nearly every hostel in rio has bilingual or english-speaking staff - a basic breakfast of bread, cheese, ham, cakes, and fresh fruit along with teas and coffee, is generally offered.

with so many hostels to choose from, picking a few to recommend is difficult, especially since many offer unique takes on the lodging, and all take pride in great hospitality.

on this page we selected a few options for many areas in rio de janeiro, taking into account overall popularity, price, ease of access, and friendliness of the staff.

low season is usually considered between april and november, with high season being december through march - most hostels offer special packages for holidays such as carnival and new year's eve, but it is not unusual for lodging establishments to require a minimum stay of a few days.