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YHA Cairns Central

Property class: 2

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Photo gallery for YHA Cairns Central

An aerial view of a swimming pool surrounded by palm trees, with lounge chairs and a tiled deck area. - YHA Cairns Central (Cairns)
A modern building with a covered entrance, steps leading up to the entrance, and a signboard. - YHA Cairns Central (Cairns)
A reception area with a counter, a computer, and a sign for Indigenous Eco Tours. There are potted plants and a refrigerator with beverages. - YHA Cairns Central (Cairns)
A covered outdoor seating area with tables and chairs, surrounded by lush greenery and plants. - YHA Cairns Central (Cairns)
A group of people on a dock with boats and a mountainous background. - YHA Cairns Central (Cairns)
Cairns Central Shopping Centre and Cairns Esplanade Lagoon are located near YHA Cairns Central, which provides a garden, laundry facilities, and a business center. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi.

Reviews

8.4 out of 10
Very good

Popular amenities

  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
  • Breakfast available
  • Parking available
  • Business services

Off-peak, on budget: 30% or more off select hotels in our fall sale

Skip the crowds, keep the savings. AARP members save more after Labor Day. Book by Oct 7, 2026.

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 17 of 17 rooms

View all photos for Bed In 4 Share Mixed Dormitory

Room

Bed In 4 Share Mixed Dormitory

  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed In 6 Share Male Dormitory

Room

Bed In 6 Share Male Dormitory

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(1 review)
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed In 6 Share Female Dormitory

Room

Bed In 6 Share Female Dormitory

  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 10 Share Mixed Dormitory

A bunk bed room with a window, a door, and a carpeted floor.

Bed in 10 Share Mixed Dormitory

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 4 Share Mixed Dormitory

A bunk bed with a white mattress and a rolled white towel.

Bed in 4 Share Mixed Dormitory

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(1 review)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Double Room, Shared Bathroom

A single bed with a patterned bedspread, a blue metal frame, a window with blue curtains, a wall-mounted radiator, and a small trash bin.

Double Room, Shared Bathroom

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
(2 reviews)
  • City view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Queen Room with Ensuite

A single bed with a checkered bedspread, two pillows, and two folded towels. There is a small wooden nightstand on each side of the bed.

Queen Room with Ensuite

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(1 review)
  • City view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Double Plus Two with Ensuite

A dormitory room with bunk beds, a chair, a desk, and a window with curtains.

Double Plus Two with Ensuite

  • City view
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Twin Bunk Beds and 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Bed in 10 Share Female Dormitory

A bunk bed room with a window, a door, and a carpeted floor.

Bed in 10 Share Female Dormitory

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 6 Share Female Dormitory

A bunk bed room with a window, a door, and a carpeted floor.

Bed in 6 Share Female Dormitory

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 6 Share Male Dormitory

A bunk bed room with a window, a door, and a carpeted floor.

Bed in 6 Share Male Dormitory

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 6 Share Mixed Dormitory

A bunk bed room with a window, a door, and a carpeted floor.

Bed in 6 Share Mixed Dormitory

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(1 review)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 6 Share Female Dormitory with Ensuite

A bunk bed room with a window, a door, and a carpeted floor.

Bed in 6 Share Female Dormitory with Ensuite

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 6 Share Mixed Dormitory with Ensuite

A bunk bed room with a window, a door, and a carpeted floor.

Bed in 6 Share Mixed Dormitory with Ensuite

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Bed in 4 Share Female Dormitory

A bunk bed with a white mattress and a rolled white towel.

Bed in 4 Share Female Dormitory

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Twin Room with Ensuite

A bedroom with two beds, a desk, and a chair.

Twin Room with Ensuite

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(2 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Queen Plus Four with Ensuite

A room with bunk beds, a desk, a wardrobe, and an air conditioning unit.

Queen Plus Four with Ensuite

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 6
  • 1 Queen Bed and 4 Twin Bunk Beds

About the neighborhood

Located in Cairns Central Business District, a neighborhood in Cairns, YHA Cairns Central is near a train station. Reef Fleet Terminal and Cairns Marlin Marina are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those in the mood for shopping can visit Cairns Central Shopping Centre. Looking to enjoy an event or a game while in town? See what's happening at Barlow Park or Cazalys Stadium. Discover the area's water adventures with scuba diving, snorkeling, and sailing nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with hiking/biking trails. Visit our Cairns travel guide
View more Hostels in Cairns
Map
20-26 McLeod Street, Cairns, QLD, 4870

What's nearby

  • A train carriage with red seats and windows.
    Cairns Central Shopping Centre
    1 min walk - 0.1 miles
  • The Night Markets sign with neon lights, a food court sign, and a banner for Phô Street Caisns.
    Cairns Night Markets
    6 min walk - 0.4 miles
  • A swimming pool with wind sculptures, a covered pavilion, palm trees, and a sunset sky.
    Cairns Esplanade Lagoon
    8 min walk - 0.5 miles
  • An industrial area with a large white building with a curved roof, surrounded by green fields and a body of water with boats.
    Cairns Convention Centre
    10 min walk - 0.5 miles
  • Reef Hotel Casino
    8 min walk - 0.5 miles

Getting around

  • Cairns Station
    4 min walk
  • Cairns Intl. Airport (CNS)
    13 min drive

Restaurants

  • KFC
    2 min walk
  • T2 Tea
    2 min walk
  • Rusty's Juice Bar
    6 min walk
  • The Crown Hotel
    5 min walk
  • McDonald's
    3 min walk

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  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
  • Breakfast available
  • Business services
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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Self parking on site (AUD 5 per day)

Food and drink

  • Daily continental breakfast available 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM for a fee: AUD 12 for adults and AUD 12 for children

Things to do

  • Billiards/pool table
  • Outdoor pool

Family friendly

  • Laundry facilities
  • Outdoor pool

Conveniences

  • Laundry facilities
  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Luggage storage
  • Vending machine
  • Water dispenser

Guest services

  • Multilingual staff
  • No housekeeping service
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Business services

  • Business center
  • Meeting room

Outdoors

  • Barbecue grill
  • Garden

Accessibility

  • No elevator

More

  • Comprehensive food waste policy
  • Designated smoking areas
  • Local artist showcase
  • Locally-owned and organized tours and activities
  • Some LED lighting used
  • Waste recycling policy
  • Water dispenser usage encouraged

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Hair dryer (on request)
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Shared kitchen access

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Bulk dispensers for toiletries
  • Energy-saving switches used
  • Recycling
  • Water-efficient showers
  • Water-efficient toilets

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM
Express check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10 AM
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours
If you are planning to arrive after 9:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours), lockbox

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Property payment types

  • Mastercard
  • Visa

Important information

Optional extras

  • Fee for continental breakfast: approximately AUD 12 for adults and AUD 12 for children
  • Self parking fee: AUD 5 per day

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Special cancellation policies or charges may apply for group reservations (more than 8 rooms for the same property / stay dates)
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, and a first aid kit

We should mention

This property does not have elevators

Frequently asked questions

Does YHA Cairns Central have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

Is YHA Cairns Central pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking?

Self parking is available for AUD 5 per day.

What time is check-in at YHA Cairns Central?

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9:00 PM.

What time is check-out at YHA Cairns Central?

Check-out is at 10 AM.

Where is YHA Cairns Central located?

Located in Cairns Central Business District, this hostel is within a 10-minute walk of Cairns Central Shopping Centre, Cairns Esplanade, and Cairns Esplanade Lagoon. Reef Fleet Terminal and Cairns Marlin Marina are also within 15 minutes. Cairns Station is only a 4-minute walk.

Can I cancel my reservation for free and receive a full refund?

Yes, this property offers free cancellation on select room rates, because flexibility matters! Please refer to the property cancellation policy on our site for more details about any exclusions or requirements.

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Reviews

YHA Cairns Central Reviews

8.4

Very Good

8.4

Cleanliness

8.2

Location

8.8

Staff & service

8.2

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 100 out of 243 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 104 out of 243 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 25 out of 243 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 243 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 5 out of 243 reviews

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Appreciated the bigger room to accommodate the family of 5. Kitchen is well equipped except the floor flooded when it was raining hard outside
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2026
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Had a great stay there. Would recommend staying here. Super central and clean
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff lovely, areas clean, quiet.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024
Verified review

8/10 Good

Great staff. Decent amenities. Location is a ten min walk to lagoon
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hostel, quiet area, easy street parking
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean, nice green area to share and good parking.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very friendly and comfortable!
Stayed 1 night in May 2025
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Really good place to be a hostel. The staff is very friendly and nice, the kitchen that’s fine. In the outside of the hostel to many homeless around the place
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a great place to stay in Cairns! 10-15 minutes walk to the wharf and great shopping and dining. Large kitchen and shared area in the hostel and I loved that they advertised local events and activities happening.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2024
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good, cheap accommodation in central Cairns
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff is very kind.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I arrived late and had to punch in a code the lighting was poorly so I had my daughter punch it in for me, to my amazement the place looked very up market and the room was just the right size, only problem I had was lugging my luggage up the stairs to the room, highly recommend YHA :)
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2026
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Room was basic but clean. Yha sydney is a lot nicer. I had a twin ensuite which had towels and body wash included. There are no lifts so I had to carry luggage up the stairs. There's not enough staff so it takes a while to check in and check out
Stayed 1 night in May 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
As a first time backpacker, I couldn't fault this establishment. It was impeccably clean, staff were friendly, bedding and beds impeccably clean and comfortable. Sheets even had iron marks on them. I would go there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Comfortable and good value

Nice hostel with friendly and helpful staff. Private room is very comfortable and good value for money. Hostel itself is quite social through the events they put on every night but relaxed in the day which makes a good mix.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Was great to meet some lovely ladies during my 2 night stay. Staff was excellent and accommodating. The bed was uncomfortable. Convenient location.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was my first stay at a hostel. It was great. The folks at the front desk were very friendly and helpful. The kitchen facilities were great. The pool looked nice just didn’t get a chance to use it. All of the people staying there were friendly. Only complaint was there was only one dryer operational in the laundry room. I would highly recommend staying here if you are traveling to Cairns.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Disliked: Amenities
Room was clean and comfortable we had ensuited room. Kitchen was messy unwashed cookware and utensils etc . we washed cutlery before using and when finished. Shops all around was great. Staff always helpful. Near to train station which was a priority for us as needed an overnight stay close to the station.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Staff & service
Functional room for my stay, rather basic but suited me fine. Small car park was also used, nearly full on arrival but managed to secure a spot. Noise from other guests speaking loudly in common outside areas by the pool in the early morning having breakfast and in the evening having dinner (surprisingly quiet during the day). Noise from a neighbouring bar when I stayed which stopped at 11pm.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very nice and helpful staff. Rooms are quiet, compact and good but private bathroom is not split into shower, toilet and sink like in some other YHAs (e.g. Sydney Harbor). So our family of 4 took longer to get ready in the morning though we did use the common bathrooms also to speed things up.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I always stay at the YHA Cairns Central because the location is so convenient, right opposite a large, air conditioned shopping centre, buses right outside the door and friendly service but I did find my room hugely over priced, (I stayed in a queen sized room with an ensuite)...$150 a night!! Great facilities, and service but found the price very disappointing; for that price I thought at least a hair dryer, little shampoos, etc and coffee and tea making facilities would have been included
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2024
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Amenities
It’s ok for the price. Stayed in the 10-bed room, which felt quite packed when full. Hardly any privacy. Made a mistake of getting the breakfast, better to just walk across the street to Cairns central for a better proper coffee and breakfast for the same price. Location is excellent and very convenient, although a bit dodgy area.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Good for a short stay

The Hostel it’s self seemed well taken care of with a pretty decent standard of cleanliness, all though many hostel mates didn’t properly clean up after themselves in the kitchen and I found myself re-washing dishes before I could actually use them. The room I stayed in (a 4 bed) was quite spacious and the lockers were big enough for my travel backpack, but the beds themselves were pretty lack luster and I found myself having a hard time getting a comfortable sleep. It does in a pinch, but I probably stayed a day too long for the sake of my back.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2025
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff, very convenient location, all (bed linen, towel, ...) very clean, 50m from Cairns big shopping centre with major supermarkets, department store. The communal kitchen is very well organised, clean. Secure car parking for $5 a day. Negative things are the free wifi is only up to 5Mbps during off-peak but very slow and just enough to check email at night (peak-hours), power points should be close to the bed or the floor or the very small table in the room, if your phone charging cables are short then you have to use the power point in the ensuite (if your room has ensuite). In general I would highly recommend this place if you don't expect all the bells and whistle of a 3-4 star hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025
Verified review

4/10 Poor

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Don’t have lift

They don’t have life, they only have stairs! But in total they only have a ground floor and a second floor. Things are a bit old except the washing machines and dryer. The air con is not cool enough. The staff is nice and friendly.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2024