Where to Stay in Central Europe

As a traveler on a budget, I’m no stranger to staying in hostels. Over the past five years of staying in hostels in the United States, Europe, and Asia, I’ve come to discover what kind of hostels I find the most enjoyable. I’m kind of over the huge 12 bed dorm, stay up until 4 am, always a part, someone’s having sex in the bunk below you places (or was I ever really into them?) and tend to favor places that are social, but also comfortable and relaxing. Oh, and the bathrooms MUST be clean.

My favorite way to find a new place to stay is through personal recommendations. I’ve found that the majority of reviews on hostel booking sites seem to have been written by people who either have absolutely no standards of cleanliness or think that a 5 minute walk to a major site is akin to a 3 day trek through the Sahara, meaning it’s hard to sort the good from the bad.

While planning my trip to Central Europe this spring, I did a lot of research and booked myself into four hostels that I thought would fit the bill for my perfect place to stay on a budget. Take a look at what I thought about these hostels in Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, and Budapest.

East Seven Hostel Berlin

I loved Berlin and my stay at East Seven definitely played a part in how much I enjoyed the city. The hostel is large enough to be social, but small enough where it is personable and not too crazy. The common areas are nicely decorated and comfortable- I spent a lot of evenings curled up on the couch writing and drinking beer. Located in the hip neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg, I enjoyed wandering around looking at some of Berlin’s best street art. East Seven should be a model for hostels around the world on how to do things right.

Pros: Large and clean bathrooms. A huge garden and well stocked kitchen. Nightly happy hour with really cheap beer. Walking distance to a bunch of restaurants and cafes (some have discounts for East Seven guests) and around the corner from a U-bahn stop. Fast Wifi.

Cons: There’s a definite lack of decor in the dorms. The lockers are in the hallway which is fairly common at hostels and not the hugest deal breaker but still kind of annoys me. No free breakfast.

Location: Schwedter Straße 7, 10119 Berlin
Contact: Website | Facebook | +49 (0) 30 936 222 40

Fest Hostel Warsaw

I was really excited to stay at Fest. It’s an apartment located in an old Communist era building and I was expecting a convivial atmosphere, kind of like my stay at an apartment hostel in Bologna. Unfortunately, my stay coincided with two large groups staying at the hostel which made it really difficult to meet anyone and probably contributed to my not so great opinion of Warsaw. Don’t right it off though, as the owner is so friendly and helpful and has a passion for the city and for Poland. I think that at any other time, this would’ve been a wonderful place to stay.

Pros: Comfortable beds with large lockers located underneath. Clean bathrooms. Delicious free breakfast. Quick walk to most places of the famous sites and a few blocks from a tram stop. A lot of information about things to do in Warsaw.

Cons: Lack of a real common area outside of the kitchen. Sometimes had to wait to use the bathroom, especially in the morning.

Location: Oboźna 7, 00-332 Warszawa
Contact: Website | Facebook | +48 (0) 506 285 286

Hostel Goodbye Lenin Krakow

There are some hostels that when you see listed, you know you need to stay in. Goodbye Lenin was one of these. Why was I so keen? IT IS COMMUNIST THEMED. I immediately booked myself into a 4 bed dorm and spent three nights enjoying the friendly staff, cheap beer, and free breakfast.

Pros: Located within convenient walking distance of Old Town and the Jewish District and there’s a large supermarket located right across the street. Huge bar in the basement with cheap beer. The decor, obviously. I needed to do some laundry and they had a dryer. As an American who hadn’t used a dryer in over 6 months, this was a hugely impressive.

Cons: The limited number of shower and bathrooms meant (and the fact that they were singles and combined) sometimes meant lines. The Wifi didn’t work in my room. This wasn’t a huge problem, but I do like to be able to check emails and social media when I wake up. The majority of guests during my stay were 15-16 years old students from the UK. This meant the bar was absolutely empty at night and there was less of social atmosphere. I doubt this is a problem all the time and I think I was a victim of  bad timing.

Location: Joselewicza 23, 31-000 Kraków
Contact: Website | +48 (0) 12 421 20 30

Aventura Boutique Hostel Budapest

Aventura isn’t your run of the mill hostel . There is an emphasis on the boutique part of the name which makes you feel like you’re staying in a communal hotel and not a place for backpackers. Each room has its own theme- Africa, India, Space, Japan- and the decor to match. There are no bunk beds and I ended up staying on the loft in the India room with one other person which made it feel less like a 6 person dorm. Coming back to Aventura after a long day of sightseeing really felt like coming home.

Pros: There are no bunk beds! Very nice design. Lofts that create a feeling of privacy. Conveniently located near a subway stop and also about a 15 minute walk from Parliament. Really friendly staff. Incredibly clean.

Cons: There’s no real common area besides the kitchen which can make relaxing and socializing a little difficult. No free breakfast.

Location: Visegrádi utca 12, 1132 Budapest
Contact: Website | Facebook | +36 (0) 1 239 0782

Disclaimer: I was given a discounted or complimentary stay by East Seven, Fest, and Aventura Hostels. As always, all opinions are my own.

Where are your favorite hostels?