7 Best Cusco Hostels for 7 Different Kinds of Traveler

Your stay in Cusco will likely be an action-packed and tiring affair, as the typical backpacker itinerary is filled with treks, early-morning starts, and intense sightseeing. That’s why it’s even more important to choose the right base where you can catch your breath (literally — given Cusco’s high elevation!). 

Cusco has well over 50 hostels, but the range is bigger than what you’d expect – and which one is right for you depends on where you are in your Peru trip.

Most travelers have one thing in common: Machu Picchu is somewhere on the itinerary. But everyone’s at a different point of the journey when they arrive. Some might be acclimatizing before a trek, recovering after days on the trail, settling in for a longer stay (because Cusco’s beautiful), or simply looking to find like-minded friends to explore with.

There’s a different hostel for each experience with some overlap (naturally) since hostels are ultimately where all travelers come together, hang out, and make plans.

Whichever point of the trip you’re at, you’re in luck on price: What you’ll instantly notice is how affordable and pleasant the hostels are in Cusco. Despite dorms usually costing just 🇪🇺€8–15› per night, a lot of the hostels are based in heritage buildings, feature cosy courtyards, or offer expansive views of the city. (Private rooms tend to go for about 🇪🇺€30–40› per night.)

Since this is Peru’s biggest travel hub, the hostel scene tends to be very social, though not necessarily party-focused. Cusco is very trekking and get-up-early-for-machu-picchu centric, and the need to adjust to the high altitudes also naturally keeps things more mellow.

This roundup pulls together the 7 hostels in Cusco that consistently earn their reputation across guest reviews and repeat traveler recommendations.

Breakdown of the best hostels in Cusco

1. Viajero Cusco Hostel – stay here before heading to Machu Picchu

• Best for the “I want to meet my trekking group before hitting the trail” type of traveler
• Packed lunches for early departures, luggage storage for multi-day treks, and a travel desk on-site
• 📍 2 min from Plaza de Armas
• Dorm beds from $18/night – private rooms up to $100/night

Let’s start with Cusco’s classic backpacker hostel!

Viajero Cusco Hostel (formerly known as Kokopelli) is the one you’ll find in pretty much ALL Cusco’s best hostel roundups. Its reputation is established because it gets the basics exactly right:

The social scene, logistics, and location.

The courtyard is the hostel’s natural meeting point, linking the bar, breakfast area, and reception. With many guests following the same itinerary through Peru, there’s a (very) good chance you’ll end up on a trek together.

The staff is trained to handle the trek logistics, including sorting Machu Picchu tickets, luggage storage, and even packing your breakfast bag if you’re leaving before the kitchen opens.

The location also works in your favor if you’re about to leave for Machu Picchu or the Sacred Valley. It puts you close to many tour operators, equipment rental services, eateries, and transportation links so you can sort out your last-minute plans without having to travel around the city.

But Viajero isn’t just efficient; it’s genuinely just enjoyable to stay in. The colorful murals, quirky décor, and lively backpacker vibe create an energetic atmosphere. 

If you’re traveling solo, it’s one of the easiest places in Cusco to find your people before heading off on the trail.

2. Casa Tunki – perfect place to recover after a Machu Picchu trek

• For the “I’ve just finished Salkantay or the Inca Trail and want somewhere calm to recharge” type of traveller
• An intimate, homey, and calm boutique-style stay
• 📍 Centro historico – 5 min from Plaza de Armas
• Dorm beds from $28/night – private rooms up to $99/night

If this one looks to you like a boutique hotel, well, it’s not.

Casa Tunki is a hostel designed for travelers who want the warmth of hostel life, but with the quiet and comfortable boutique-style stay needed after days of trekking. That matters most for a traveler who’s just come off a multi-day Machu Picchu trek. A couple of days here will set your energy and mood right, with all the amenities of a boutique hotel in check: reliable hot water, on-site laundry, hypoallergenic bedding, and soundproofed rooms.

Even the dorms lean private, with capsule beds having their own reading light, power outlet, and a curtain that shuts out the room, so you’re not sharing recovery time with anyone.

Instead of loud music and packed common rooms, things move at a slower pace here. Guests spend their time in the glass-roofed courtyard, relaxing with a coffee or a book, surrounded by stone walls and arched corridors.

This boutique-style hostel is less crowded, with most guests staying longer, so your hosts will probably remember you in a couple of days, and you will easily get into conversation with someone.

If you’ve just finished the Inca Trail or another Machu Picchu trek, this is where you go for recovery.

While many hostels market themselves as “remote-work friendly,” Black Llama is one of the few in Cusco that actually caters to longer stays.

The hostel is designed to help you stay productive, with an on-site coffee shop that also works as a coworking space. Six or so desks with outlets and monitor space sit in a room separate from the café.

There’s also a garden area, which is quite rare to find in a Cusco hostel. Most Cusco hostels are built vertically and enclosed, so any real outdoor space is a good point of difference!

The social vibe is present but more tempered, with daily activities like walking tours, pisco sour classes, and salsa nights that bring people together but things usually wrap up around 9pm, after which the common areas quiet down.

If you’re a digital nomad, slow traveler, or a long-term Peru backpacker, Black Llama is an easy place to find your tribe (without sacrificing your workday).

4. Nao Victoria Hostel – I want community but I hate partying

• Best for the “I love hostels, but not backpacker hostels” type of traveler
• Rooms lean toward private/family stays while keeping the social perks of a hostel
• 📍Centro Histórico
• Dorm beds from $18/night – private rooms up to $90/night

If you’ve outgrown the typical backpacker hostel scene but still enjoy the social side of travel, you’ll love Nao Victoria.

It’s neither a typical backpacker hostel nor a boutique hotel, but somewhere in between. Let me elaborate.

Think of Nao Victoria as the hostel version of a boutique cafe! It’s social enough that you can naturally start conversations with people around you, but designed in a way that makes you also want to sit back and enjoy the space.

It’s set in a colonial stone building half a block off Plaza de Armas, with most rooms tucked around the interior courtyard – so even though Calle Procuradores gets busy, the noise doesn’t really reach the beds. Dorms come with personal curtains, reading lights, and power outlets at each bunk.

For the best balance, go for the Junior Suite. It gives you the privacy of your own room while keeping you close to the social atmosphere and just half a block from Plaza de Armas.

Book the Junior Suite ⬇

5. Wild Rover Cusco – the trek was awesome, I want to celebrate it!

• Best for the “I just want party” traveler
• A classic backpacker party hostel experience
• 📍On Santa Ana hillside, just above Cusco’s historic center
• Dorm beds from $12/night – private rooms up to $70/night

Wild by name and by nature, Wild Rover is Cusco’s classic party hostel.

The social scene here revolves around happy hours, communal dinners, themed nights, live music, DJs, and even open mic nights. The guests are mostly solo travelers and backpackers, so if you’re arriving on your own and want to leave Cusco with new friends – or even a group to tackle the next adventure with – this is the place.

I was surprised to know this, but in what could be a world first (as it never seems to happen), dorms are soundproof and kept on the opposite side of the building, so you can choose between the night out and the night’s sleep.

Let’s wrap up the highlights:

• Lively nightlife
• Food menu blending Irish, Peruvian, and international dishes
• Central location – in the historic center, steps from Plaza de Armas

Wild Rover isn’t for everyone. If you’re after quiet nights or a boutique-style stay, you’ll be happier in, say, Nao Victoria Hostel or Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta.

6. Supertramp Hostel Cusco – one of the closest hostels to Sacsayhuaman

• Best for the “I want mountains and Inca ruins outside my door” type of traveler
• Hillside location with terraces overlooking the city and easy access to Sacsayhuaman
• 📍Above San Blas
• Dorm beds from $12/night – private rooms up to $80/night

This is the most outdoorsy hostel on the list.

Supertramp is a 15-minute uphill walk from Plaza de Armas; it’s steep enough that you’ll feel the altitude on the first day.

The hostel has an open-air feel as it’s perched on a hillside in San Cristobal. From the terraces, you can have breakfast overlooking the city’s red rooftops or watch them glow at sunset beneath the surrounding mountains.

It’s also one of the closest hostels to the Sacsayhuaman ruins and the walking trails around them, so you just lace up your shoes and go.

It’s not exactly the most convenient base for Machu Picchu treks, but it’s arguably the best hostel for travelers who want to explore the hills, viewpoints, and Inca ruins overlooking Cusco.

The community here is mostly hikers, long-term travelers, and anyone keen to explore beyond Cusco’s historic center. You’ll hear much about the trekking routes, nature gems, and hidden corners of Cusco.

If that’s exciting enough, check out this place below⬇

7. Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta – the closest it gets to staying with family in Cusco

• Best for the “I value warm hospitality over fancy facilities” type of traveler
• Family-run with personalized service
• 📍Recoleta neighborhood – 15 min from Plaza de Armas
• Dorm beds from $17/night – private rooms up to $40/night

This is a small, family-run hostel that’s been welcoming independent travelers for years, owned by Javier, who will likely be the main character in your stay.

Javier runs the front desk himself and will map out your week if you let him – tour operators he trusts, which colectivo to take, what time to leave for Rainbow Mountain, etc.

You’ll quickly notice how he takes the time to answer questions and make sure you’re comfortable throughout your stay.

With a lot of modern accommodations optimizing automation, self check in, and efficiency, this is the kind of place where travelers often remember the person behind the hostel long after the stay.

Expect no fancy facilities or designer interiors, though. What you get instead is spotless rooms, a 24-hour kitchen if you’d rather cook than eat out, free breakfast and the kind of atmosphere you’d expect from staying with a local family in Cusco.

A Google Map to help you get your bearings

Thanks for reading!

I hope you found your match. Despite the distinct character of each of Cusco hostels in this roundup, you should not be afraid to choose one outside your comfort zone, because, often, the most memorable experiences happen in places you didn’t expect to match what you’re looking for.

More from Peru

• Check out the iconic Machu Picchu treks, professionally laid out by our Peru expert, Tom (the Salkantay Trek, the Inca Trail & more)
• For the city itself, our Cusco travel guide covers what to do, eat, and see beyond the hostel walls, so you’re not just passing through between treks.
• If Cusco is one stop on a longer trip, 2 Weeks in Peru lays out where the rest of your time is best spent.