The Story of ITH – Read Now
The Story of Our Hostel in Varanasi
Namastē & Welcome 🙏
International Travellers’ Hostel (ITH Varanasi) was made by a traveller for other travellers. The inspiration: Growing up with travelling parents; a college exchange programme ending with a backpacking trip through Scotland & England (2007), then a summer-long Euro Trip (2010) a few years later. Eventually ‘The Hostel in Varanasi’ opened its doors to travellers near Varanasi’s main train station.
Starting on January 1, 2013, ITH became the first backpackers’ hostel in northern India. The hostel, featuring a small in-house Vegetarian & Vegan Bistro, is tucked in a quaint residential neighbourhood of what is dubbed as the ‘World’s Oldest Living City’. ITH has been thoughtfully tailored for travellers – both traditional backpackers and contemporary flashpackers.
This family-run hostel is located in our historical house owned by our family for over 5 generations. Once serving as the summer house to the Queen of Nepal, it later fell under British reign, to be eventually auctioned-off to one of our great grandfathers. Today this multicultural home is a modern backpackers’ hostel offering you beautiful relaxing spaces and an opportunity to meet with other like-minded travellers.
At our hostel in Varanasi you can be sure to find something to suit your needs. Our comfortable accommodations and unmatched hospitality make for a priceless hostelling experience. We are continually striving to provide you with an ever-improving, value-for-money, safe, clean, peaceful and friendly place to stay. It is the perfect spot to come back to after a long & tiring day out in the intense old city of Kashi.
Watch Hostel Promo
Watch this promo film produced by one of our work exchange volunteers – Mehdi Khadouj
Hostel Designed for Independent Backpackers
For the Ones Born to Be Independent
International Travellers’ Hostel (ITH) and its services are designed for the independent backpacker. If you want to experience the true essence of backpacking, this is where you have to be. We offer you a more personal, genial and distinct hostelling experience. We fervently believe that there is a fine line between ‘tourists’ and ‘travellers’. That fine line is prominently defined at our hostel.
For a special city like Varanasi we highly recommend taking a walk or riding a cycle-rickshaw through its streets that resemble a real life video game for a boatload of thrillingly authentic India adventures. Our print map in the Common Room of the hostel also has recommended walks from ITH to the old city outlined. There is really only one way to discover a place – go out and see it for yourself. Be on your own. Soak up the experiences – first-hand and unbiased.
A true wanderer has to find his or her own path through a new place.
Rooms & Common Spaces
What our hostel has to offer you in Varanasi
Private Rooms
At ITH we offer a fully-equipped Family Cottage featuring a private garden; a cottage-style air-conditioned Superior Double Bedroom with en-suite bathroom facilities and garden view; an air-conditioned Standard Double Bedroom with a cozy low profile bed and en-suite facilities; and a Triple Room (with shared bathroom) overlooking our beautiful green garden.
Dormitories
We have a spacious air-conditioned Superior Mixed Dorm with bunk beds featuring personal reading lights, power sockets and curtains (on lower bunks) for that extra bit of privacy; the air-conditioned Superior Female Dorm is bright & spacious and features single beds. The Standard Mixed Dorm comes with bunk beds equipped with reading lights, power sockets and is fan-cooled.
Tent
A Tent for 2 Persons which includes mats for sleeping (bedding can be rented). You can also pitch your own tent if you're carrying one.
Common Spaces
To offer you a comfortable stay we provide a whole array of facilities, like free Wi-Fi (on all floors), unlimited supply of free purified drinking water, a fully equipped modern kitchen (vegetarian only), bathrooms with 24x7 hot & cold showers, lockers, a cozy common room with TV, DVDs, iPod dock, books, card & board games, a desktop computer and elegant Bistro seating areas to chill & enjoy your meals. A washing machine is there for your convenience for a nominal fee (the Cottage comes with a private washing machine). There is also a beautiful green garden with outdoor furniture and a swing, as well as a first-floor terrace to enjoy our peaceful location.
Vegetarian/Vegan In-house Bistro
For the love of your taste buds we also offer a healthy and diverse food & drinks menu. It ranges from traditional Indian Masala Chai and Dal-Roti to authentically brewed Italian Espresso and Pasta. Our kitchen is open from early morning till late at night. We prepare almost everything fresh with ingredients from the local market. Our recipes are toned-down to meet the "non-Indian" taste buds, but of course we can spice things up for your real India adventure! Our aim is to facilitate your time in India. We offer you the little things that make all the big differences on a trip. We want to offer you something that lasts longer than a mere journey – we want you to have everlasting experiences that you can take home and cherish. We look forward to welcoming you in our ancient & mystical city. Namastē! Pro Tip: Namastē is used to say both hello and goodbye 😉
Things to Note
Check-in Time: 12:00 pm
Check-out Time: 11:00 am
- Shoes must ideally be removed before entering bedrooms
- Quiet hours: 22:00 – 06:00
- Only vegetarian food & drinks allowed
- Smoking allowed outdoors only
- Alcoholic beverages allowed in private rooms, the common room and outdoors only
- Keep it clean
- Please refrain from accumulating plastic trash
- Drugs and theft prohibited
