Shelter City Hostel Amsterdam

Stayed here as a solo female traveller. For being right in the red light district it felt super safe! The stairs were a bit hard to navigate with a large suitcase, as I did end up quite a few levels up. But I was always offered assistance and the workers were super friendly. The room was a 4 bed, and was quite roomy!

The place is in an amazing location. Staff is very friendly and the common areas and toilets are super clean. Downside is that it can get very very noisy if you’re in rooms 1 or 2 because the window is facing the area of the cafe. The rooms are super small which for me is okay but you can literally just walk straight to your bed. They do have lockers for everyone in the rooms :) Breakfast included but options were only a ham and cheese sandwich or 3 plain pancakes or yogurt. Usually free breakfast hostels have a range of options you can pick yourself. Would come back again :)

Lovely quiet hostel in the Red Light district. Breakfast is included, you can have either a hot meal or cereal and fruit. The rooms are kinda small, but nicely decorated. Toilets and showers are cleaned throughout the day. You can rent a towel for €2 and when you return it they will give you €1 back. The staff is very friendly and this place was super welcoming. I highly recommend staying at this hostel!

Found the staff to be friendly, I love the environment i feel as if everyone is really interactive and I love the bible meetings that are held. I think in regards to rooms it's pretty tight, I think I was in a dorm with 16 girls and it was really tight. I could hardly store my 20kg bag (only go here if you're travelling light is my suggestion). The showers and small, same with the bathrooms. They do serve food and free breakfast however which is nice. The halls and cafe are relatively nice areas. I think the people made the experience much better. in terms of location its located pretty centrally you can basically walk to the city centre in 5 minutes which I found to be nice, so you can easily access food any time you want.

Friendly staff, but one must say the place is not so clean and adorable like photos! Yet the prices are so reasonable, regarding the included breakfast (it was great by the way)... If it's your first time in Amsterdam, take care that the great location at city centre, means being in the heart of the red-light district of the city, so Google the things up before going, to get an idea about the place, and not get shocked when you arrive!

Pros Reception staff kept changing by were always great. This is a Christian hostel and I’m not Christian so was a bit worried that religion will be in your face but it really wasn’t Breakfast is good but you have to either go in very early or very late if you don’t want to stand in line for a long time Location is amazing. Walkable everywhere. It is in Red Light District- if that bothers you. It didn’t bother me. Cons Not enough plug points near the beds Cleanliness wasn’t at its best, especially in the toilets. I saw a sign that you can get free Accomodation if you clean the place for 5 hours. This maybe the reason; better supervision is needed. I’m not sure if the kitchen is for guests too but every time I tried to approach it the kitchen staff were there throwing me confused looks as to why I was there so I never used the cookers. Actually the kitchen staff as a whole always looked confused about everything. Perhaps better training is needed.

We booked our accommodations online and when we arrived, they had booked 2 female rooms instead of what we asked for, 1 male and 1 female. This was a larger issue as they do not let men and woman in the same room unless they are married. Breakfast was included and that morning was Hot Breakfast. It was cooked eggs on 2 pieces of uncooked bread and cheese thrown on top not melted. It felt like breakfast was started but not finished. They have a patio and an inside but no matter where we sat, we couldn't get away from smokers. The staff was very pleasant and helpful which was appreciated.

Very good value for money, friendly staff, and really tasty breakfast. The Christianity is not so in-your-face which is nice, but you do notice it. I have seen cleaner hostel bathrooms, but I have also seen far worse, so don't expect wonders. Not really enough sockets per room to charge electrical items but you can do this at reception. Atmosphere is a little muted due to the 'alcohol free' nature of the building. However, conveniently located. Would consider staying again, but far from my favourite hostel experiences.

For a one-night stay, this is a central location that will give someone a true Amsterdam experience. The staff is friendly, and someone is present at all times of the day at the front desk. For those traveling alone, the staff offers community events and has a café open to get snacks, beverages, and socialize. The lockers are big enough to fit a day-pack and a small suitcase. I stayed in a 16-person male dorm room, which can be crammed, but just tread lightly when coming in late. The beds are clean and comfortable. Top bunk kinda hurts your feet to get up the ladder, but suck it up. The spot is in the red light district, so be warned, the location can get loud. There is no A/C, so summer can get hot and you'll have to open the windows. Put two and two together, and you might have a tough sleep.

- Overall, nice, safe and clean facility with okay staff. It's not incredibly accommodating to someone who may have difficulties climbing up stairs.When I left something in my room or went down to eat breakfast, I had to go up the initial large stairs, which were surprisingly pretty long, at least 30 individual steps and then up narrow, steep spiral stairs (this is the worst with a suitcase). With this in mind, I was not offered help with bag until I had already walked half way through the second set of stairs -_-. - Bathrooms and showers are clean. Outside area was pretty nice and they had games available for guests to use which was a nice tool to make friends. - One more thing... During breakfast, my friend asked for a banana and was given on. When I later arrived (still during breakfast) I asked for one and was NOT given one. I found this to me funny simply because of the irony of it all. A faith based hostel denying someone food, as a Christian myself, I immediately thought: "Is this what Jesus would do?" Please note that we understood that breakfast was free during breakfast hours, and didn't realize their were limitations. Please note that I stayed in a four room all girls on the top floor.

Good location, street noise is minimal - quiet place to sleep. Like many other hostels, walls are paper thin. Basic sink, bunk bed, and locker in room. No soap/towels provided. Bring your own lock or buy one from the front desk. Didn't try the breakfast or wander into the cafe/garden common areas, so can't comment. Friendly, caring people at front desk. 15 euro deposit extra required (returned in cash at check-out) and credit card accepted for payment. House rules clearly explained from get-go - need to buzz in and show voucher for entry. Christian hostel, so be prepared to hear some religious talk.

A safe, comfortable, clean, and affordable hostel located in the red light district of Amsterdam. My friends and I stayed in the 16 bed female dorm (€21/person/night) and didn't have any complaints about our stay. The bathrooms reminded me of high school locker rooms but they weren't terrible. There are plenty of lockers in the dorms where you can store your valuables and whatnot. The hostel serves a really satisfying, delicious breakfast that is free for the hostel guests so that's always a plus. The staff is very friendly and accommodating as long as you respect their rules (no drugs and no alcohol allowed). There are plenty of things to do around the hostel and plenty of delicious restaurants to try. If you get bored and want to venture to other parts of Amsterdam, the tram stop is only a 1 minute walk away.

Really great hostel, very clean and safe. There is a large locked room to store luggage which is nice if you get in early. The staff are friendly and international, very helpful and answer questions easily. It is a Christian hostel and there is no alcohol in the cafe but there are plenty of other options. There is an Irish pub at the end of the alley which had a good Guinness and plenty of other restaurants and cafes close by. Just about an 8-10 minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal.

3.5 stars, but I didn't feel comfortable giving it a 4. My review is based on the fact that the experience is completely different on the male floor vs. the female floor. The people of this hostel are very friendly and welcoming. They made us feel so comfortable traveling to Amsterdam. You would never guess that this hostel is in the red-light district of Amsterdam. I guess they really did succeed in "sheltering". :) The breakfast: They provide a sufficient breakfast and are willing to even pack you food on your day of travel if you request it ahead of time. They have an interesting system where you can trade in a jam for an additional pancake. Not sure how that's equivalent....but we still got a laugh out of it. The internet: You have to buy coupon codes to use the wifi by the half hour. It was kind of expensive, but you will find that this is true at most hostels. The lounge: The main lounge area is near the kitchen/cafeteria. They have a beautiful pond outside that I loved writing by. Safety: Overall safe. The doors are always locked and they require you to show documentation every time you enter the hostel to prove that you are staying there. The experience was very comfortable staying in the female rooms. It was very clean and we felt very safe here. They provide lockers that you can keep your suitcases in, although you need to bring your own lock. If you have an over-sized backpack that wouldn't fit in to a normal locker - then you store it under one of the bunk beds. From what I remember, the girls' bathrooms have funny hours and one of the ladies came to kick us out due to cleaning hours. She was literally counting down by the second as we were washing off. Can you imagine? We kept talking to her to buy ourselves time. "But why do you need to clean THIS second?" It was hilarious. From what I understand, the mens floor was a little different. Apparently, there were many "creepy" men that do a lot of staring. Our friend didn't feel very comfortable in those rooms. Could have just been that specific weekend that we were there though. Overall, I recommend it! They were so sweet to us. I would definitely return!

The location of the hostel is great! Very central. . . . The staff was incredibly friendly. The hostel is clean & they offer great daily breakfasts. I did not use the internet since I was out most of the time so I am not too sure about the WiFI. You have to show your hostel pass to enter the building at all times of day so I felt like my belongings were safe. This was my second stay here and I would definitely go back.

Unbeatable value. For $20/night you get lodging and free breakfast. The hostel is better organized than most, there is no hassle in finding bathrooms or showers, and they are plentiful. The location is perfect, in the red light district with all tourist attractions a few steps away. The hotel bans drugs and alcohol on premises but observing what other guys in the hostel were doing this rule is close to impossible to enforce. The staff are friendly and seem to genuinely take an interest in their guests. They do a lot of outreach that is optional to participate in, bible studies, open mic nights, tours etc... These can be pretty entertaining. For brief moments it did feel a bit like I was judged just for staying there and being actively evangelized which felt odd. I feel for the struggle of the workers here, they are trying to do the best for the community and their guests. Overall I think they are doing an excellent job, I had a ton of fun here meeting people and at a low price. I could not recommend this place more highly.