The Circus Hostel

Beds: Spacious and comfy! No privacy curtains, but that just leaves opportunity to make some friends. :) Bathrooms: Bring your own toiletries! But besides that, great showers with hot water in private stalls. Staff: Super nice and accommodating. I decided to join my friends on this trip after they had already booked their room, and the staff went out of their way to help ensure that I ended up in the same room as my friends upon their arrival. Super super grateful for this because my poor planning did NOT need to be their problem 🥹 Location: So many shops, restaurants, bars, and even a park nearby. Public transport right outside, so much to see, ugh. To note, now that my stay is over: Our keycards kept getting deactivated, and one of the desk staff was upset with my friend despite the fact that he has no control over whether the card works or not. One of the bar staff (dunno where she’s from, but she sounded North American) was also ridiculously rude and aggressive to a lot of the patrons on our last night which was incredibly unfortunate. Inhospitable people should NOT be working in hospitality. Beyond these couple of hiccups, it was a great hostel. :)

Great hostel to stay at. It has its own mini brewery downstairs and organizes events practically everyday so it is easy to meet new people. The facilities were kept clean and the staff was helpful. Would definitely recommend renting a bike to explore the city. Check-in and check-out were very easy, as they have a large automized locker room in the basement. You can also put stuff cold in the fridge and keep valuable belongings at a safe behind the desk. Overall great experience!

Great all round... Staff were helpful and friendly, rooms good, location great. Luggage storage was free and secure, very good public transport around - buses, trams, u-bahn. Excellent eating and drinking spots nearby, and a local park maybe 200metres up the road. It is noisy, as others have mentioned, so if that bothers you, then stay away, but it's just that it's located on a busy crossroads, in a really busy night economy area, so those attractions come with noise

I stayed at this hostel, the location is supper! Near everything you are in the heart of berlin. They have nice lockers, rooms are clean. They have kettle and Microwave only, I wish i can have a kitchen but there’s no one. But you can leave your stuff at the fridge down with the team Definitely amazing option, I will make it my Berlin Destination Every Time Check-in was super easy! 24/7 stuff Thanks all

Overall, we had a much, much more positive experience at this hostel compared to the 3 other A & O Hostels we had stayed at during the college student group trip to Germany. First of all the rooms were much more spacious and offered more space to place personal belongings. The staff was much friendlier than our other hostel experiences - very pleasant, kind, and welcoming.

Highly recommended Hostel for a solo or friends trip. The rooms are nice and clean, as well as for the toilets. The location makes this place special with public transport super easily reachable and super cute places for breakfast around. The only bad thing is the noise coming from the street, but if you close the window it is okay (tho the room gets warm)

Do not get the breakfast vouchers from this hostel, breakfast consists of stale, old bread, three cereal options, ham, cheese and fruit like cucumber and watermelon. The breakfast voucher only allows for one drink of coffee or juice and the coffee is just black from a pot, they use the cafe Rosies next door for breakfast. The hostel itself is nice, the rooms are lovely, the location is loud however with lots of traffic throughout the night. There is also no kitchen which I find odd, I didn't even think to make sure they had a kitchen facility as I've been to many hostels which all have them as the whole point is to budget, save and cook for yourself.

Cleanest and nicest hostel I have stayed in so far. Comfy beds, good rooms. The showers are hot and powerful. Bar and cafe are excellent and location is not too far from city centre with trams and subway station nearby too. High security was extra comfort too. Great price and great staff, would definitely stay again.

This was a nice Hostel with a great vibe. There were a lot of people interacting, there were fun events (tours, karaoke, etc.), the staff was really friendly! They had a really nice (and modestly priced) café along with a bar downstairs. I had a great time during my stay! Everyone spoke English well.

very friendly and very nice staff running the front the manager even bought everyone pizza because the elevators were not working the past few days the rooms are very very clean the hostel is located in a central part of town

The David Hasselhoff Museum is located in the basement and is probably the greatest tourist attraction in the known universe. It's also free to enter.

Circus Hostel is head and shoulders above the average hostel. To quote the beau, "This is the coolest dorm room *ever*." For the hotel experience, definitely go to the Circus Hotel across the street. To save a few euro and get to know your fellow travelers, the hostel is the place to be. Where else rents out iPads cheaply by the hour so you can surf the web on their complementary wi-fi? For the budget-conscious traveler who opted not to bring a tablet along, what a welcome choice! Every night has a different special in the downstairs bar or the adjacent cafe, like free gluhwine or all-you-can-eat spaghetti. I wish we stayed for spaghetti night what with all the Italians who came through during our two-night stay. Service is fantastic, provided by upbeat, helpful people going out of their way to make sure you know the protocols (no curfew, bring your own towel or rent one for 1€, free whatever downstairs) and the various specials. Free walking tours embark daily and all sorts of special activities are happening, so even a traveler who feels like a fish out of water can jump in for a few hours or a whole day trip. Bright, modern colours and jagged geometric designs decorate each floor. Rooms are surprisingly spacious and laid out nicely with all the IKEA-esque decor you could want. Large beds, combo coat-rack and drawers, an in-room safe (yes, it's true! Lock up your valuables!), and extra space makes this the university experience you might have wished you had. We ended up splurging on a private room and ended up on the fourth floor with a view over the tiny courtyard, nothing to really speak about, but a convenient location near the elevator and not too close to either the men's or ladies' lavatory. All fixtures are exceedingly clean from the hallways to the showers, which are always the least attractive facet of hosteling in my opinion. Kudos for the design that lets you store your clothing and personal items on pegs outside of the shower area. No lack of hot water, either! My one quibble that I won't knock a half star off for: the walls are a bit thin so the parade of noisy 20-somethings drunk from their binge on the party circuit will be loud. Doors get slammed pretty often. But seriously, you wouldn't realize this was a hostel by the neat and tidy layout. It really feels more like an apartment. Security at all levels prevents random entries: your room pass is necessary to access the elevator, choose a floor, open the floor lobby and hallway doors, and your room door. I felt completely safe at all times. The front desk is staffed 24/7 and the employees make a point to tell you to come down and ask for anything. Need to know where to buy socks at the last minute or where a laundrette is? Having trouble getting your wifi to work? They can help. Also, Circus Hostel runs a blog with local events, recommended sites, and Berlin hotspots well worth reviewing.

I don't do this a lot in my reviews, but this place is FUKCING amazing! After backpacking for Europe for 23 days, there is no doubt in my mind that this was the Best one I stayed at. I don't even know where to begin. Staff - wonderful and helpful. 4.5 star on the service. Beds- comfortable, not bunked, and spacious. ( I had a four bedroom, and I was actually very luck, I was given one with a balcony facing the street and their sister hotel.) Rooms- Bright, fun, and clean. I honestly rank it between a hostel and a hotel room. It's in a class of its own. Wifi- Yes it was available to use. Storage in room- They don't have one big enough for a huge back pack, but they do have a locker in room that was big enough for me to store my laptop, phone and some other valuables. Washroom: Clean, easier to use, shower was great. Hot and they had a separate space to hang your stuff. Food: Not provided for free but for 5 Euros, the meals they provide is beyond amazing. Cheeses, hams, waffles, bread, boiled eggs, granolas of different sorts, fresh salads. Hands down, best hostel I've stayed. And I would be absolutely crazy not to recommend this hostel. Please stay here, you will realize that this hostel is world class, and can't be beat. Extremely secure as well. Not only do you have to use your key card for your room, you have to do it for the hallway and elevator. At the end, and this is my first this is a six star place. Period.

What a great place!! There are a few minor points here and there where they can improve, but otherwise this is a very nice place at a very good price. I stayed in the hotel last year, but decided on the hostel this year. The Hostel private room with a shared bathroom is light years better than the hotel across the street. Read on. I got a single room with shared bathroom. I was a little afraid before arriving that the bed would be on the short side. It has a head and foot rail, but I was delighted that it's about 7 feet long. No problem there. A couple of points: 1. It's not evident that you need to rent a towel for € 1 at the desk. Westerners might waste time searching for them; I know I did. 2. There are no phones in the room. This is understandable as it's a no frills place, but just a heads up to everyone in case this is important. The front desk was SUPER SUPER kind to come up and tell me I had a call from my work, though. That was amazing service. 3. Big problem: The doors slam loudly, including the door to your room. Going to sleep requires ear plugs for just this reason. If they could put some kind of rubber stop on the doors so they don't make the very audible clack when they close, that would solve that problem. I understand they do this to make sure doors close, and lock, but that slam is all night, every night. So a very few and minor things to be mindful of. I love that the rooms are fairly large, almost 18 feet long, and 7 feet wide. Built in desk, clothes bureau, in-room safe. The best compliment I can give them, however, and probably of unique importance to westerners, is the fan. Sitting atop the closet like an icon of gold was a little desk fan. I was overjoyed. Last year (and you can read in my previous review of the hotel) I told the Hotel that I would pay dearly for the privilege of using a fan. Perhaps someone read that or the hostel is just run differently. Either way, that little fan makes an incredible difference, and was my new favorite child sitting on the desk. I'm very, very happy the Hostel does not require a key card to keep the lights on. Their sister hotel across the way does however. This can be very dreadful for others sleeping in your room, and a bit of a pain. My only suggestion is that they put a little sign in every room laying out the ground rules of how things work, such as the towels. I am an American, and for that I apologize, but I'm use to the way things work over in the western hemisphere, and feel a tad awkward in confessing I don't know about small things like towels. A little sign or paper when I check in with frequently asked questions would be very kind. The showers are a little small, what you might call dorm showers. They're private and you have a door you can lock and all, but getting in and out of that tiny room might be uncomfortable for the newly arrived. However the showers and bathrooms were always clean. Downstairs the staff is very nice, and they all speak great English. There's a nice cafe called Catz and Mouse with a darn good burger, the front desk has stamps, phone cards, and drinks for purchase. Book sharing in the lobby, a nice front patio, postcards, and just a lots of little things that really make it convenient. I love the Circus Hostel and I'm definitely a fan. I will probably never stay at the hotel again now that I've experienced the magic of the hostel's private room with shared bathroom, but maybe next time I'll splurge the extra euros for a private bathroom. This is a great place to stay.

We stayed for one night here and I wish we could have stayed longer. This hostel is very big so it allows for you to interact with a lot of people throughout the day. Service is amazing (I had to call the airport and they let me use their front desk phone). Rooms & bathrooms are super clean and there's a lot of security to ensure that random people cannot walk into the hallways or your room. There is a great basement bar for people to preparty before going out & a cafe attached to the hostel with cheap coffee prices. They have lockers to hold your belongings if you check in or check out early.

Yes!! Friendly staff, great location affordable. I will return. The only reason didn't put 5 stars was the noise. Not the people, but the SLAMMING of the doors shake the entire floor and the street noise can be a bit much. But, it's such a lovely, happy, accommodating space. I highly recommend it.

My stay at the Circus Hostel was by far the best hostel experience I had in Europe. The rooms and bathrooms were clean, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the ambiance was welcoming and comfortable. I stayed at the Circus Hostel for a solid 7 nights in late September 2008. It happened to be the same time as the Berlin marathon, so that definitely added a certain degree of fun/craziness to the atmosphere. There was an eclectic mix of guests at the hostel, and by the end of my week there I had made a pretty nice little group of friends from around the world. It's two years later, and we're still in touch online. I really liked the area that the hostel was in. The Rosenthaler Platz U-Bahn station is right across the street, which makes transportation throughout the city a cinch. I was travelling solo, so it was nice to be able to get to the hostel easily from the airport without much hassle. There are various pub crawls/walking tours that come through the Circus hostel to pick up guests, which is a great touch. Aside from that, the hostel is in a central location, close to restaurants, shops, and a must-check-out Sunday "Flohmarkt" (flea market). I would love to visit Berlin again, and I will definitely stay at the Circus Hostel when I come back.

My friend and I shared a twin room with the shared bath in the summer of 2012. The hostel is very conveniently located next to the U-Bahn stop at Rosenthaler Platz. It is located near to several eating establishments, bars (including one in the basement of the hostel), and a laundry facility. We arrived on a Wednesday, which is the night that the basement bar has a free keg of beer for all until it runs dry. There is a cafe on the main floor with a great breakfast special for 5 euro - coffee and a breakfast buffet with a combination of fruits, yogurt, cereals, breads, deli meats, hardboiled eggs, and cheeses. There are other menu options as well, but we enjoyed this one so much that indulged in it all three mornings that we were there. Thursdays are 2 euro pasta night. Everyone who worked at Circus was friendly and helpful. The hostel itself is an inviting atmosphere to meet new people. There are yoga classes offered. The lobby has comfortable lounge seating and also an area with computers, though wifi is also free. DVD player rentals are available. Bike rentals are also offered. This is also a pick up site for daily walking tours. I definitely felt safe when staying at this hostel - with regard to the area itself as well as the actual accommodation. There is secured elevator access to get to the rooms. There are safes in the room to keep your valuables locked up when not needed. The room was super nice - clearly recently remodeled - and the bedding was fresh. The windows opened, but when closed they greatly eliminated street sounds from below. The greatest drawback to this hostel were the thin walls. To our right, we could hear a man snoring quite audibly all three nights. On our left, two of the three nights we were disturbed by the noise of our much younger neighbors blasting Brittany Spears and talking loudly. If you're a light sleeper, bring ear plugs! If you're a social butterfly that likes to be up at all hours, you're likely to be in good company!

After 50 days or so on the road, I thought I had it all figured out. Hostels, in my mind, were equated with a bed and place to shower, sometimes the hot water even runs out. The circus hostel changed all that. Here, the atmosphere is fantastic, the staff are super friendly and staying at the circus changed my whole perception about hostels - a great hostel experience is about so much more than just the bed and shower. Here at the circus, it's constantly bustling with energy, people are relaxed and eager to share travel experiences and just hang out. The staff welcomes you with a warm smile and offer all sorts of useful information to ensure that your experience is the best possible. After staying at The Circus, I think I can safely say that they are doing it right and truly embracing the hostel energy. Love love love it.

-Great location -Hostel is really really clean and stylish. -Beds are comfortable -Walking City Tours available right from the hostel -Great breakfast area downstairs (Also, awesome English Breakfast across the street) -Subway is a few steps away -Staff is really friendly and extremely helpful. Overall GREAT place if you're backpacking through Europe. Perfect if you're between the ages of 18-late 20's.

I stayed in this hostel when I went travelling in October & November last year and it quickly became my second home. The hostel itself was nice and secure with key card access. The staff were super helpful and always willing to recommend things to do and good places to eat. One of my highlights was 'Katz and maus' the coffee shop in the hostel - I lived off their flat whites! The location is amazing as well with a u-bahn right outside the hostel and tram links to the rest of the city. Alexanderplatz is an easy walk away too and there are some amazing places to eat around the area. I will always go back to the Circus every time I visit Berlin now, I met some incredible people who I will stay friends with (hopefully) forever. Thank you Circus! I will be back very soon :)

A really great hostel! I stayed in a twin room, which was very clean and spacious and had very comfortable beds. The staff were extremely friendly and approachable. It isn't the cheapest hostel I've stayed in, but it's definitely one of the best.

Spent 3 nights at the Circus Hostel while backpacking through Europe. The hostel was really new, neat, and clean. But I must say, it is the staff that makes this hostel one of the best that I've stayed at during my trip. The staff in this hostel were a great crew - friendly, knowledgeable - people who enjoy teaching guests all there is to know about Berlin's history, culture, sights to see. I was lucky to meet Rene...truly the best receptionist I have ever encountered. He totally went beyond the job description of a receptionist. On top of that, all of the other receptionists I had the chance to interact with were equally reliable and educated. Any so-called upper-class hotel would be happy to have staff like that. I will definite return to this hostel when I visit Berlin again. However, I must confess the random Hesselhoff thing was weird...whose idea was that?

The Circus Hostel is AMAZING, I can't say enough good things about our stay. We stayed in an 8-bed dorm for 4 nights. It's very clean, very modern, but not personality-less like many bigger hostels. The bathrooms, down the hall, are probably the cleanest I'd ever encountered and are never crowded. The building is very secure (cards required to access the elevator, your floor, your room, and the bathrooms), and the staff is very friendly. Breakfast is excellent: for €5 you get a drink and all-you-can-eat cereals, sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, etc. The bar downstairs is not bad, if you don't feel like venturing out elsewhere, with a decent beer selection and good prices. Location is also prime. There is an U-Bahn stop and several tram lines right in front of the building, and it's also within walking distance of bigger hubs like Alexanderplatz and Hackescher Markt. You can rent a day pass for transit for only €4 - a great deal considering how huge this city is. A nice laundromat is just around the corner, and several quick meal options are very near-by. This is defininitely one of the few hostels I would definitely come back to, whether I'm 25 or 35.

Best hostel I've stayed in so far. Fantastic location right outside a U-bahn stop plus walking distance to many attractions such as Museum Island, Hackescher Markt, and the Berlin Wall Documentation Center. Even in the middle of the week, this place was full and it was so easy to meet people in the lobby, cafe, and bar. They run daily tours and happy hour specials. Facilities are spacious, clean, and well-lit. There are about three levels of key card access (elevator, hall, and room, plus card entry after ohurs), so I felt that my luggage was really safe.

I would recommend this hostel. It's very fresh, the staff is polite, free wifi and it's cheap. It defiantly doesn't cost much if you share a room with strangers, I've done it twice and it worked great both times. Beside the beds they have small lockers where you can keep your valuable belongings. The location of the hostel is very central and the u-bahn(metro) is right outside.

Best hostel experience I've ever had. There's a cafe / bar upstairs that serves food and coffee, and there's another bar connected to it downstairs. There's an additional lounge area to sit around in the lobby, and it's all very clean and comfy. The entire atmosphere was great for meeting people inside the hostel! I stayed in a 4 person room with 3 other people. My room was pretty sweet because it had a balcony! Inside each room, there's a small locker for your valuables (you can pick up a free lock at the front desk) with a charger inside, so you can charge your phone or computer while you go take a shower or something. The bathrooms / showers were wonderfully clean. I don't know how new or old the building is, but it seemed pretty new because nothing was rusty or gross-looking. Finally, its location in Mitte off the Rosenthalerplatz station = PRIME!! It's right next to a bunch of boutiques, cafes, art galleries and restaurants. It's walking distance from Alexanderplatz and even the Brandenburg Gate / Holocaust Memorial / other big sights. Don't hesitate to ask for any advice btw! It's pricier than a normal hostel; definitely not a "backpacker" type of place in my opinion.

Great hostel! Clean, fun atmosphere! The rooms are well maintained the staff was very friendly and helpful. I was in a room with lots of bunk beds and the view looked out of the street! The 5 euro breakfast is off the chain!! All you can eat of good food! I will definately stay here when I come back to Berlin

If you're an American who just wants a clean place without having to pay for unnecessary frills, you should be happy here. They have great gals working the front desk, and the prices are completely acceptable. They offer options for any budget and since I am a man who searches for maximum value in everything, this places lived up to my standards.

I've had drinks at the bar here, and also eaten the brunch, so this is a review of those two aspects. The drinks are great, and the bar downstairs is pretty cool. However, I found the brunch to be a bit lackluster. For all the advertisement it gets, I'd expect the brunch to be more substantial than bread, cheese, tomatoes, and oatmeal. However, I'm aware that there are other great aspects to this hostel, as the other reviews mention. If I needed a hostel in Mitte, this would be at the top of my list.

my friend and i stayed here for a couple nights a few weeks ago. the receptionist was very friendly and spoke pretty good english. the rooms were cheap and i was surprised by the size of the hostel and by how quiet it was in the hallways. elevator a big plus but also totally needed. the rooms were the cleanest rooms i've ever seen in a hostel. and let me tell you... i've stayed in PLENTY of hostels before. hardwood floor. thumbs up. small locker right by the bed. big lockers in the basement. cheap internet. all in all a pretty perfect hostel. when returning to berlin i'm gonna stay there again!

Stay here every year when i travel. Expensive option (why its 4 stars) but a solid experience +5 years now. Plus the have immortalized "The Hoff". Great information available for free. Highly recommend one of the audio tours !!

Had a great stay in this place a few years ago, the beds were comfy, the staff were very friendly and the breakfast was lovely. Coupled with the excellent location it made my stay in Berlin highly enjoyable. It's also very close ( a few minutes) from the Roter Salon nightclub, a terrific, lively little spot.

Great value and great atmosphere! Who wouldn't love a place that gave you ticket for a free sample of craft beer? Yes, there is a brewery in the basement and it is great for socializing with other travelers. Stayed in a 8 person and 3 person dorms and both were very spacious. Each bed has it's own mini locker with an outlet inside which was very nice. Beds were comfortable. Exterior noise was a bit loud because the hostel is located at a 5-way intersection, but tolerable. Plenty of food nearby. There is a nice café with reasonable prices on the same floor as the lobby. In the mornings, this café offers a breakfast for 5€, which I believe is worth the price (however you only get one drink, then water after; no free refills of coffee, tea, or juice). They also have huge lockers in the basement that you can use with a 10€ deposit. You can use them all day and when you return the keys you get your deposit back. Awesome right?! Definitely one of the best hostel experiences I have ever had and would undoubtedly return if ever in Berlin. And do the free tour offered in the morning, definitely worth your time.

i stayed at the circus hostel on my first trip to berlin about 6 years ago what a great place! very clean and spacious rooms, cool & helpful staff, great location they even have a bar in the basement and a cafe attached to the hostel. right across the street are some tasty döners too (for those drunken evenings when you can't find anything else to munch on!) highly reccommended!!

Awesome hostel. Stayed here two non consecutive nights and ended up getting bumped to a 3 bed room second time as they were quite full. All beds had small locker, light, and outlet which was awesone. Clean! Very very clean. Towel for a €1. Breakfast for €5. Nice helpful staff. Take the free tour of Berlin the Alexander. He works with Brewers Berlin Tours and is an excellent funny Canadian tour guide who's lived in Berlin quite a while and knows it like a local. They have a brewery in the basement with delicious beer. They are right next to multiple tram lines and the metro. Does make it a bit loud at times unfortunately. Nice coffee bar with a restaurant. Outdoor seating. Best hostel I have stayed at in europe. Also doesn't have a lot of people who seem to old for hostels like some other places I've been to seem to have. And the people who stay here are quite friendly! Met lots of new friends