Hotel Name: Cityhostel Berlin
Address: Glinkastrasse 5-7., Mitte, Berlin, Germany
I stayed at Cityhostel Berlin in Berlin. I booked a bed in 6-bed dormitory for 23 Euro a night.
Cityhostel is in Mitte (middle or centre in German) so it is centrally located in Berlin. If I was going to stay in Berlin long-term, I would not stay in Mitte. For short term visits or if it’s your first time in Berlin then this is a good location. It’s a few minutes walk from Checkpoint Charlie, and not far from the Brandenburg Gate.
The Cityhostel is in a big purpose-built property. I like stay at hostels like this in Europe (especially in Germany) as they are usually well-run operations.
I know some people prefer the small hostels in an apartment, as these big ones can have an institutional feeling about them.
I stayed in a 6-bed dorm which was airy and spacious enough, and each bed had a locker. There was only two power outlets in the room so that was inconvenient in this age where everyone has daily charging needs. A separate bed light would have been useful too.
The dorm has an ensuite bathroom and toilet, with the sink outside in the dorm area. On the one hand this is an efficient arrangement to avoid bathroom hogs from holding everything up.
On the other hand, having the bathroom as an ensuite in the dorm is disruptive in the morning. I found myself conscious of waking people up because of my early starts. Using the sink I felt like I was waking everyone up.
There is a public lounge area in the foyer, though the seats were not the most comfortable.
There is a dining area at the ground floor where breakfast is on offer if you have the breakfast option.
In a bizarre twist that seems fitting for its location in Berlin, the hostel is next door to the North Korean embassy. There was a peaceful protest happening when I arrived (Christians singing some songs), but apart from that I didn’t think much of it. It was only after my stay that I found out that the hostel is renting the property from North Korea and there have been calls to shut the hostel down. Oh, that’s complicated.
Overall it wasn’t a bad hostel to stay at (apart from inadvertently funding North Korea’s nuclear program). I liked the clean spaciousness of the property. I didn’t like the ensuite bathroom, and the rooms need to be modernised to add power outlets for every bed.
Book Cityhostel Berlin online or search for more hotels in Berlin.
Leave a Reply