Hostelworld Hostel Search API Documentation List the hostels and other budget stays of a Hostelworld city. Each property has its name, type, ratings with a breakdown, location, distance to the city centre, free cancellation info, a public web url, a photo and the lowest price per night for any room, for dorm beds and for private rooms. Send check_in to get prices for a stay; without it the prices are not date specific. Page with page and per_page; has_more tells you when to stop. A valid city with no properties on the requested page is a successful, billable response with an empty list.
Run this endpoint
Endpoint
Parameters
Start with the required fields, then add optional filters only when your use case needs them.
Runnable path
1 required parameter needed before sending a request.
7 optional filters available.
integer
Required
Hostelworld city id. Find it with the autocomplete endpoint. Example: 26 for Berlin.
1234567890
string
Optional
Check-in date, YYYY-MM-DD, today or later. Prices are for this stay when set.
example
integer
Optional
Number of nights, 1 to 30. Defaults to 2. Used together with check_in.
10
integer
Optional
Number of guests, 1 to 20. Defaults to 2.
10
string
Optional
ISO 4217 currency code for all prices, for example EUR or USD. Defaults to EUR.
USD
string
Optional
Sort order: price, -price, name, -name, rating, -rating, distance, -distance, rankscore or -rankscore. A leading minus sorts descending. Omit for the Hostelworld default order.
relevance
integer
Optional
Page number, starting at 1. Defaults to 1.
1
integer
Optional
Properties per page, 1 to 50. Defaults to 20.
10
Response Schema
Example response fields are illustrative; inspect the JSON before integrating.
Example response fields
Scan these fields before integrating.
data
meta
success
{
"data": {
"location": {
"city": "Berlin",
"region": "Berlin",
"city_id": 26,
"country": "Germany"
},
"pagination": {
"page": 1,
"has_more": true,
"per_page": 3,
"total_items": 43,
"total_pages": 15
},
"properties": [
{
"id": 703,
"url": "https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/Circus-Hostel/Berlin/703",
"city": "Berlin",
"name": "Circus Hostel",
"type": "hostel",
"image": "https://a.hwstatic.com/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/propertyimages/7/703/hmncsutasctba9hnlaxx",
"address": "Weinbergsweg 1a, 10119",
"country": "Germany",
"district": "Mitte",
"latitude": 52.530147,
"overview": "Welcome to The Circus Hostel your perfect starting point to discover Berlin!\n\nWith the Metro and Tra",
"position": 1,
"longitude": 13.401918,
"distance_km": 1.01,
"ratings_count": 8093,
"overall_rating": 92,
"rating_breakdown": {
"fun": 88,
"staff": 94,
"value": 90,
"average": 92,
"location": 96,
"security": 97,
"facilities": 90,
"cleanliness": 92
},
"free_cancellation": true,
"lowest_price_per_night": {
"amount": 16.88,
"currency": "EUR"
},
"free_cancellation_until": "2026-10-30T22:59:59Z",
"lowest_dorm_price_per_night": {
"amount": 16.88,
"currency": "EUR"
},
"lowest_private_price_per_night": {
"amount": 59.18,
"currency": "EUR"
}
},
{
"id": 15426,
"url": "https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/St-Christopher-s-Berlin-Mitte/Berlin/15426",
"city": "Berlin",
"name": "St Christopher's Berlin - Mitte",
"type": "hostel",
"image": "https://a.hwstatic.com/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/propertyimages/1/15426/m0tyooptf31sfivqsgdn",
"address": "Ziegelstr. 28",
"country": "Germany",
"district": "Mitte",
"latitude": 52.523588,
"overview": "Please read our Things to Note before making a booking.\n\nSt Christopher's Berlin Mitte is located in",
"position": 2,
"longitude": 13.39096,
"distance_km": 1.28,
"is_featured": true,
"ratings_count": 10435,
"overall_rating": 83,
"rating_breakdown": {
"fun": 82,
"staff": 86,
"value": 81,
"average": 83,
"location": 92,
"security": 90,
"facilities": 73,
"cleanliness": 75
},
"free_cancellation": true,
"lowest_price_per_night": {
"amount": 13.89,
"currency": "EUR"
},
"free_cancellation_until": "2026-11-12T22:59:59Z",
"lowest_dorm_price_per_night": {
"amount": 13.89,
"currency": "EUR"
},
"lowest_private_price_per_night": {
"amount": 54.55,
"currency": "EUR"
}
}
],
"price_range": {
"lowest": {
"amount": 13.89,
"currency": "EUR"
},
"highest": {
"amount": 310.88,
"currency": "EUR"
}
}
},
"meta": {
"billable": true,
"endpoint_family": "search"
},
"success": true
}Errors
Handle these documented responses before retrying or showing customer-facing failures.
Validation Error
A required query parameter is missing or invalid. This response is not billable.
{
"errors": {
"city_id": [
"A city_id is required. Find it with the autocomplete endpoint, e.g. 26 for Berlin."
]
},
"message": "The request validation failed"
}Resource Not Found
The requested Hostelworld city does not exist. This response is not billable.
{
"meta": {
"billable": false,
"retryable": false,
"endpoint_family": "search"
},
"error": {
"code": "NOT_FOUND",
"message": "The requested Hostelworld resource was not found."
},
"success": false
}Invalid Source Response
Hostelworld answered with a shape that no longer matches the documented contract. This response is not billable.
{
"meta": {
"billable": false,
"retryable": true,
"endpoint_family": "search"
},
"error": {
"code": "PARSER_DRIFT",
"message": "The Hostelworld response could not be read. Please retry later."
},
"success": false
}Service Unavailable
The upstream service is temporarily unavailable. Please retry shortly.
{
"meta": {
"billable": false,
"retryable": true,
"endpoint_family": "search"
},
"error": {
"code": "UPSTREAM_UNAVAILABLE",
"message": "The Hostelworld API is temporarily unavailable. Please retry."
},
"success": false
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