Updated November 2026 We have rechecked every listing: three hostels we could no longer confirm as trading have been dropped, and the remaining picks show recent guest activity or live booking pages.
The top hostels in Tehran are small, characterful places, often in restored old houses, run by young Iranians who double as unofficial city guides. Most cluster in the historic centre around Baharestan Square, within walking distance of the Grand Bazaar, Golestan Palace and the museums, with a couple of good options further north near Valiasr Street. Here are the ones we would book today.
International flights into Imam Khomeini Airport resumed in late April 2026 after a wartime suspension (Express Tribune), and hostels are taking bookings again, but contact your chosen hostel directly before you travel to confirm it is open and to arrange an airport pick-up.
Tehran Heritage Hostel
The biggest and best-reviewed hostel in the city, Tehran Heritage sits on Kamal-ol-Molk Street off Safi Alishah, a couple of minutes from Baharestan Square and its metro station. It has single-sex and mixed dorms with privacy curtains, private rooms that have been recently renovated, a shared kitchen, laundry and 24-hour reception. Breakfast and wifi are included. Its near-perfect score on Hostelworld, built on almost 2,000 reviews with recent stays in 2026, speaks for itself. Parliament, Negarestan Garden and Masoudieh Palace are all a short walk away.
RooBeRoo Hostel
Just around the corner on Safi Alishah Road, RooBeRoo is a small, sociable hostel in a renovated 60-year-old building with a private yard, a rooftop terrace and a studio space used for events and film nights. There are mixed and female-only dorms and private rooms, including one with its own entrance. It is linked to the Rooberoo arts venue, which hosts music, theatre, exhibitions and a café, so it suits travellers interested in Tehran’s cultural scene. Baharestan metro is about four minutes’ walk, and 30 Tir Street, famous for its evening street food, is close by. Guest scores on Hostelworld are excellent, with reviews as recent as August 2026.
Zee Hostel
Zee occupies an older house on a quiet alley off Labbafinezhad Street, near Felestin Street and a short walk from Valiasr Street. It blends traditional architecture with modern comforts: dorms and private rooms, a garden and terrace, a shared kitchen, laundry, lockers and 24-hour reception, plus a café next door. The hostel has long made a point of cutting plastic waste and encouraging recycling. The location puts you between downtown and the leafier north, roughly half an hour’s walk from Laleh Park, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Museum. It is highly rated on Google; book through its own website, zee-hostel.com.
Razzaz Boutique Hotel
Somewhere between a hostel and a boutique hotel, Razzaz fills a beautifully restored historic house on Javidi Avenue off Amir Kabir Street in the old quarter, named after its original owner, the wrestler (pahlevan) Hassan Razzaz. The central courtyard has a blue pool, a stone fountain and turquoise tilework, and the roof terrace is lined with arches decorated with tile scenes from the Shahnameh. Accommodation ranges from 4-, 8- and 12-bed dorms to private suites, with breakfast included and a kitchen, TV room and rooftop barbecue for guests. It is listed on Hostelworld, though with few recent reviews, so check directly before booking.
Hi Tehran Hostel
Hi Tehran is set in an old villa on Tabatabaei Alley off Bahar Shomali Street, in a central residential area handy for both downtown and the business districts. Rooms are named after Persian motifs such as pomegranate, turquoise and rosewater, and the decor draws on early 20th-century Iran. There is a mix of dorms and en-suite private rooms, a front garden, a kitchen and a work room, and breakfast and wifi are included. Airport pick-ups can be arranged in advance. Its website takes bookings, but has not been updated recently, so message the hostel to confirm before you set off.
Tips for booking a hostel in Tehran
- Bring cash. Foreign cards do not work in Iran, so most hostels expect payment in cash, usually euros, dollars or rials, on arrival. A Hostelworld booking may only secure the bed. See our guide to changing money at Tehran’s airports.
- Prices are low by international standards. As of November 2026, dorm beds at the hostels above start from around €6 to €10 a night on Hostelworld, with private rooms from roughly €8 to €25.
- Check passport rules. Some hostels accept only guests with foreign passports, which matters if you are travelling with Iranian friends or hold dual nationality.
- Ask about pick-ups. Many hostels can arrange a taxi from Imam Khomeini Airport, which is the easiest option on a late-night arrival.
- Use hostels as a resource. Staff are usually generous with advice on getting a SIM card, booking trains and finding good cafés.
If you would rather have more comfort, see our pick of the top hotels in Tehran, and if you are visiting in winter, our guide to skiing and snowboarding near Tehran covers the mountain resorts and where to stay.
