Your Membership Card

If you want to stay in a German Youth Hostel, you have to be a member of the German Youth Hostel Association or any other national Youth Hostel Association. All you need is a membership card. What does that mean?

Members only

Our Youth Hostels are open to everyone, with no age limit: school classes, individuals and families, sports clubs or youth groups. But for German Youth Hostels, there is one restriction: "members only". The German Youth Hostel Association is an organisation that is based on membership. To stay in a German Hostel, you need to be a member of a Youth Hostel Association.

Membership outside Germany 

If you do not live in Germany, you can become a member of the Youth Hostel Association in your home country. To apply for membership, please contact the Youth Hostel Association in your country. You can find all the national Youth Hostel Associations in the world on hihostels.com under "Hostelling International" (www.hihostels.com).

DJH Membership

Germans and foreigners with a permanent residence in Germany can become members of the German Youth Hostel Association DJH. Regardless of when or how much you wish to travel: the membership fee is only due once a year.

  • Junior (up to 26 years): € 7.00
  • Families/27 plus: € 22.50

The DJH membership card is the key to Hostels and budget accommodation in hostels across the globe. Your "ticket" is valid in more than 4.000 Youth Hostels in over 80 countries, spread out over all continents. In Germany alone, there are about 450 Youth Hostels.

International Guest Card

An international guest who does not hold a membership card can purchase an International Guest Card in place of membership. He is required to buy a Welcome Stamp for each night of his stay at the cost of  € 3.50. When he or she has collected 6 Welcome Stamps, the Guest Card becomes valid in all Hostels worldwide or entitles the holder to reduced rates for his stay. Validity is 12 months from the date of issue.

Alternatively, a Guest Card with immediate international validity can be obtained at  € 18.00.

International Group Guest Card

School classes require group membership in order to stay in a Youth Hostel. Your national Youth Hostel Association can inform you about the terms and conditions. An International Group Guest Card can be obtained in place of membership by groups that are not members of a national association. 5 Welcome Stamps at a price of € 3.50 have to be obtained per night of the stay. The Guest Card becomes valid in all Youth Hostels worldwide or entitles the group to reduced rates for its stay when 20 Welcome Stamps have been collected. Validity is 12 months from date of issue.

Advantages of your Membership

Membership in a national Youth Hostel Association is the prerequisite for your stay in German Youth Hostels and for that in hostels in most other countries. In countries where a membership is not mandatory, it entitles you to reduced rates.

Reduced prices are available for members of a Youth Hostel Association all over the world, and this is not limited to the Youth Hostels themselves: there are countless offers for travel, entertainment, museums, culture, shopping, and much more. Find a list of the reductions on www.hihostels.com.