Stockholm, Sweden
Quick tea: I had no interest in going to Stockholm, but on my way to way to Dubai to see my sis, I inevitably had to layover somewhere. When I’m traveling abroad and have to delay in a new place, I do try to take an overnight layover so that I can get a small taste of the city. I also try to get layovers that are between one and two hours on the short end. Every time I looked up a layover, it was 50 minutes or six hours. So I opted for an overnight layover and decided to give Stockholm a chance. I stayed at the City Backpackers Hostel in a 4-bed room and was pleasantly surprised.
Location:
The hostel is located in Norrmalm and is quite central to a lot of things. I was able to catch the train from Stockholm-Arlanda airport and easily get to the hostel. It was about a 15-minute walk. It is also about 15-20 minutes to get across the bridge to City Hall.
The spot:
It is surrounded by plenty of restaurants, mini-marts, etc. The building was built in 1897, and the hostel has been in operation since 1994. The staff speaks English, and the hostel space itself is well maintained and super cool.
They offer a variety of rooms from a single room with a shared bath to 12 bed bunked dorms. I booked a 4-bed women’s room for about $27. You are given sheets and a pillowcase, but you pay extra for a towel. I also spent about $3.50 for washing powder to do my laundry.
Amenities:
City Backpackers offers breakfast for purchase, coffee, and tea all day, and you can purchase pastries. They have wi-fi and evening sauna slots. The large kitchen has storage and refrigerators that are divided by the room that you stay in. The kitchen in community-style, so that you can make friends! They provide pasta for you to cook for free, but anything else you must purchase on your own. There are multiple common areas where you can relax both up and downstairs. There are also computers and printers for use.
As I mentioned above, there are also washing machines, but you definitely have to be quick if you want to get in to clean your clothing.
Potential Challenges:
It is a hostel, there are a lot of public spots, and you never know who you will end up rooming with if you just buy a bed. My roommates for the night were ok, but two of them were up at all hours going in and out. If you’re a light sleeper, you will probably need an eye mask and earplugs.
The dorm-style bathrooms are clean, but you’ll also want to have shower shoes. You do have the option to choose a room to suit your privacy needs.
You do have to walk outside to access the dorm area because that building is behind the reception building. When you enter the dorms, there is a rack by the door to store your shoes. I personally thought this was kind of cool, but again, up to your preference.
Final thoughts:
I would stay here again. It was super cute and accessible for walking around to sites. I was not as comfortable in the mixed room because awkward. It was also the cheapest place that I found in Stockholm, so a great value. The staff is friendly, and I found that there were backpackers of all ages, which made me feel a little less off about being an older backpacker. If you go to Stockholm and want to save a coin, stay here.
Sharde’ Searches Rating: 5 worlds.
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