Hostels in Slovenia

Cheap beds that are not grim - city by city, dorm or private.

Slovenia’s hostels are unusually good, and one of them is a converted prison that is also a listed piece of contemporary art.

That is Hostel Celica in Ljubljana, where each cell was redesigned by a different artist and the building has kept the bars on the windows deliberately. It is the best-known, not the only good one – the country’s hostel scene skews design-led and small rather than party-focused.

Outside Ljubljana the category thins out fast. Bled and Bovec have a handful, mostly aimed at hikers and rafters, and elsewhere you are looking at guesthouses and private rooms rather than dorms. Prices are low enough that a private room in a hostel often undercuts a budget hotel.

Where to find hostels in Slovenia
Town	Best for	Dorm or private	Price level	Season	Book ahead	Guide
Ljubljana	Design hostels, city base	Both	Budget	Year-round	2-4 weeks in summer	Coming soon
Bled	Lake access on a budget	Both	Budget to mid	Apr-Oct	1 month in summer	Coming soon
Bovec	Rafting and hiking crowd	Both	Budget	May-Sep	2 weeks	Coming soon
Maribor	Cheapest city beds	Both	Budget	Year-round	Rarely needed	Coming soon
Piran	Coastal budget option	Mostly private	Budget to mid	May-Sep	1 month for August	Coming soon
Kranjska Gora	Ski season and hikers	Both	Budget	Dec-Mar, Jun-Sep	2-4 weeks	Coming soon

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Worth knowing

Three things about hostels here

01One of them is a former prisonHostel Celica in Ljubljana occupies a 19th-century military prison. Twenty cells were each redesigned by different artists, and the bars stayed on deliberately.Read more 02Private rooms often beat budget hotelsHostels here lean small and design-conscious rather than party-focused, and a private double frequently costs less than the cheapest hotel in the same town.Read more 03Outside the cities the category thins fastBeyond Ljubljana, Bled and Bovec there are very few true hostels. Guesthouses and private rooms fill that gap, at similar prices.Read more

Featured

Hostel Celica: sleeping in a listed prison

Each of the twenty cells was handed to a different pair of artists in the early 2000s, and the results range from playful to genuinely strange. It sits in Metelkova, Ljubljana’s autonomous cultural quarter, which means atmosphere at night and noise if you want an early one.

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Frequently asked questions

Are hostels in Slovenia only for young travellers?

No. Most are small and design-led rather than party hostels, and many have private rooms that suit couples and older travellers.

How much does a hostel bed cost?

Less than a budget hotel room in the same town, with private rooms sitting between a dorm bed and a cheap hotel. Ljubljana and Bled are the most expensive.

Do I need to book ahead?

In Ljubljana and Bled during summer, a few weeks. Elsewhere and off-season you can usually turn up.

Are there hostels outside the main towns?

Very few. Beyond Ljubljana, Bled, Bovec and a couple of others, look for guesthouses and private rooms instead.

What is Hostel Celica?

A former military prison in Ljubljana converted into a hostel, with twenty cells each designed by different artists. It is the country's best-known hostel by a distance.

Is Metelkova safe at night?

It is an established cultural quarter rather than anywhere dangerous, but it is genuinely loud after dark. Pick a room away from the courtyard if you want to sleep.

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