Downtown Backpacker Hostel

Downtown Backpacker's Hostel is a small hotel-hostel hybrid across the street from the Presidential Palace and a short walk from the heart of Staré Mesto.

Its 12 rooms, half of which are eight-bed dormitories, are decorated in a haphazard but pleasant way. The private rooms are warm, and reiterate the student vibe of the common spaces. We liked the bright orange walls, wooden floors, and huge stuffed chairs, all of which keep the rooms cheery. In terms of amenities, these rooms are pretty bare bones, but the common area does have satellite TV, a radio and plenty of games.

Downtown Backpacker's is Bratislava's best centrally-located hostel. That said, the place is more notable for its atmospheric charm than its amenities. The Downtown Backpacker's ground-level meeting room is a vast, dark space reminiscent of a mansion-turned-hippie compound. It feels like an old haunt wizened by time and shaped by someone with a good, if untrained, eye for antiques.

Everything is slightly worn, though nothing appears to be falling apart. A guest kitchen and bar intensify the impression of crashing in an eccentric's neglected mansion. Downtown's receptionists are slightly bratty, though charmingly so. In a city like Bratislava, their techie-turned-rockstar vibe seems somehow appropriate.

Breakfast is included. Free Wi-Fi is available.