YHA London St Paul's - Hostel in London

No self-catering facilities, there is hot water for making tea though.

It's a budget accommodation in one of the most expensive cities in the world, so not much should be expected.
The location is perfect, and the hostel is easy to find. Their reception is 24/7, and I've personally checked in quite late (after 8pm). However, this process took very long. I'm not sure why, but the booking made through Trip.com was almost impossible to be found by the receptionist, and I waited about 30-45 minutes for them to find me on their systems. I was then given a keycard to be able to access the building and the room.
The women's only room I was allocated was downstairs from the entrance... A semi-basement kind of room? There were some tall windows facing the street that cars' lights would come through every now and then, and you could hear pedestrians walking by too. By comparison, I didn't find the bells of St Paul that bothersome.
The facilities were old. The communal bathroom that I had to use (before I realised the room itself had its own bathroom) was disgusting. I wish the beds had some sort of curtain, and that the doors made less noise when opened/closed because everytime someone arrived in the middle of the night or got up in the morning it was loud enough to wake you.
In all fairness, for the price I can't fault this place too much.

Convenient central location and good facilities for guests.

I stayed overnight in the middle of December 2025, and booked with my annual YHA Membership subscription. The YHA has been a lifesaver for London commuters like myself during London's train strikes since 2022, which peaked in 2024. I've stayed mainly at the other three London locations because of their proximity to my destinations: Earl's Court, Central, Oxford Street (since sold to Astor Hostels). Once I even tried Thameside, but this is my first time at St Paul's.

St Paul's hostel is typical of London YHA hostel in terms of common public areas, common showers and toilets, room sizes, bunk beds, lockers. What sets it apart is its location, which is a stone's throw from such an iconic building, St Paul's Cathedral rebuilt by Christopher Wren, based on his third proposal from 1673 and finished in 1711.

Some people complain about the cathedral bells which have Mon-Sat and Sunday ringing schedules. I think people who choose to stay near landmarks like this famous Baroque institution, have to accept some important consequences too, and bell ringing is on top of this list. Personally I find it charming, and would not have it any other way.

TOP TIP: The other thing going for this location is the presence of many food outlets, which are part of the Too Good to Go (TGTG) food app network. So check out TGTG to find stores/restaurants selling surplus unsold food, which are available for pickup at designated times at 1/3-1/2 off the original price.

My stay at the YHA St Paul's was very good. Great staff and central location.
Good value for money

Located near St Pauls Cathedral, this YHA is somehow located perfectly with walkable distance (30mins near River Thames) to London Eye or London Bridge. Staff are nice and you can get tap filtered drinking water in kitchen. Toilet and bathroom are separate. Nearby you can find supermarket, QSRs and TSRs. However if you are a person that needs silent, then please be alert that every 15mins the cathedral will have an alarm “DONG”. This is fine with me but may not be ok for others.

Great for a uni student to stop and rest while exploring London

Was clean and reception was open 24/7. Very central location.

YHA - brand and standard you can trust. Very good value for money, top marks for cleanliness and location is fantastic - right next to St Pauls cathedral.

Overall I had a comfortable stay, the bed was comfortable, however there was a lack of privacy as there were no curtains around the bed and I was right near the door as you come in. The WiFi was very spotty even in the communal areas. Please bear in mind that WIFI is only available in the communal areas and not in the rooms. The staff were friendly and efficient overall and there is a nice library area to sit in. The location is very central to shops, restaurants and tourist attractions for example St Paul’s Cathedral.