Kipps Backpackers Canterbury
by the TopOfHotel team
The warmest hostel in Canterbury, where the garden BBQs and the genuinely brilliant staff do more for the place than any star rating.
The warmest hostel in Canterbury, where the garden BBQs and the genuinely brilliant staff do more for the place than any star rating.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Kipps Backpackers Canterbury offers both mixed dorms from about $19 a night and private doubles from around $81. Reviewers are pleasantly surprised by the beds — comfortable for the price — and each dorm spot comes with personal storage and a power socket beside the bunk. The bathrooms are shared but consistently clean, and cleanliness is the one thing nearly every review mentions, rating it well above a typical hostel. The building itself is Victorian, which gives the place more character than the usual budget bunkhouse.
Food and amenities
The shared kitchen is fully equipped — pots, pans, microwave and fridge — and guests describe it as clean and well looked after, ideal for buying groceries and cooking in to save money. The real social hub is the back garden, where the BBQ nights and movie nights happen; reviewers credit them with making actual friends rather than just passing through. Free Wi-Fi covers the whole hostel, and there's a common room to hang out in when the weather keeps everyone indoors.
Location and getting there
You're right in central Canterbury. Canterbury West Station is about a 6-minute walk, with direct high-speed trains to London St Pancras in under an hour, and the cathedral and High Street are about 10 minutes on foot. Riverside Westgate Gardens is just a few minutes away. For a hostel this cheap, the location is hard to beat — budget restaurants and shops sit in every direction, so you rarely need to go far.
Things to know before booking
The cheap beds are in mixed dorms, so this isn't the place for privacy or silence — the private double solves that, but there are only a handful and they book out fast. Check-in and check-out windows tend to be stricter than a hotel's, so plan around them. And the atmosphere is deliberately social and young; it's lively rather than peaceful, which is a plus for solo travelers and a mismatch for couples or families wanting calm.
Our take
This is the pick for backpackers, solo travelers who want to meet people, and groups of friends after a sociable base that costs almost nothing. At roughly $19 a night for a dorm with a guest score of 8.8/10, nothing else in Canterbury matches it at this quality — the standout staff and the garden BBQs are what push it past the price tag. If you specifically want privacy and quiet, book the private double or look elsewhere; for everyone else chasing value, it's an easy yes.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- At roughly $19 a night for a dorm bed, this is the cheapest decent stay in Canterbury — nothing else in town matches the price at this quality.
- The staff get standout praise in review after review, with several guests calling them the friendliest and most helpful they've met in any European hostel.
- The back garden is the heart of the place, hosting BBQ nights and movie nights that reviewers credit with actually making them new travel friends rather than just sharing a room.
- The free shared kitchen is clean and fully equipped — pots, pans, microwave and fridge — so you can shop and cook instead of eating out every meal, which keeps a Canterbury trip genuinely cheap.
- The location is strong for the money: Canterbury West Station is about 6 minutes on foot, the cathedral and High Street about 10, with budget eateries and shops in every direction.
- The cheapest beds are in mixed dorms, so if you want privacy and quiet this isn't the right fit — the private double is the workaround, but there are only a handful and they book out fast.
- Check-in and check-out windows tend to be stricter than at a hotel, so plan your arrival and departure around them rather than assuming flexibility.
- The social, young-traveler atmosphere is the whole point here, which means it's lively rather than peaceful — couples and families after a calm, private base will be happier elsewhere.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Canterbury
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Insider Tips
- Book a private double well ahead in summer — there are very few and they sell out quickly, but they give you a hostel atmosphere with real privacy for less than a central hotel.
- Time your stay around a garden BBQ night — it's the thing reviewers mention most, and the best chance to meet travelers from around the world in a relaxed setting.
- Use the free kitchen: grab groceries from a supermarket in town and cook in, which is how guests keep the whole trip to backpacker prices.