East London hostels are found primarily along Mile End Road, Commercial Road, and East India Dock Road north of Canary Wharf. There are almost no hostels in East End London in the Canary Wharf area itself, as this former docklands commercial area has been “gentrified,” with exclusive luxury hotels and resorts and modern shopping plazas with trendy boutiques and galleries. You will find some cheap hostels in East London across the Thames River in Southwark and the lovely maritime village of Greenwich. While many people consider this South London, expansion of the metropolitan area places it in the East End. There is, in fact, an underwater pedestrian tunnel connecting Greenwich to Canary Wharf.

The closest of the East London hostels to Central London and Westminster is probably the Salvation Army property. While this place does shelter the homeless of the inner city, it accepts drop-ins, and can provide a safe, clean place to stay for young people who have simply run out of money. The YHA (Youth Hostel Association) Thameside is likely the closest to Canary Wharf, and is one of the original hostels from the 1960s and 1970s. This is one of the best cheap hostels in East London as it has rooms for only two people and a restaurant with a license for beer and wine. Toilets and showers are shared, but rooms have their own washbasin and kettle. For the cheapest rooms, there are dormitories facilities sleeping as many as ten people.

Hostels in East End London also include many properties that call themselves hotels (two- and three-stars with few facilities) and bed and breakfasts that usually offer a modest Continental (cold) morning meal. The Journeys Greenwich (pictured) is a good example, and it also boasts a common kitchen, so you can save on dining out costs by cooking many of your meals. St. Christopher’s Inn in Greenwich is another of these, with a location near the nightlife to be found at the pubs of Canary Wharf. St. Christopher’s even offers Thursday night pub crawls.

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