) per night, and a lot of amenities are not included. This can be breakfast or linen.

In this guide you can also find the cheapest way to stay in New Orleans by using our top hostels

However, if you are not convinced with our top pick

And you are traveling on a shoe-string budget and you want to save every penny, there are ways to find the cheapest places in New Orleans.

  1. Open Hostelworld with full list of budget places to stay in New Orleans
  2. Order the listing by price

Simple as that.

Read: 15 hacks for booking hostels

Use the filters and rank per price

Flights to New Orleans?

We use Skyscanner and Omio.com to find cheap flights and good connections all over the globe.

Skyscanner has a bunch of cool features like Multi-City Trip. Instead of doing this research step-by-step, Skyscanner offers this flight planning tool.

Our Step-by-Step Guide to Skyscanner

review of Skyscanner flight searches

More guides

Alright, this is your answer to where to stay in New Orleans.

Here are all our US Hostel Guides:

Party hostels in the US:

You can find all our new and updates articles for Best Hostels in here.

We also created a huge guide to hostels. Here we cover how to build lifetime friendships in hostels, the perfect packing list and more.

Over to you

Was this useful? Do you have any questions, doubts?

Then please please leave us a comment. This list of awesome New Orleans hostels should be as informative and useful as possible.

Your question will help me to understand what I have missed to mention.

Therefore, drop us a comment, we are keen to help you!

Last note: Our commitment

This is a genuine article to help you travel a bit smarter and find the best place on a budget! We ONLY recommend places we know you will enjoy, no matter what.

We will never recommend you any place we haven’t evaluated or are not convinced by. We only share with you places we also recommend to our best friends and family!

Enjoy this fine hostel selection and all 5 Star Hostels.

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The complete guide and overview to the Best Hostels in New Orleans for solo travellers

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