YHA Wellington City

Top choice in Wellington


There's an old bit and a new bit at this trusty YHA, but both are spick and span – and both score points for fantastic communal areas, big kitchens and dining areas, and separate spaces for wet-day games, reading and movie-watching. Sustainable initiatives abound (recycling, composting, energy-efficient hot water); espresso machine at reception.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Wellington attractions

1. Te Papa

0.21 MILES

New Zealand's national museum is hard to miss, taking up a sizeable chunk of the Wellington waterfront. ‘Te Papa Tongarewa’ loosely translates as …

2. Bucket Fountain

0.4 MILES

Cuba Mall's landmark (and sneakily splashy) fountain mocks the surrounding commerce with its Zen-like tilt-and-pour processes. The kids (and the wandering…

3. City Gallery Wellington

0.47 MILES

Housed in the monumental old library in Civic Sq (the new library is next door), Wellington’s much-loved City Gallery does a cracking job of securing…

4. Pukeahu National War Memorial Park

0.54 MILES

It seems strangely fitting that NZ's National War Memorial should be a musical instrument and contain as its centrepiece not a statue of a soldier, but of…

5. New Zealand Cricket Museum

0.55 MILES

Tucked under a stand at the Basin Reserve, the NZ Cricket Museum is a must-see for fans of the old game. It's only open during cricket matches or by…

6. Mt Victoria Lookout

0.58 MILES

The city's most impressive viewpoint is atop 196m-high Mt Victoria (Matairangi), east of the city centre. You can take bus 20 most of the way up, but the…

7. St Mary of the Angels

0.58 MILES

Closed for seismic strengthening and restoration from 2013 to 2017, this pretty Catholic parish church is looking downright heavenly. Built in 1922, it…

8. Wellington Museum

0.62 MILES

For an imaginative, interactive experience of Wellington’s social and maritime history, head to this bewitching little museum, inside an 1892 bond store…