Central Backpackers
Top rated by guests





8.1Excellent
(1,615 Ratings)
"All aspect was fine for me"
Verified guestDon't miss out! Price and availability may change
Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Well priced for this locationPriced under area average
Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental
Within 5 minutes’ walk of the train station and lively city center, Central Backpackers offers hostel accommodations with free WiFi, 24-hour access and a convenient location.
Cleaning & other feesWe include all stay related fees in the Cleaning Fee line, which may include cleaning, property manager, resort, tourism and other stay related fees. All Booking.com properties are professionally cleaned after each stay.
Booking feeNo booking fees, easy credit card payments.
Service feeThis helps Booking.com provide a safer and more secure booking experience.
TaxesTaxes on accommodation such as Occupancy Tax, VAT, or GST. May also include tourism fees.
Customer support is handled by our partner Booking.com
$$$$
Top rated by guests
8.1Excellent
(1,615 Ratings)
"All aspect was fine for me"
Verified guestDon't miss out! Price and availability may change
Ratings and reviews
8.0 / 10.0
The staff and vibe was very homly.
Rooms had radiators on full with windows open - why?
10.0 / 10.0
All aspect was fine for me
nothing
9.0 / 10.0
Great location. They covered all the little things that hostels sometimes miss - shower gel provided in the showers, free towel hire, tea/coffee/seasonings in kitchen, handtowels in the bathroom etc. The kitchen was well stocked and the common area was a good size. There were plenty of toilets and showers, so you could always find one available. Just a well organised, clean hostel.
This will be a benefit for some, but the mattresses were very firm. I woke up several times with a dead leg or arm. This is literally my only negative.
8.0 / 10.0
Central location.
Smell
6.0 / 10.0
The volunteers guys were cool
Returned from work one evening in full orange when one lady staff continued to question my presence & even delayed me ascending the stairs, after I entered the premises via key code and explained I was a guest
7.0 / 10.0
Only saw room in dark but dorms seemed simple (in a good way) clean and tidy. Shared bathroom down the hall. Shelf for personal belongings & lamp (although I didn't use as no curtain on bunks so would disturb others).
Strange guests– a very angry man muttering to himself wasn't best way to wake up
10.0 / 10.0
I stayed at this hostel for two nights as a solo traveler and had a great experience overall. The location is amazing just a 5 minute walk from the train station and very close to all the main tourist attractions in Oxford, which made getting around super easy.
The room was spacious, and the bunk beds were very comfortable, with plenty of personal space. The bathrooms were very clean and had both hot and cold water that you could adjust yourself, which was a big plus.
The kitchen and common areas were large, cozy, and welcoming, perfect for relaxing or meeting other travelers. The staff were incredibly kind, friendly, and always happy to help, which really made the stay even better
The only small downside is that there’s a pub and a street right next to the hostel, so you can hear some noise at night.
7.0 / 10.0
Very close to the city centre and all of the attractions
Swiping my card with code on ,,blank payment,, bc they dont have credit card details, though everything was paid through Booking.com... Very strange, I travel a lot, I WORK as a receptionist using Booking, and I know for a fact they share it with Hotels. 1st time meeting this kind of thing, strange vibe...Also, not having access to your own food atnight bc kitchen is closed wih a key, not ideal, especially if you have early start.
10.0 / 10.0
Great location, very friendly staff, attentive to maintaining shared spaces. We were able to store our luggage before check in and after check out for a few hours. Lovely guests, chatty and considerate in the kitchen and dining areas, which were often busy but well supplied, easy to cook during dinner time as long as you dont mind sharing benchspace/ stove etc. Free tea and coffee always available. Large open dorms, small lockers but space under beds for storage helped. No curtains on bunks for privacy, but missing them wasn't a dealbreaker. would happily stay again.
Wifi was patchy in the dorm I was in, not sure if it works better in other parts of the hostel.
10.0 / 10.0
It’s clean and the staff are nice and helpfull
The height from bed to upper level is small so it’s inconvenient for sitting on bed.
8.0 / 10.0
The staff are extremely helpful and genuinely friendly.
Because the female dorm is right next to the road, it tends to be a little noisy at night.
9.0 / 10.0
Loved having 2 good pillows in the bed, nice point! Staff is very kind and so friendly. Terrace is super nice too and the location is really close to city centre, bus & train stations
Pubs downstairs (but I notice that you cannot do it nothing at respective) good idea to offered free earplugs for that anyway I slept good
4.0 / 10.0
There was verey good Location and affordable price.
Some staff they were great helpful and a one of them were rude and NOT helps at all .
8.0 / 10.0
The beds were very comfortable and the sheets were clean. I also really liked the kitchen amenities, there were very good options for pots and pans and even Tupperware for making and storing food. The common room area was very cozy and there would often be groups of people hanging out and watching something on the TV. The location is very convenient. I ended up needing to take the train a couple times on the trip and having the train station only be a 5 minute walk away was perfect. I also really appreciated the complementary ear plugs because it meant that I could make sure that the noises other people made wouldn't disturb me when I forgot my own from home.
One of the shower rooms had mold on the ceiling which was a little gross. Unfortunately one of the nights we stayed the fire alarm went off around midnight, but apparently it was a false alarm so they took care of it fairly quickly. It's also unfortunate that the kitchen is locked before 7am, so if you have a train before then than you have to eat things which don't require refrigeration or a stove. There was hot water available 24/7 though so once we realized we were able to plan better and get porridge. The beds also did creak quite a bit, so if you toss and turn or if the person on the top bunk moves a lot it can be quite disruptive.
6.0 / 10.0
Good location near the train, bus, main streets. Comfortable beds, with two pillows.
Staff are always cleaning and seemed attentive to anyone’s questions or concerns.
Free coffee in the morning is also a plus.
They provide free earplugs which you will need as it’s above a nightclub (they tell you about this right away)
It’s fine as far as hostels go but expensive for what it is. It’s basic and a bit musty, with an accompanying smell, so despite the constant cleaning & tidying it doesn’t feel quite clean. The rooms get hot and stuffy if the windows aren’t open, but the trade off is obviously noise.
9.0 / 10.0
Great location, lovely staff, clean
The sitting area in the TV room is not very comfortable
8.0 / 10.0
Great front of house staff. Guy with long brown hair was lovely. Clean. Appreciated the coffee/tea making facilities
Was slightly noisy at night with bar next door. Obviously this can’t be changed but just to make others aware.
1.0 / 10.0
Impossible to store the bike in a secured place. Impossible to get a refund, I just lost 50 pounds.
For a place called "backpackers", to me it's a shame
10.0 / 10.0
The staff was amazing, very kind to let me keep my bags safe while I waited for the check-in. Once I checked-in they were incredibly attentive and caring. The common spaces are very comfortable and varied, they really do help keep common areas including the kitchen very clean, they really are very thorough in making sure the showers and bathrooms are cleaned after use as well! I really felt safe and at home here. They even let me borrow some hangers so I could steam iron my dress!
10.0 / 10.0
I’ll begin with the moment I arrived. Staff was more than exceptional and welcoming. I felt like I was part of a family inside of the hostel with guests and staff alike. I would challenge someone to find a mess because staff is constantly cleaning and helping guests. All toilets and showers seemed to be freshly cleaned whether it’s 0500 or 2200. The kitchen has all equipment needed for any sort of dining including stoves with pots and pans, various cutting knives. I was able to utilized one of the ovens which worked marvelously. The common areas were neat and peaceful with plenty of activities to engage in. The location is close enough for a tired backpacker to casually stroll from Oxford station and when you wake up you can step outside to see the castle without traveling too far. The location is better than perfect! There is a grocery store less than a block away and they hostel offers fridge and cabinet storage for your food as well. Between the staff, location, cost and amenities I would say there is not place better to stay when you visit Oxford!
9.0 / 10.0
Well equipped with a clean kitchen, provided tea and coffee, towels, linen, hairdryer, wifi, etc. Friendly staff and a free welcome drink to a local bar!
Very noisy location.
9.0 / 10.0
Well organised. Free coffee. Near food places and bars.
Sleeping on the upper bunk, I should have worn my footwear as the rungs hurt my feet. 😀
Pricey, but the cheapest place in town.
6.0 / 10.0
The location is close to Saïd Business School, and the staff are friendly, polite, and respectful.
The noise caused by inconsiderate people in the same room, as well as the presence of insects gnawing on the wooden shelf next to the bed at night.
7.0 / 10.0
Very kind friendly hard-working staff. A lot of effort and work to keep toilets and showers clean throughout the day. Good system in place to do their best with not enough toilets and showers for amount of beds and guests. Ear plugs available for noise at night. Good kitchen facility and common space to eat and hang out. Small adequate patio to hang out too. Free towel provided. Effective luggage storage. Overall it's fine.
Ratio of toilets, sinks and showers to number of guests is out of whack. 2 sinks, 4 toilets, 3 showers total. Hostel capacity must be over 40 people. Everyone was kind and considerate to make it work, but more are needed so guests don't have to wait for them to be available. Very very loud all night surrounded by bars and clubs. A bit crowded overall.
8.0 / 10.0
The staff is friendly
10.0 / 10.0
Very clean, close to the train station and comfortable. Its a cheap place to sleep which is all I used it for. However there was other things going on and I would recommend it.
Nothing. It ticked all my boxes.
10.0 / 10.0
Location !
/
10.0 / 10.0
The Staff were amazing & very friendly, boardgames, tv music, cosy areas to sit, its like a little holiday outside the uk in a random building !
6.0 / 10.0
The staff very helpful and friendly. The kitchen and common spaces. The help with the bags and check in.
No lift and small room and bathroom facilities.
8.0 / 10.0
Free coffee and towel. Nice staff.
Small lockers.
8.0 / 10.0
Always like this friendly hostel,
I especially liked being in room 7 which meant not too much boom-boom-boom from nightclub!!!
The room was hot, I did appreciate the fan being on.
6.0 / 10.0
Reception called me before closing as I’d been delayed.
Ladder rungs to top bunk bit narrow so hard on feet!
9.0 / 10.0
The location is great. The transports, local market, supermarket are right at the corner. All the staff are friendly and kind. They provide free tea, coffee, water, and milk. The common area is cozy.
There's a pub next door. And, 2 toilets are not enough in the morning.
9.0 / 10.0
Location was great 5 minutes from train station, very close to the castle/prison, great bus route, very clean, comfortable, friendly.
It was next door to a night club, but ear plug were available which was great.
8.0 / 10.0
Excellent location close to the stations, very attentive and kind staff.
On the expensive side of hostels…
1.0 / 10.0
Bathroom fixtures were cracked and needed deep cleaning, as did all of the facilities I used where there was hair on the skirting boards and stuck to the sides of the sink. There is no where clean to put your toothbrush etc down or hang a washbag. The room was unventilated except for windows that opened onto other people's beds, which meant that it smelled, (I have allergies and a very bad sense of smell but the odor of sweat was so bad when I opened the dorm door that I literally recoiled). The bed numbers were impossible to see in the dark, I had to flash my phone light around to find it. Coming in that late at night I did not even attempt to use the room lockers by flashlights. Room was right opposite a night club, with ear plugs in I could hear and feel the bass music until early hours of the morning. After the kitchen hours, there is no where to put the dirty cups so they were just piled up in the drinks area. The booking instructions did not say that I needed to bring photo ID for check in, which caused difficulties. The staff at check in did not explain the key code access (just handed me the ticket, telling me it was the wifi password, which it was but it would have been helpful if accessing the building was explained), there seemed to be the assumption that I would just know where everything was (like the bed numbers, the kitchen etc.) She mentioned that a door was "one of the fire exits" almost as an after thought, but never mentioned where the other exits were or what the evacuation procedures were.
I stayed here because it was literally the only bed I could find in Oxford that didn't require me to drive out to the ring road or pay premium (as in multiple hundreds) for the city center, on a Saturday (and I was desperate because I was travelling for a memorial service). Even desperate I would not stay again.
10.0 / 10.0
Very helpful cheerful staff. Nice new bed and bedding. Showers: always clean, you can borrow a towel during your stay. Kitchen: there are fridges, an oven, toaster, microwave, free tea, coffee and milk. You can also leave your luggage after checkout. Location is great as well.
There’s no place to hang your clothes, it would be nice to have some hooks in the room.
9.0 / 10.0
I had a wonderful stay at Central! As a middle aged, lone woman traveller, visiting the city for the opening of an art exhibition - it provided me the perfect location and fit!
I stayed in a female dorm of 10 beds, most of which were occupied, but there wasn’t too much disturbance.
I was very impressed by the amount of toilets and shower facilities which meant I never had to wait!
Luggage/locker storage is available for a tiny deposit and was a godsend!
The lounge and kitchen areas are amazing! Absolutely everything you could need or want! I particularly enjoyed a couple of cups of fresh (free) coffee in the morning.
These are VERY minor points…
The rooms are hot! I suggested to the manager as I left that they offered usb fans to hire or installed fans into the rooms! The manager seemed very receptive to this!
The reception area is also very hot - due to it being a conservatory type space. I was melting as I checked in.
4.0 / 10.0
Great location
A bloke was very drunk and had a bottle of alcohol and was making inappropriate comments about young women and swearing. Staff should have got rid of him as he was hassling another guest.
Also the noise at night from outside was incredibly loud.
FAQs
Is parking included with this hostel?
Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Central Backpackers. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this hostel?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this hostel. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is Central Backpackers pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this hostel is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
