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Quintessential Berlin hostel institutions, the two Circus Hostels are located at Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse and along Weinbergsweg. The Rosa-Luxemburg-Stasse hostel was established in 1998, but the hostel outgrew its original Mitte location and opened the second location in 2001, thus bridging Mitte and Prenzlauerberg. Both locations share the same staff, and rooms can be booked at either through the same reservation department.
What makes the Circus, well, such a circus? For starters, there's the scene downstairs: Outside, backpackers sit with cups of coffee and laze in the sun, reading the paper, hanging out, and smoking. Inside, grunge rock plays at the reception, travelers look over guidebooks from the reference library, and sign-up sheets advertise walking tours and special events.
Upstairs, the Circus offers singles, doubles, and triples, along with four- to eight-bed dorms at very low rates. There's a choice of private and shared facilities. Rooms are a bit tight but well put together, with wood floors, metal bunk beds, yellow-and-orange walls, and photos of Berlin for decor. Shared showers are clean and have a six-to-one guest to shower ratio (which is pretty decent if you know anything about guest-to-shower hostel ratios!).
On the top floor, the Circus at Weinburgsweg offers some splendid apartment suites, each providing space for two to four people, plus kitchenette, private bath, and a private balcony overlooking Mitte. Like the rest of the hostel, these spaces are new, but here the management really went all out, designing and furnishing with flourish.
The Circus takes its name from its street's former name, Am Cirkus. In the early 20th century, circuses were held on this street, but it was destroyed during WWII. Which Circus should you stay in? The original, at Rosa Luxemburg Platz, is closer to Alexanderplatz, while the newer location is situated between Hackescher Markt and Prenzlauerberg. | 
