Whether you are planning a trip with friends, a low-cost romantic getaway, or a family vacation, green hostels are the perfect choice.
“They are no longer just basic budget accommodations: green hostels are spaces for meeting, socializing, and sustainability, where everything – from food to furnishings, from electricity to water flow reducers – follows an eco-friendly model. Some even offer incredible amenities, such as wellness centers, panoramic solariums, and relaxation areas, combining comfort and sustainability.
In this guide, we take you across Europe to discover the best green hostels, for authentic and fun experiences without compromising respect for the environment.
Among Forests and Mountains: Eco-Sustainable Hostel in Trentino
Grumes is a small village of 450 inhabitants in the upper Val di Cembra, in the northeastern part of Trentino. Here awaits L’Ost, a beautiful eco-sustainable hostel where you can stay in cozy single, double, triple, or multiple rooms with wooden furniture, private bathroom, and Wi-Fi, offering stunning mountain views. You can rent a bike and explore the beautiful surroundings where nature reigns, or relax in the reading room.
Why it’s green: electricity comes exclusively from renewable sources, cleaning products are eco-friendly, and the renovation respected bio-architecture principles.
Green Hostel in the Heart of Barcelona
Sleep Green is the perfect choice for a colorful holiday in Barcelona. Located in the beautiful Eixample district, it offers lively, youthful spaces. Meet other travelers in the lounge or shared kitchen. Bicycles can be rented at the front desk.
Why it’s green: the hostel has been awarded the EU Ecolabel for its sustainability efforts. It uses green electricity, eco-friendly cleaning products, energy-saving light bulbs, and water flow reducers.
Sleeping in a Castle: Green Hostel in Germany
An ancient medieval village along the Rhine: Bacharach is one of the prettiest villages in the valley and a perfect romantic getaway, thanks also to the unique hostel inside a XII-century castle. Perfect for families, the hostel offers four common rooms, a dining hall, and a café.
Why it’s green: flow reducers, recycling, and energy-saving light bulbs make this castle a green hostel.
A Garden and Organic Delights in Vienna
Unparalleled views, a beautiful park, and an idyllic atmosphere await you at Palace Hostel Schlossherberge, a modern, affordable, and comfortable hostel well connected to central Vienna. The perfect combination of city life and countryside peace.
Why it’s green: the hostel holds the Austrian environmental label “Das Österreichische Umweltzeichen für Tourismusbetriebe,” the first environmental tourism certification in Europe. It favors organic, local food, eco-friendly cleaning products, and energy-saving light bulbs, and promotes recycling.
A Social and Design Hostel in the Heart of Imola
In Imola, ARCI ISOLA Ostello Sociale is a warm and colorful place combining hospitality, sustainability, and community spirit. Located just 5 minutes from the train station and near the city center, it was created by converting a former Monopolio dei sali e tabacchi warehouse and offers simple, comfortable accommodations, communal areas for socializing, and access to the Circolo Arci below with a large garden and vegetable garden, where you can relax or attend cultural events, in an inclusive, family-like atmosphere ideal for curious travelers and eco-conscious tourists.
Why it’s green: ARCI ISOLA promotes a sustainable hospitality model, focusing on the reuse of spaces, social interactions, and attention to the environment and territory. The hostel is part of a social project that puts people, relationships, and conscious travel at the center.
An Eco-Friendly Hostel with Ocean Views in Lisbon
We move to Portugal, just a few kilometers from Lisbon, where Impact Beach House awaits, an eco-friendly hostel overlooking the Atlantic in the lively town of Estoril. Located just 400 meters from Poça Beach and close to Azarujinha and Tamariz beaches, the hostel is ideal for those who love the sea, surfing, and conscious travel. The property, surrounded by a garden and equipped with a terrace and welcoming common areas, hosts travelers and volunteers from all over the world sharing the same sustainability and community values.
Why it’s green: Impact Beach House actively promotes ocean conservation, circular economy, and a sustainable lifestyle, providing responsible hospitality that prioritizes environmental respect and positive local impact.
A Green Hostel to Experience Rimini
Sea, beaches, fun, and culture: discover Rimini staying at Sunflower Beach Backpacker Hostel, the city’s only true youth hostel. Located just 200 meters from the beach and near the lively nightlife of the Riviera, the hostel has been renovated with a young and vibrant style, where colors, music, and travelers from around the world create a welcoming, cosmopolitan atmosphere. Easily accessible by public transport, it offers various room types – private and shared, all with bathrooms and balconies – plus numerous common areas, a fully equipped kitchen, a lively bar, and indoor and outdoor spaces for relaxation and socializing.
Why it’s green: Sunflower promotes sustainable mobility with bike rentals, supports the local economy, uses plastic-free products (like non-single-use shampoo), and encourages eco-friendly initiatives, offering a more conscious and responsible way to enjoy the Riviera Romagnola.
A Responsible Nature Vacation in Slovenia
In the green heart of Slovenia, in Kočevje, there is Hostel Bearlog, a truly special eco-friendly hostel located in a renovated historic house in the old town center. The first hostel in the Kočevsko region, Bearlog welcomes travelers in modern, carefully designed spaces with natural materials and wooden details, offering comfortable rooms – double, shared, and accessible – designed for rest and tranquility. The theme is the brown bear, symbol of Slovenian forests, inspiring the hostel’s atmosphere and experiences: hikes, cycling routes, and eco-tourism activities for observing local wildlife, for an authentic nature-connected vacation.
Why it’s green: Bearlog is Travelife certified, promotes environmentally and wildlife-friendly tourism, supports the local economy through artisanal products and zero-km food, and encourages slow mobility like cycling and hiking, actively contributing to the protection of the brown bear’s habitat.
Eco-Sustainable Mountain Hostel in Switzerland
Immerse yourself in the unspoiled nature of Canton Glarus at Aktivhostel Hängematt, a cozy family-run hostel located between the oldest nature reserve in Europe and the UNESCO Sardona site. This small property, with only six single to quadruple rooms, is perfect for mountain and outdoor lovers. The interiors, creatively and originally designed, use local materials like Glarus spruce wood and recycled items, while days start with a breakfast of regional and organic products and continue with hiking, trekking, and relaxation in the lounge with library and play area.
Why it’s green: the hostel, awarded the Parco Dolomiti Bellunesi Quality Mark, uses electricity from renewable sources, organic food, and eco-friendly cleaning products.
The Only Hostel in the World with Modern Wellness and Fitness Facilities
In Switzerland, among majestic mountains, there is wellnessHostel4000, a wonderful hostel offering a wellness center comparable to the most luxurious hotels. Entirely wooden, the hostel has multiple floors with numerous rooms, a restaurant serving local specialties, and a bar for an aperitif by the fireplace. The wellness area includes a Finnish sauna, bio-soft sauna, herbal steam bath, hydro-massage tubs and showers, indoor pool, and much more.
Why it’s green: the restaurant uses local ingredients, water is heated by solar panels, light bulbs are energy-saving, and the building follows bio-architecture principles.
An Eco-Friendly Hostel Inside a Boathouse by the Sea
Our last destination is the United Kingdom, along the spectacular Cardigan Heritage Coast, where Ty Cwch Boathouse awaits, a truly unique hostel nestled in an isolated bay near New Quay. Guests stay in a modern boathouse converted into a cozy, sociable space, ideal for families and groups seeking nature and tranquility. Common areas open onto a covered deck overlooking the sea, where you can cook, share meals, and relax after a day of exploration. The rooms are comfortable and heated, allowing you to enjoy the Welsh coast experience in any season, with garden bonfires, silence, and ocean horizons.
Why it’s green: Ty Cwch Boathouse supports the local economy, promotes eco-friendly initiatives, and encourages simple, environmentally respectful travel, enhancing direct contact with nature and shared spaces.
Whether you want to experience the sea, mountains, or European cities, staying in green hostels lets you combine comfort, fun, and sustainability.
Which eco-friendly hostel will be your next destination?
