So I’ve been back in the USA for almost a week now, I’ve been drifting about in a daze of wonderment, exhaustion, and jet lag but I’m finally feeling a bit more normal today. So I thought I post a review of the hostels I stayed at while traveling.
Hostels, as most of you know, are an easy cheap option for traveling. It’s kinda like going to summer camp in lots of ways with bunk beds, group showers, and the sense of excitement that usually linger about in the air. Pretty much all of my bookings we’re done on http://www.hostelworld.com/ which is extremely easy to use and fair priced. Majority of the hostels I stayed at ranged between 20 to 24 euros a night during the month of May and 25 to 30 euros during June. Most places had a breakfast either for free or pay and all places had wifi. However your mileage may vary, perception is reality as they say so your experiences could be drastically different than mine.
So let’s get started.
St Christopher’s Inn Canal Location 159 rue de Crimée, 75019 Paris, France
I started my trip here and ended my trip here, I really liked this place a lot. The staff was super nice and helpful and I found the rooms, bathrooms, and beds to be very well kept and clean. The offered a free breakfast and a full menu you could buy lunch and dinner off of, the food was pretty good too, for cheap hostel food. The location isn’t the most central but there are two different metro lines that run very close by to the hostel. They also have live music sometimes in the main bar area and a late night dance club in the basement. They also have free walking tours and you can pay for some nice day trips as well.
St Christopher’s at the Bauhaus 133-137 Langestraat, 8000, Bruges, Belgium
After a really good experience in the Paris St. Christopher’s I decided to give the Bruges location a try. It was extremely different than the Paris location, which I found to be nice, it had it’s own feel which was cool. The free breakfast was better than the one in Paris, however there regular menu was kind of lacking. The rooms were great as were the showers. Location was awesome and you could walk everywhere you needed to get to. The also had some free walking tours and a trivia night. I don’t recall any music, which is fine with me. I really only had breakfast in the hostels and slept there, I don’t understand people who spend there nights or days hanging out in the hostels. The staff was really polite and eager to assist.
KingKool Prinsegracht 51, The Hague, Netherlands
This place had only been opened for about month when I arrived there, so it was beyond clean. It was so clean here you could of delivered a baby on the floor. The design of the place was very cool and very artsy, the staff was extremely pleasant. However there was no breakfast and I was placed into a 6 bed dorm even though I booked a 12 bed dorm. This really wasn’t a big deal except for the fact that the lockers for the 6 bed dorm were located outside the room, I didn’t like that. Also no free tours or anything like that but the location was very central.
St Christopher’s at the Winston 129 Warmoesstraat, 1012 JA, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Party central for sure. This hostel was wild, electric, and lots of fun. The rooms were nice and clean, the breakfast was outstanding, the staff was ok, and the location was awesome. Other than that all the same stuff as the other St. Christopher’s.
The Circus Hostel Weinbergsweg 1a, 10119 Berlin, Germany
I booked this hostel on http://www.famoushostels.com/ It was a really cool place too. The rooms were super nice and spacious with wonderful views. The staff was extremely pleasant and helpful. They had multiple tours some free, some paid. The breakfast was good but not free and the location was good too. The place was very clean.
St. Christopher’s Czech Inn Francouzská 76, 101 00, Prague, Czech Republic
So this one is a franchise of the St. Christopher’s Inn chain of hostels and my least favorite. The rooms were great and the bathrooms super clean but the staff sucked. They seemed really inconvenienced by the guests and the breakfast wasn’t included in the price unlike the all the other St. Christopher’s. I also had two really shitty roommates on top of all, luckily only for one of my nights though.
Central Hotel 21 Maria street 10, 1085, Budapest, Hungary
After the annoyances in the Prague room I took a break from hostels and booked a hotel in Budapest, it was dirt cheap. The place was really nice too and somewhat central to the tourist area. Breakfast cost about 4 euro here and was pretty decent. The room was very nice and opened up to a really cool garden courtyard. The staff was really nice and helpful and the place was super clean.
Wombats City Hostel – The Base Grangasse 6, Vienna, Austria 1150
Terrible. The only nice thing I can say is the rooms were decent and the bathrooms were clean.
Guesthouse Salzburg Josef Preis Allee 18, Salzburg, Austria 5020
This place was amazing. Staff rocked, breakfast rocked, location rocked, rooms rocked, and the cleanliness rocked.
The 4You Hostel Hirtenstrasse 18, 80335, Munich, Germany
Really friendly staff, good location, rooms were ok, bathrooms clean. Breakfast was included and was the standard hostel breakfast but it was filling and a good way to start the day. They had some wifi issues though while I was there but there are plenty of cafes around.
Nuova Locanda Belvedere Via Mezzacapo 1, Marghera, Venice, Italy 30175
This place was awesome. The couple who ran it were so kind and friendly. The rooms were fantastic clean as were the bathrooms. No breakfast but not a big deal. It’s not on the main island of Venice so you’ll have to take a 6 minute train ride into Venice but it was worth it.
The Yellow Via Palestro 49, Rome, Italy 00185
Very funny and nice staff. Excellent location. Breakfast not free but good for the money. The rooms were really nice and bathrooms well kept. Great atmosphere.
Plus Florence Via Santa Caterina d’Alessandra 17, Florence, Italy
This place had a pool but I never got in it. It’s Florence after all go explore! However super place. Great staff and room. The breakfast was really good, but I don’t recall if it was free or not. They did have a full dinner menu that was pretty great for cheap eating. The location was really great too.
Ostello Corniglia Via Alla Stazione 3, Cinque Terre, Italy 19018
This place was absolutely amazing. Staff was incredible, rooms and bathrooms were incredible and location was superb. One of favorite places I stayed at during my travels. They offered a breakfast on request but I never had it, too many great places to eat in the village.
Sofia Hostel Viale Abruzzi, 70, Milan, Italy 20131
This place was ok. Room was decent the bathroom was ok, you had to wait at time for it though due to the fact that it was the only on on the floor. The staff was nice though. Never tried the breakfast but fro what I could tell it didn’t look like much. The location was the best but it was awful either.
Hotel Campidoglio Via Corio, 11 Turin, Italy 10143
I booked a single room here, it was really great too. The room rocked and was super clean. The staff was really wonderful and the location wasn’t bad at all. No breakfast not a big deal though. Wifi wasn’t the best though.
Hotel Paradis Nice 1 Rue de Paradis, Nice, France 06000
This place was pretty sweet. The staff really made this place special and when my trains got cancelled due to the France’s train strike they really took care of me and got me set up with extra days. No breakfast but no big deal lot’s of good places close by to eat and markets within walking distance. The beach was a skip and jump across the road. Really nice and really clean.
The Lazy Falken Backpacker Spielmatte 8, Interlaken, Switzerland 3800
Quaint, comfortable, clean and great location. The little interaction I had with the staff was pleasant. Breakfast wasn’t free and was located a block over at a different hotel but it was really great. My train came in after reception had closed for the night but they left out my sheets, key card, and info pack on the desk.
Luxembourg City Hostel 2, rue du Fort Olisy, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
I think this is the only hostel in Luxembourg City, however the do it well. Staff was great, the room was stellar, and the breakfast was good. The location is great but you do have to walk some pretty steep hills to get to the historic town from here.
So overall all my hostels turned out to be good to great with the exception of one and that one just had the worse staff ever. All of them were quite clean and had comfy beds. Really though when it boils down to it; cleanliness, good beds, wifi, and maybe a free or cheap breakfast is all you really need. Don’t find your adventures inside the hostels, get out and explore the cities you’re in and expand your world a bit.
Shoestringin' Europe 