# Hostelworld Backpackers & Budget Hostel Scraper (`litezero/hostelworld-scraper`) Actor

Extract real-time hostel listings, dorm and private room prices, backpacker review scores, ratings, amenities, and location coordinates from Hostelworld.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/litezero/hostelworld-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [LiteZero](https://apify.com/litezero) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel, Developer tools, E-commerce
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.05 / 1,000 item scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## 🏨 Hostelworld Backpackers & Budget Hostel Scraper

Extract real-time hostel listings, dorm and private room rates, backpacker review scores, amenities, geo-coordinates, and availability directly from **Hostelworld** at lightning speed.

***

### 🥊 Why This Actor Beats the Competition

| Feature | ⚡ Hostelworld Scraper | 🐢 Traditional Browser Scrapers |
|---|---|---|
| **Speed** | **100+ hostels in < 3 seconds** | 1–2 minutes with heavy browser rendering |
| **Pricing** | **$1.50 / 1,000 items** (Platform Usage: FREE) | $5–15/mo in heavy compute fees |
| **Data Quality** | Direct JSON schema with dorm & private breakdowns | Prone to DOM changes & missing prices |
| **Anti-Bot Blocking** | Zero Captchas / Direct Native Endpoints | Frequent Cloudflare / Akamai blocks |
| **Proxy Economics** | Runs on direct container HTTP | Requires costly residential proxies |

***

### 🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Use

#### Method 1: Apify Web Console (No-Code GUI)

1. Enter your target **City Name** (e.g. `London`, `Amsterdam`, `Paris`, `Berlin`, `Dublin`, `Munich`).
2. Select your preferred **Currency** (`USD`, `EUR`, `GBP`).
3. Set **Max Items** and click **Start**.
4. Download results in JSON, CSV, Excel, or integrate via Webhooks.

#### Method 2: Python SDK

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run_input = {
    "city": "London",
    "currency": "USD",
    "maxItems": 50
}
run = client.actor("litezero/hostelworld-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(f"{item['name']} - Dorm: ${item['dormPricePerNight']} - Rating: {item['overallRating']}")
```

#### Method 3: Node.js SDK

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('litezero/hostelworld-scraper').call({
    city: 'Amsterdam',
    currency: 'EUR',
    maxItems: 50,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(`Extracted ${items.length} hostels.`);
```

#### Method 4: REST API / cURL

```bash
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/litezero~hostelworld-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"city": "Berlin", "currency": "USD", "maxItems": 25}'
```

***

### 📥 Input Parameters

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `city` | String | `"London"` | Target city name (e.g. London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Munich). |
| `cityId` | Integer | *Optional* | Specific numeric Hostelworld city ID (e.g. 3 for London, 15 for Amsterdam). |
| `currency` | String | `"USD"` | Currency for pricing (`USD`, `EUR`, `GBP`, `CAD`, `AUD`). |
| `maxItems` | Integer | `50` | Maximum number of hostel records to extract. |

***

### 📤 Output Data Dictionary

```json
{
  "id": 90149,
  "name": "Wombat's City Hostel London",
  "type": "HOSTEL",
  "cityName": "London",
  "countryName": "United Kingdom",
  "overallRating": "8.8",
  "overallRatingPercent": 88,
  "reviewCount": 14200,
  "currency": "USD",
  "lowestPricePerNight": 28.5,
  "dormPricePerNight": 28.5,
  "privatePricePerNight": 110.0,
  "starRating": 0,
  "isFeatured": true,
  "hasFreeCancellation": true,
  "distanceFromCenterKm": 3.8,
  "latitude": 51.5113,
  "longitude": -0.0682,
  "imagesCount": 24,
  "primaryImageUrl": "https://ucd.hwstatic.com/propertyimages/...",
  "hostelworldUrl": "https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/90149",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-04T10:00:00.000Z"
}
```

***

### 💡 Top Use Cases

1. **Travel Price Aggregators & Budget Booking Engines:** Power backpacker discovery portals with live dorm and private bed pricing.
2. **Hospitality Competitive Intelligence:** Monitor competitor occupancy, pricing strategies, and review velocity across European tourist capitals.
3. **Nomad & Student Travel Planning:** Identify top-rated youth hostels near city centers with free cancellation options.

# Actor input Schema

## `city` (type: `string`):

City name to scrape hostels for (e.g. London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Munich, Barcelona, Rome, Tokyo).

## `cityId` (type: `integer`):

Optional numeric Hostelworld city ID (e.g. 3 for London, 15 for Amsterdam, 5 for Dublin). Overrides city name if set.

## `currency` (type: `string`):

Currency for room pricing (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of hostel properties to extract.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "city": "London",
  "currency": "USD",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("litezero/hostelworld-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("litezero/hostelworld-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call litezero/hostelworld-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,litezero/hostelworld-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/WOIyh74w87gP8oAyx/builds/ew3aTNiGGv1aVB8C3/openapi.json