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The best hostels in Cairngorms

Check out our selection of great hostels in Cairngorms

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Review Score

Wonderful: 9+ Very Good: 8+ Good: 7+ Pleasant: 6+
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Ballater Hostel

Ballater

Located in Ballater and within 18 km of Balmoral Castle, Ballater Hostel features a shared lounge, non-smoking rooms, and free WiFi. The property is set 47 km from CairnGorm National Park, 19 km from Aboyne Golf Club and 25 km from Corgarff Castle. The accommodation provides a shared kitchen, and luggage storage for guests.

Each room is equipped with a private bathroom, a shower and a hairdryer, and certain rooms at the hostel have a safety deposit box. This is such a lovely hostel! Beds were super comfy, excellent water pressure, great kitchen with free tea and coffee. Staff were super friendly and helpful!

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9.2
Wonderful
259 reviews
Price from
$33
per night

Dalwhinnie Old School Hostel

Dalwhinnie

Set in Dalwhinnie, 38 km from Blair Castle, Dalwhinnie Old School Hostel offers accommodation with a garden, free private parking and a shared lounge. The property is located 18 km from Newtonmore Golf Club, 19 km from Highland Folk Museum and 22 km from Ruthven Barracks. The accommodation provides a shared kitchen and free WiFi. Super convenient location, Lee was very friendly and welcoming. Perfect for a quick stopover on the way to Skye.

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8.9
Excellent
253 reviews
Price from
$88
per night

Braemar Youth Hostel

Braemar

Braemar Youth Hostel is housed in a former shooting lodge in extensive grounds in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. It offers a mix of traditional interiors and modern furnishings, offering an ideal base for outdoor activities and exploring Royal Deeside, the Cairngorms, Glenshee and The Lecht. Braemar is tiny and the hostel is just a short walk down the road from the centre, where the 201 bus stops. Facilities are excellent : large kitchen with all facilities and storage space, a breakfast room, a dining/meeting room and a large sitting room with tv and sofas. My dormitory was spacious with very comfortable bunk beds and lockers. (You need your own lock). There are large washing machines and dryers in the drying room(where you can hang wet outdoor clothing and put boots etc,) (Full large load with powder and drier for £6). You can arrange to have hostel breakfast forc an additional fee. WiFi is excellent when working but has minutes when it cuts out, but that goes with the location and probably affects the whole village,

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8.1
Very Good
121 reviews

Cairngorm Lodge Youth Hostel

Loch Morlich

This 72-bed youth hostel provides great facilities including a good range of dorms and private rooms, a well-equipped self-catering kitchen, bike storage, a drying room and WiFI. Cooked breakfasts, packed lunches and full evening meals are also available. Cairngorm Lodge Youth Hostel is popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Very clean hostel, the staff is great ! The common areas are really nice and the kitchen has lots of equipment. There are several tracks and activities to do around the hostel, very well located.

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8.8
Excellent
376 reviews
Price from
$34
per night

Aviemore Youth Hostel

Aviemore

The youth hostel provides a good range of facilities including dorms and private rooms, a well-equipped self-catering kitchen, a spacious dining area, a large drying room and ample parking for cars and buses. There is also a large open-plan lounge which provides stunning views of the Cairngorm Mountains and surrounding woodland. The place is very perfect although it is a hostel. They have several bathrooms and toilets that you can feel like having private restroom. The kitchen is very bit that can support a number of guests. The entire area is clean. Staffs are friendly and helpful. They allow guests to store luggage early

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8.6
Excellent
881 reviews
Price from
$37
per night

Fraoch Lodge

Boat of Garten

Situated in Boat of Garten, 45 km from Inverness Castle, Fraoch Lodge features accommodation with a garden, free private parking and a shared lounge. Boasting family rooms, this property also provides guests with a children's playground. Free WiFi and a shared kitchen are available.

At the hostel rooms are equipped with bed linen and towels. Very friendly, hugely hospitable, delicious food and great company and conversation.

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8.1
Very Good
76 reviews
Price from
$95
per night

Insh Hall

Kincraig

In the western region of the Cairngorms National Park, Insh Hall provides simple bed and breakfast accommodation at the Loch Insh Outdoor Centre. The centre offers a wide range of sports, a restaurant and bar and free parking and WiFi. What a place, location, value for money and very nice hosts. We got a chance to spend some time with the owner and he was very pleasant.

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7.6
Good
443 reviews
Price from
$75
per night

The Smugglers Hostel

Tomintoul

Situated in Tomintoul, 43 km from Balmoral Castle, The Smugglers Hostel features accommodation with a garden, free private parking and a shared lounge. The property is set 16 km from Corgarff Castle, 23 km from Abernethy Golf Club and 23 km from Grantown Museum. The accommodation offers a shared kitchen and free WiFi. A fantastic and well equipped hostel which had plenty of space for our large family holiday (8 adults/8 children). The hostel was cleaned to a really high standard and was lovely and warm within a few minutes of turning up the radiators. While we didn't meet our host due to it being a community run hostel, all the information about our check in was provided well in advance to ensure a seamless arrival and check out. We will definitely consider booking again when we are next exploring the Highlands!

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7.6
Good
89 reviews
Price from
$32
per night

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