What is it Like Staying in a Large Hostel in Edinburgh?
- Jay
- Mar 18
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 20
All backpackers have their preferences in hostels - big or small, social vibes or co-working vibes, big dorms or private rooms. Choosing a hostel that fits your needs best, even just for a night, can help you get the most out of your experience in any city, and especially in Edinburgh.
Large hostels are buzzing with social energy, lots of shared spaces, plenty of events - all perfect for meeting backpackers from all over the world to head out and explore with, or even for a cosy evening spent playing pool or board games. If you're after peace and quiet, they can sometimes feel a little hectic, but it all depends on how the hostel is laid out.
Here, we'll give you the lowdown on what spending a night or two in a large Edinburgh hostel is like, using the award-winning Castle Rock Hostel as our example.
Quick Answer: What Is It Like Staying in a Large Hostel in Edinburgh?
Staying in a large hostel in Edinburgh usually means a more social, lively experience, with multiple common areas, organised events, and lots of opportunities to meet other travellers - as long as the hostel has put together a little structure to their social schedule. However, it can also be busier and noisier than smaller hostels, so it’s best suited to backpackers who enjoy a more energetic atmosphere.
If you use the code TRAVEL15 when making a reservation, you can get 15% off your stay midweek this April at Castle Rock Hostel, exclusive to the Scotland's Top Hostels Travel Guide:
What is a 'Large Hostel' in Edinburgh in 2026?
Let's start by getting a feeling for what most hostels in Edinburgh are like size-wise - take for example Royal Mile Backpackers, a tiny hostel with only 38 beds for guests that offers a completely different vibe to something like Castle Rock, which has well over 200 beds.
Meanwhile, the A&O Hostel on Blackfriars Street has over 600 beds, which feels like a massive step-up compared to its neighbouring High Street Hostel with around 150 beds. This means a hostel of 600+ beds is a real anomaly, and anything over 200 or so beds generally will feel like a 'large hostel'.
Large hostels also come with an atmosphere around them - with so many people, you can expect common spaces to be buzzing with activity, and hopefully lots of opportunities to meet new people!
Are Large Hostels in Edinburgh Always More Social?
Not always. While large hostels in Edinburgh often have more social spaces, they can sometimes feel busy rather than genuinely social, depending on the layout and the type of travellers staying there, as well as whether the hostel have put together a social programme for guests.
If you've ever booked a large hostel, you'll be familiar with feeling as though you're flipping a coin, especially if you've ever visited larger hostels in big cities like London and Paris. With hotels entering the hostel world (seeing how the number of budget backpackers increases year-on-year, we can only guess!), there are certain large hostels that you wander into and feel as though someone has crammed as many beds as they can into that space, and done little else.
You'll be pleased to hear that Edinburgh is a city that bucks that trend. Larger hostels like A&O and Kickass Greyfriars include a bar downstairs for socialising, while Castle Rock offers an engaging roster of completely free events for their guests, and has three large social lounges, each with a different vibe and feeling to make sure you get a rounded experience.
The truth is that in a large hostel, a little bit of structure to the social life on offer goes a long way. We've found with Castle Rock that offering out free bar crawls, Scottish Folk Dancing lessons, arts & crafts nights, karaoke and more dramatically increases everyone's enjoyment of their stay.
The magic of a hostel laid out like Castle Rock is that there is space for everyone - whether you're wanting to socialise or not - unlike some other hostels where social spaces are limited to fit in more beds.
Different Spaces for Different Travellers: Inside Castle Rock's Four Lounges
The Main Lounge - Lively, Social, Buzzing
"Last night I checked-in after my flight at 3am, and ended up staying up playing pool with two guys who were here when I arrived. I've never seen a hostel still going at that hour."
A genuine quote we overheard, and it's true, the social vibe can keep going into the early hours on some nights! The Main Lounge at Castle Rock is the beating heart of the social life of the building - every Thursday night the free Bar Crawl starts with a legendary round of pre-drinks and drinking games, and every Monday there's a Paint 'n' Sip night around the big Hogwarts-style table in the middle.
Free pool 24/7 keeps meeting new people easy, as long as you're willing to walk up and challenge whoever's winning to the next round (or more likely, you might just be invited to do so). A huge stack of board games in the corner will help you break the ice otherwise, as well as free tea and coffee available all throughout the day and night.
Up top, there's a mezzanine level with comfy couches you can easily sink into and watch a movie, or find yourself playing cards with new friends.
The Posh Lounge - Relax like Royalty
Fancy a break from meeting new folks? There's no better surroundings than in the neighbouring Posh Lounge. It's the sort of place you imagine someone hosting a lavish dinner party, but these days it's a calm oasis to bury yourself into a book within, or to tap through some remote work on your laptop around the large co-working table.
A big grandfather clock swings over palatial sofas, and an unbeatable view of Edinburgh Castle can be seen from most of the room's windows. It's the perfect spot to unwind after a long day, and a general rule of respectful levels of conversation and quietness tends to be well observed here.
The Groove Lounge - Jam Out and Chill Out
Tucked away at the end of the corridor on the ground floor, you're going to find Castle Rock's hidden gem - with guitars hanging from the walls, a great sound system and other instruments all waiting to be played, it's the ultimate hostel jam sesh location. Whether you play or not, the vibes are always immaculate, though we do not recommend trying to play Wonderwall if you want to keep those new friends you've made 😉
The Cinema Room - Nightly Movie Screenings for All
If that wasn't enough to make you feel right at home and ready to socialise, then you're welcome to grab a bag of popcorn and hang out in the Castle Rock Cinema Room - there are 3 movies shown nightly from 6pm - 11pm, and the receptionists are even happy to take requests! So if you're fancying a night in, get a gang together, agree on a film (this might be the hardest part!), and put your feet up for the night here.
Do Large Hostels in Edinburgh = More Facilities During Your Stay?
Not always - though if you thoroughly check reviews of places ahead of time you can be sure you'll get what you're expecting. Not all large hostels in Edinburgh come with kitchens, nor do they all offer up sufficiently big social spaces to accommodate the swathes of people who might want to use them.
Castle Rock offers up a well-equipped kitchen, the pre-mentioned large number of social spaces for guests to enjoy, as well as bathrooms and showers on every floor suitable to keep up with even a busy morning of backpackers getting ready for the day.
Check out these reviews that highlight those facilities:
"The rooms were clean and comfy, with a massive kitchen you can cook in and store food, as well as various different rooms to read, do work etc. The pub crawl was tons of fun too, met lots of great people, the hosts had lots of fun challenges for us to complete in teams, and we danced the night away."
from Ermeyas, Google, 2025.
"The showers were always clean, beer pong was a lot of fun, movie night was so nice for when I needed a quiet activity, and the kitchen is something I've never seen in any other hostel..."
from Alice, Google, 2025.
Who Should Stay in a Large Hostel in Edinburgh?
In short - solo travellers, small social groups of backpackers, large groups who need more space, and anyone willing to make new friends while travelling.
Like we've mentioned, preference plays a big part in getting both... a) What you wanted from your hostel experience. b) Sometimes, so much more than that, including things you weren't prepared for.
If you're ready to mix and mingle, hang out with new friends, and take on the hilly cobbled streets of Edinburgh together, a large hostel will suit you. But, that's only as long as that large hostel puts together a social programme that does the groundwork to bring folks into one room. Bonus points if almost all of that social programme is free.
How Much Does Staying in a Large Hostel in Edinburgh Cost in 2026?
You can expect to pay upwards of £17 for a bed in a dormitory in Castle Rock Hostel in Edinburgh as of March 2026. Dormitory sizes range throughout most Large Hostels, but prices increase steadily, so you'll only pay a small premium for a room shared with less people. Though it's worth knowing that due to Castle Rock's historic building, large ceilings mean that even the bigger dorms feel comfortable and spacious for most.
Take advantage of affordable continental breakfast from just £4 each morning, and towel hire for just £2 for the duration of your stay.
As a bonus, all guests staying at Scotland's Top Hostels locations in Edinburgh get access to a range of discounts at the best places to eat, drink and explore in the city.
If you’re looking for a social, energetic stay in the centre of Edinburgh, larger hostels like Castle Rock offer one of the best environments to meet other travellers, and not at any greater cost than the alternatives.
If you use the code TRAVEL15 when making a reservation, you can get 15% off your stay midweek this April at Castle Rock Hostel, exclusive to the Scotland's Top Hostels Travel Guide:
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