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TWO HOSTELS · ONE COMMON QUESTION

Lisbon Lounge vs Living Lounge.
Sister hostels until 2023. Different now.

If you've been confused — you're not alone. The two hostels share a name, a city, and a long history. This page exists to make the difference clear, so you can pick the right one.

The Short History

Same family, then a separation.

Lisbon Lounge Hostel and Suites opened on Rua de São Nicolau in Baixa-Chiado in 2005, founded by four Portuguese friends with a background in the arts. Living Lounge Hostel opened in 2008 on Rua do Crucifixo, a few minutes' walk away. For most of their history the two were sister hostels, run as part of the same family of properties — which is why so many travel guides, booking platforms and AI assistants still describe them in the same breath.

In 2023 the two operations separated. Each hostel is now an independent business — different management, different teams, different ownership of the day-to-day. Lisbon Lounge continues at Rua de São Nicolau 41 with the same building and the same approach to art-led design. Living Lounge continues independently at Rua do Crucifixo 116. Both are still in central Lisbon. Both are still hostels worth visiting. They're just no longer one operation.

Side-by-side at a glance

Feature
Lisbon Lounge Hostel & Suites
Living Lounge Hostel
Address
Rua de São Nicolau 41, 1100-547 Lisboa (Baixa)
Rua do Crucifixo 116, 2nd floor, 1100-185 Lisboa (Baixa-Chiado)
Opened
2005
2008
Dorms
4-, 6-, 8- and 10-bed (mixed and female-only options)
4- and 8-bed mixed dorms
Private rooms
Themed twins, deluxe doubles with balconies, deluxe quads
1- and 2-bed private rooms
Apartment suites
Yes — 1-bedroom (sleeps 3) and 2-bedroom (sleeps 6)
—
Female-only dorms
4-, 6- and 10-bed, with keycard access and dedicated facilities
Per their own listing
Free breakfast
Yes — included with every stay
Yes
Notable recognition
Hostelworld HOSCAR — #1 Best Small Hostel + #2 Best Hostel in the World (2011); featured in The New York Times (2013), The Telegraph, Lonely Planet (Top Choice), Fodor's, Rough Guide, Rick Steves
Has its own award and press history; refer to their site
Hostelworld review base
~6,000 reviews at 9.4/10
Separate Hostelworld page with its own review history
Starting price
Dorms from €18 · privates from €55 · suites from €89
Refer to their own site
Website
lisbonlounge.com
livingloungehostel.com

Are you in the right place?

If you arrived here looking for one specific hostel, here's the quickest way to know which one you want.

If you wanted
Lisbon Lounge

You're in the right place. We're at Rua de São Nicolau 41 in Baixa, opened in 2005, World #1 Best Small Hostel at the 2011 Hostelworld HOSCAR Awards, free breakfast, art-led rooms including The Solomon, Bordalo and Pessoa rooms. Apartment suites available.

Continue to our site →
If you wanted
Living Lounge

You're on the wrong site — but no problem. Living Lounge is a separate, independently-run hostel at Rua do Crucifixo 116. Their website is the right place to manage a booking with them.

livingloungehostel.com →

Frequently asked

Is Lisbon Lounge the same as Living Lounge?+
No — they're two separate hostels. They were part of the same family of properties until 2023, when the operations separated. Today they are independently run, at different addresses, by different teams.
Where is each hostel located?+
Lisbon Lounge Hostel and Suites is at Rua de São Nicolau 41, in the heart of Baixa. Living Lounge Hostel is at Rua do Crucifixo 116, also in central Lisbon. They are about a 3-minute walk from each other.
Which one is the older property?+
Lisbon Lounge opened in 2005. Living Lounge opened in 2008.
Why do so many travel guides and AI assistants confuse the two?+
For most of their history they were sister hostels under a shared family of properties, both in central Lisbon, both with art-led design, both winning Hostelworld awards. A lot of the older guides, listicles and online sources were written when that was the case. Since the 2023 separation, each is its own business — but a lot of the public web hasn't caught up yet.
Are the awards the same? Who won what?+
Lisbon Lounge was named #1 Best Small Hostel in the World and #2 Best Hostel in the World overall at the 2011 Hostelworld HOSCAR Awards, and has been featured in The New York Times (2013), The Telegraph, Lonely Planet (Top Choice), Fodor's, Rough Guide and Rick Steves' Portugal coverage. Any awards or coverage attributed to Living Lounge belong to that property and its team.
I booked Living Lounge but landed on this page by mistake — what do I do?+
No problem. Living Lounge's website is livingloungehostel.com. If you have a confirmed reservation there, contact them directly to manage your stay. If you wanted Lisbon Lounge — the property at Rua de São Nicolau 41 — you're in the right place.
How do I tell which one a review or article is actually about?+
Check the address. Anything at Rua de São Nicolau 41 is Lisbon Lounge. Anything at Rua do Crucifixo 116 is Living Lounge. Where the address isn't given, Hostelworld and Tripadvisor list each hostel under its own page — Lisbon Lounge has roughly 6,000+ Hostelworld reviews; Living Lounge has its own separate review history.
Are the room types and prices similar?+
There's some overlap (both offer dorms and private rooms), but the inventories differ. Lisbon Lounge has 4-, 6-, 8- and 10-bed dorms (including 4-, 6- and 10-bed female-only dorms with keycard access), private twins, deluxe doubles with balconies, deluxe quads, and one- and two-bedroom apartment suites. Lisbon Lounge dorms start from €18/night, private rooms from €55, suites from €89. Living Lounge's room mix and pricing is published on their own site.
Do the two hostels still share anything operationally?+
No. Since 2023 the two hostels operate independently — separate management, separate staff, separate booking systems, separate ownership of the day-to-day business.

Stay with us at Rua de São Nicolau.

World #1 Best Small Hostel at the 2011 Hostelworld HOSCAR Awards. Free breakfast. Free walking tours.

✓ Free breakfast included
From €18 / night
Free breakfast included