Hostelling brings the world to Chicago!
Located in the center of downtown Chicago and in the heart of Chicago's thriving education district. HI-Chicago is very close to Lake Michigan and within walking distance of Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute, Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. Our neighborhood is safe, fun and easy to get to from anywhere in Chicago. Activities from the hostel include free walking tours and excursions throughout the city. You will also receive discounts to many of Chicago's best attractions, including Chicago Architecture Foundation, Bobby's Bike Hike, Sears Tower and Hancock Observatory. The hostel has capacity for 500 guests and facilities include internet access, laundry and friendly staff to help you explore Chicago! We are open to serve you 24 hours a day, every day of the year.


Upcoming Events:
Lollapalooza Mixer
Thursday, August 5th from 5:00-7:00pm
Lollapalooza, one of the country's most anticpated summer music festival, is approaching quickly! Join us on August 5th to kick off the weekend right with a happy hour in the hostel dining room. We'll be offering free snacks, beverages, dj'ed music, and giveaways! Come get to know your fellow hostellers / music lovers before you head out to wonderful Grant Park for Lolla.
Stay up-to-date with our social media:
HI-Chicago Blog: HILights of Chicago
Check out the HI-Chicago blog for features on local events, hostel activities, travel trends, volunteer & traveler interviews, and more! Submissions are made by staff, volunteers, and interns and the diverse content will keep you coming back for more!
HI-Chicago Events Calendar: Click Here
HI-Chicago has volunteer-led events at least once a day! Chicagoans take you to blues and jazz clubs, free concerts, tours of downtown architecture, pub crawls, and more. See what's happening during your stay.
Follow us before and during your stay to see what's happening on a daily basis!
"Like" us on facebook and get all of our blog and photo updates. Write on our wall and let us know how your stay was!
Check out our great ammenities:
Free Breakfast!
All guests receive free breakfast from 7:30am to 9:30am in the large dining area. The breakfast buffet includes bagels, muffins, cereal, fruit, coffee, tea and juice. Travelers at HI-Chicago can begin their Chicago adventure with a good breakfast and a great opportunity to meet other hostellers and swap suggestions for the day ahead.
FREE WiFi!
Do you travel with a WiFi enabled laptop, pda, phone or other gadget? The entire common area on the 2nd floor of the hostel has free internet access through WiFi. Coverage extends through the lobby, library, meeting rooms and dining area. If you don't have your own computer, the hostel has internet kiosks for you to use for $6/hour.
See what sets us apart:
Best Large Hostel in the World 3 Years!
Thank you to our travelers that rated HI-Chicago as the Best Large Hostel Worldwide for 2006, 2007, and now 2009 on hostelworld.com. This award is based on ratings by over 600,000 travelers from around the globe.
The Break Away Alternative
Break Away and Hostelling International USA are strong partners in providing you excellent inexpensive accommodations and resources to connect your group to service. Many of our hostels have provided a place for Break Away to host their Alternative Break Citizenship Schools.
Hostels provide a great, low-priced accommodation for your group while volunteering in communities throughout the country. Chicago is a leader in this partnership, and Hostelling International Chicago provides site leaders with a downloadable brochure (270k PDF) with great information on how to lead an Alternative School Break in Chicago. Please contact our Groups department for more information.
And you can get involved!
Volunteer at HI-Chicago! Volunteers are essential to the vitality and unique Chicago character of the hostel. Fill out a Get Involved here to start volunteering, or e-mail Volunteer Coordinator Jessica Smith for more information.






