10 Best Hostels in Havana, Cuba [2024 Local’s Guide]
Travelers, rejoice! Havana, Cuba has tons of high-quality, budget-friendly private rental apartments and guesthouses, meaning that budget travelers have will have plenty of incredible places to stay in Havana to choose from. As a result, there are few true “hostels” in Cuba – but the ones you will find are fantastic options, even more affordable than you can imagine.
As locals we’ve searched out the best places to stay in Havana on every kind of budget. Read on for our recommendations for the hostels in Havana, as well as our favorite Hostelworld Cuba tips and tricks for finding the best hostels and casa particular guesthouses for your budget and style of travel.
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Best Hostels in Havana
Widely affordable casa particular guesthouses and hotels in Havana mean that there aren’t too many hostels in Havana. Most travelers jump at the opportunity to find an affordable private room in a casa particular in Old Havana or Vedado, rather than needing to share space in a typical hostel dorm.
However, for travelers who love hostels and couldn’t imagine staying elsewhere, there are some great options in Havana. These are our top choices in the city:
- Best Hostel in Old Havana: Hostel Mango Habana Vieja
- Best Hostel in Vedado: Hostal Red Havana
- Best Hostel in Centro Habana: Hostel Corazón del Mundo
- Best Affordable Casas Particulares in Havana: Hostal Belele or Casa Giraldilla
Read on for our complete reviews of these places to stay in Havana and more, including both traditional hostel-style accommodations with dorm rooms and private rooms, as well as some of the most affordable casas particulars in Havana worth considering.
Havana Hostels
1. Hostel Mango Habana Vieja
Best Hostel in Old Havana
Hostel Mango Habana Vieja, in the heart of Old Havana, is our top recommendation for one of the best hostels in Old Havana Cuba. It’s cool spaces, comfortable rooms, and welcoming staff create a perfectly laid-back atmosphere that will help you get to know the city.
Free kitchen access, large lockers, luggage storage options, a communal kitchen, good wifi, and a giant terrace with hammocks make Hostel Mango Habana Vieja the perfect place in Old Havana to get to know the city.
Reviews and Bookings: Hostel Mango Habana Vieja
2. Hostal Red Havana
Best Hostel in Vedado
Hostal Red Havana is our recommendation for the best hostel in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, known for being spotlessly clean and having delicious breakfast. Its owners and staff go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and informed about the city – you’ll feel at home the second you walk in the door.
Reviews and Bookings: Hostal Red Havana
What to Pack for Cuba
Check out our Ultimate Cuba Packing List to help you pack for your trip – we’re sharing exactly what to bring to Cuba and what we never travel without.
3. Cuba 58 Hostel
If you’re a social butterfly looking to connect with other travelers in Havana, there are few better places to stay than Cuba 58 Hostel, located in Old Havana and facing the city’s emblematic Malecón sea wall. It is just steps away from all the best things to do in Havana and is definitely a favorite among all hostels and hotels in Old Havana.
Cuba 58 Hostel also goes out of its way to help visitors enjoy the city, offering tons of recommendations of tours and experiences in the city and throughout Cuba, as well as offering free salsa classes. With breakfast included in the price, this place is a steal.
Reviews and Bookings: Cuba 58 Hostel
4. Corazón Cuba
Simple rooms – with dorm and private layouts – make Corazón Cuba a solid choice among hostels in Havana, though its everything else the property offers that make it really special. Its Old Havana location and cool rooftop terrace are just the start.
In addition to having accommodations, Corazón Cuba is also a Spanish language school and offers a wide variety of activities for visitors like opportunities for volunteering, tours, and group gatherings to connect with other travelers and locals. It’s a fun, friendly atmosphere that you’ll love.
Reviews and Bookings: Corazón Cuba
5. No Limits Hostel
No Limits Hostel has cozy common spaces and simple decor, but everything you’re looking for in a hotel, with some impressive touches like balconies and ocean views. Located just a few blocks away from the Malecón sea wall and busy thoroughfare of Calle 23, No Limits Hostel is one of the best hostels in Havana’s stately Vedado neighborhood. You won’t miss being in Old Havana; there is just as much to experience here in the evening, if not more.
Reviews and Bookings: No Limits Hostel
Travel Essential
Don’t think about traveling to Cuba without a good VPN (Virtual Private Network). Using a VPN while connecting to the internet is an easy way to keep your personal information safe from hackers and trackers. We’ve used NordVPN for years and couldn’t recommend it more – it’s a must for safety online, especially in Cuba.
6. Hostel Corazón del Mundo
Choose from either dorm rooms or private rooms at Hostel Corazón del Mundo, a recently upgraded hostel in Havana. While a few of the historic details from the building remain, like high ceilings and columns in common spaces, the property won’t win any style points – though its a solid, comfortable choice.
Hostel Corazón del Mundo is located in the heart of Centro Habana, the Havana neighborhood located directly between buzzy Old Havana and Vedado, so it’s quite convenient to almost all of the most popular things to do in Havana.
Reviews and Bookings: Hostel Corazón del Mundo
More Accommodations in Havana
Affordable Casas Particulares in Havana
While hostels in Havana are fantastic budget options, many very inexpensive private options are also available across the city. I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw some recommendations for private rentals your way; if you’re looking for privacy on a budget, you’ve picked a great place to visit by choosing one of the affordable casa particular guesthouses that are so popular in Cuba.
What is a Casa Particular?
But first, what exactly is a casa particular? Check out our complete guide to casa particular accommodations in Cuba for even more details, but the short answer is that a casa particular (in Spanish, private home) is a small guesthouse, bed and breakfast, or room for rent owned by a local Cuba.
Casas particulares have long been the most popular places to stay in Cuba – long before the very similar concept of private rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo came around!
Read More Havana Travel Guides
Best Affordable Casas Particulares in Havana
Hostal Belele
Best Affordable Casa Particular in Vedado
The stately homes turned casas particulares in Vedado tend to be on the more expensive side, but the neighborhood has its affordable options, too, with Hostal Belele being our favorite among them. This charming, historic pink home, shaded by palms and ferns and with plenty of lush outdoor space, offers four different rooms to choose from.
Spacious and simple, Hostal Belele is a bed-and-breakfast-style casa particular is a winner among budget-friendly guests and those looking for warm hospitality and historic charm.
Reviews and Bookings: Hostal Belele
Casa Giraldilla
Best Affordable Casa Particular in Old Havana
There are so many incredible casas in Old Havana, but a top choice is Casa Giraldilla, one of our favorite places to recommend in the entire city. This gorgeous colonial three-bedroom bed and breakfast is a great combination of affordability, comfort, and style.
Casa Giraldilla hosts Carmen and Carlos are lovely, prepare excellent breakfast, and will bend over backward to help you have a great stay. You’ll love the balconies and beautiful upstairs patio with a fantastic view.
Reviews and Bookings: Casa Giraldilla
Travel Insurance
Cuba requires that all travelers have proof of a comprehensive travel insurance policy in order to enter the country. Check out our guide to travel insurance for Cuba for more details. We recommend these brands for Cuba travel insurance:
- Visitors Coverage: Coverage for Cuba travel available to citizens of all countries, though not currently available to residents of New York and Maryland in the United States.
- Insubuy: Coverage for Cuba travel available to citizens of all countries and states of the United States.
La Terraza del Prado
Perched above one of Old Havana’s most beautiful and important pedestrian thoroughfares, the small bed and breakfast La Terraza del Prado is one of our favorite affordable options among the best casas particulares in the city. Rooms are simple and colorful, but the large common spaces are more grand, with the giant covered terrace with rocking chairs being the true star of the show.
Reviews and Bookings: La Terraza del Prado
Hostal Cotarelo
Just a small bed and breakfast with three rooms, Hostal Cotarelo is friendly for single travelers or couples, but even better for those traveling with family or friends who’d like to rent out the entire place. Rooms are simple yet comfortable and large, and the patio is lovely.
You’ll enjoy breakfast and coffee on the patio, but being a block away from Havana’s famous Coppelia ice cream parlor, as well as the main thoroughfare through Vedado and the city’s Malecón sea wall, means there is plenty to do nearby as well.
Reviews and Bookings: Hostal Cotarelo
Carley Rojas Avila is a bilingual travel writer, editor, content marketer, and the founder of the digital travel publications Home to Havana and Explorers Away. She is a serial expat and traveler, having visited 40+ countries and counting. Carley has written for publications like Travel + Leisure, MSN, Associated Press, Weather Channel, Wealth of Geeks, and more. Find her front row at a Bad Bunny concert, befriending street cats, and taste-testing every pizza in Havana.