Best Party Hostels
in Cape Town

Never At Home Green Point

Cape Town's nightlife punches well above its weight for a city of its size. Never At Home Green Point is in City Bowl / Long Street, which puts it at the start of that circuit. Long Street Bars Strip on Long Street, City Bowl. Long Street is less a single venue and more a crawl waiting to happen, with dozens of bars packed into a few hundred metres. Villa Viva Bar on Near Kloof Street, City Bowl is the fallback option if the first place is packed. At €20 a night and rated 9.5. A 9.5 rating is consistently high for Cape Town, it holds up across multiple review cycles.

Long Street Backpackers

Cape Town's nightlife punches well above its weight for a city of its size. Long Street Backpackers is in City Bowl / Long Street, which puts it at the start of that circuit. Long Street Bars Strip on Long Street, City Bowl. Long Street is less a single venue and more a crawl waiting to happen, with dozens of bars packed into a few hundred metres. Villa Viva Bar on Near Kloof Street, City Bowl is the fallback option if the first place is packed. At €19 a night and rated 8.9. The 8.9 score is solid: a hostel that does the basics well without promising too much.

Villa Viva Cape Town

Cape Town's nightlife punches well above its weight for a city of its size. Villa Viva Cape Town is in City Bowl / Long Street, which puts it at the start of that circuit. Long Street Bars Strip on Long Street, City Bowl. Long Street is less a single venue and more a crawl waiting to happen, with dozens of bars packed into a few hundred metres. Villa Viva Bar on Near Kloof Street, City Bowl is the fallback option if the first place is packed. At €21 a night and rated 9.4. A 9.4 rating is consistently high for Cape Town, it holds up across multiple review cycles.

Never At Home Kloof Street

Cape Town's nightlife punches well above its weight for a city of its size. Never At Home Kloof Street is in City Bowl / Long Street, which puts it at the start of that circuit. Long Street Bars Strip on Long Street, City Bowl. Long Street is less a single venue and more a crawl waiting to happen, with dozens of bars packed into a few hundred metres. Villa Viva Bar on Near Kloof Street, City Bowl is the fallback option if the first place is packed. At €17 a night and rated 9.1. At 9.1, it's near the top of Cape Town's hostel field without being the standout leader.

The BIG

Cape Town's nightlife punches well above its weight for a city of its size. The BIG is in City Bowl / Long Street, which puts it at the start of that circuit. Long Street Bars Strip on Long Street, City Bowl. Long Street is less a single venue and more a crawl waiting to happen, with dozens of bars packed into a few hundred metres. Villa Viva Bar on Near Kloof Street, City Bowl is the fallback option if the first place is packed. The hostel runs free breakfast, useful for people arriving without a plan. At €33 a night and rated 9.8. The 9.8 rating puts The BIG among the best-reviewed hostels in Cape Town.

City Bowl / Long Street

Long Street is the heartbeat of Cape Town's backpacker nightlife, lined with bars, clubs, and cheap eats that stay open late. The City Bowl sits below Table Mountain and puts you within walking distance of most hostels, the Bo-Kaap, and public transport links to the rest of the city.

Green Point

Green Point is a short Uber ride from Long Street and has a more upscale bar and restaurant scene centred around Somerset Road. It's calmer than the City Bowl but still lively, with easy access to the V&A Waterfront and the Cape Town Stadium precinct.

Observatory

Observatory, or 'Obs' as locals call it, sits a few kilometres south-east of the City Bowl along the M3. It's a bohemian suburb with independent coffee shops, student bars, and a relaxed arts scene centred on Lower Main Road. It suits backpackers who want a quieter base without being far from the action.

Long Street is less a single venue and more a crawl waiting to happen, with dozens of bars packed into a few hundred metres. Expect cheap beers, loud music and a mix of travellers and locals from around 9pm onwards. Start near the corner of Buitenkant and work your way north.

The in-house bar at Villa Viva hostel near Kloof Street is one of the better party hostel bars in town, hosting live music on Friday and Saturday nights. It draws a mix of guests and walk-ins, and the vibe gets going from around 10pm. Drinks are reasonably priced and it's a solid spot to meet other travellers before heading out.

Located at 64 Wale Street in the City Centre, The Gin Bar is the meeting point for the Local Knowledge pub crawl and a decent spot in its own right. The selection of South African gins is impressive, and the bartenders know their way around a cocktail. Gets busy from 8pm on weekends.

Tucked into the basement of St George's Cathedral on Wale Street, Crypt Jazz is a Cape Town institution for live jazz and blues several nights a week. Affordable drinks, a relaxed crowd and proper live music make it a great early-evening stop before hitting Long Street.

A rooftop bar perched above Long Street with views of the City Bowl and Signal Hill. The Waiting Room plays a mix of indie, hip-hop and electronic sets, pulling a young local crowd on Thursday to Saturday nights. Entry is usually free before 10pm.

Beerhouse stocks over 100 South African craft beers, making it one of the best spots in the city for those who want to drink local. The outdoor terrace on Long Street is a great place to settle in for the evening, and the kitchen serves food until late. Expect a lively, mixed crowd on weekends.