Station Backpacker's Hostel

The location of the hostel was the best part, it’s just a short walk to the central station and the cathedral. The rooms were clean and spacious, although the walls were thin so I would recommend ear plugs. There was no kitchen which would have been nice. There were plenty of showers but only two toilets for the whole floor which got busy.

Beds were clean and fresh sheets were provided, so if that's all you need then it was perfect. No privacy whatsoever in room, and between this, inconsiderate roommates, and non-existent soundproofing between floors, sleep eluded me. The bedroom door didn't close shut automatically either, which is obviously a big security risk. Perhaps my hostel standards are too high, but it was an unpleasant experience overall for me. However, staff were friendly, bed was clean and the location is excellent, so it may be a perfect stay for more seasoned hostel-goers.

Stayed here for three nights in Jan. 2025. Indeed it is a "great value for price" sort of place, though with a few glaring issues. To begin with the nice things: the staff at check-in are all very kind and helpful, even with late arrivals! The whole process is straightforward and easy. A good selection for in-house breakfast too. There is a great variety in rooms; I chose the six-bed dorm. The name rings true; you are close enough to the station to hear passing trains and announcements over the loudspeakers. The walls are quite thin, and if people in the next room are being loud you can hear them quite well. As always, don't forget your earplugs! The worst part of this stay was the ventilation. If your dorm is full, the air quickly becomes stale after a few hours, and in winter it's not possible to open a window due to the cold. Perhaps it's a quirk of the building, or perhaps a lack of investment. This is also true in the showers and bathrooms, where there is severe water damage from steam in the ceilings, and the beginnings of mold as well. There were just two toilets on my floor, though luckily it was not a busy time during my stay. The soap dispensers are partially broken, and both the bathrooms and showers could certainly have been cleaner. Likewise for the hallways, which I found to be dimly lit. So overall, expect a very cheap and somewhat run-down place to stay, albeit with lovely staff. Indeed you get what you pay for, and that is a safe place to sleep for the night.

The bathrooms and showers weren't clean, at all. No signs of cleaning in there. The bedroom that I stayed in was ok, apart for the fact that I found bedbugs. The breakfast was kinda good. If you need a place in the center of Cologne to crash, this is the option. However if you are going to stay more than 2/3 days, please reconsider your choice of hostel.

Great location - we were here for the Christmas markets and all of them were walking distance. The walls were super thin you could hear literally everything; footsteps, conversations, doors etc it was hard to fall asleep without earplugs and melatonin. The bathrooms were stinky and dirty. One shower had a faulty shower head, but others worked fine. Mattress was pretty firm which I don’t mind but some might find it too hard. I personally would not recommend this hostel to my friends. If you wish to stay near the central station and are able to sleep anywhere, do not care about the cleanliness then this could be an ideal place to stay.

Rooms are too loud to sleep, whole night there was noises from outside, from people in above floor bathroom. It’s not at all sound proof to sleep and work. Would not recommend if you want to have a peaceful sleep after a huge day of work. Location is good, but just check what you want. Washrooms are not at all clean.

Such a good location, staff were amazing and rooms were clean! Would absolutely recommend. Great facilities too and good to go with friends

I was travelling through Germany because it’s suppose to be safe but, as a female traveller, I did not feel safe in this Hostel at all. |First of all the rooms and the toilets stink, the woman at the reception was so rude, she did not want to help me with recommendations around the city and didn’t even bother with explaining the rules of the hostel. |The room I was staying in was so dingy and there was this strange woman sleeping there who I’m assuming had been staying there for a while. Her side of the dorm was very messy, stinky and she would scroll through her phone at odd hours of the night because of which I could barely sleep. In fact she would sleep all day and would stare at me when she was awake. I couldn’t wait to get out there fast enough, I was so scared for my safety that I booked an early morning Uber even though it’s only a 5 mins walk but, I was terrified to walk by myself when it’s still dark. The common area isn’t very accessible so, it’s difficult to meet other travellers. Just save your money and skip it.