One of my favorite things to do as a blogger is show you that travel doesn’t have to be as expensive as you probably think. When you hear about Finland or Northern Europe in general, you probably don’t associate it with the phrase budget-friendly. However when I went to Helsinki back in June, I stayed in the most affordable hostel in Helsinki city centre.
Today I’m going to tell you all about Euro Hostel Helsinki City Hub! Prices start out around 26€/night. When hotels can cost triple that, that’s really not too bad of a price. Plus only 2-3 people share a dorm room at this hostel, so if you go for the lowest price, it won’t be like some hostels where you’re sharing a room with 10-20 strangers.
I traveled with Alex from East Coast Contessa. They put us in a standard double room. Sharing a double room ends up being 25,30€ a person, which is slightly cheaper than sharing a dorm room. All reservations also come with free use of the saunas in the mornings. You can’t come to Finland without experiencing a sauna, so I was excited to find out they were included with our reservation!
The location
The location was perfect! There was a tram stop right next to the hostel. I loved how accessible that was! The #4 took us right into the centre of the city. This tram also runs early in the morning since we caught it on our second morning to take the ferry to Tallinn, Estonia!
If you want to walk, it’s also maybe a 10-12 minute walk from Helsinki’s Market Plaza.
The double room
Our room was the perfect amount of space for two friends traveling together. We had one table that quickly got filled with snacks, maps of the city and other random things. We had lots of closet space as well! There were two twin beds with a little bit of space in between. Both had an outlet and table as well. And of course we had a TV. Not every hostel room in the world has a TV, so it was nice!
The bathroom
While we had our own room, we did not have our own bathroom. Some hostel private rooms provide you with your own and others have you share. Just down the hall was the communal bathroom and showers. For a shared bathroom in a hostel, they weren’t too bad. They were always pretty clean. The part with the toilets and sinks had this birds chirping soundtrack in the background. We both thought that that was kind of quirky.
The only thing I would change about the showers is a space to put down clothes. I always like hostels that have like a section in front of each individual shower with maybe a chair or something to keep clothing dry. Because otherwise, they just end up getting wet. This hostel did have a rack to hang them on, which wasn’t too bad.
The common areas
Every hostel should have nice, comfortable places to hang out. This hostel in Helsinki city centre has two! There was a lounge and a space with a big table.
The only downside of these common spaces was that I felt they were a bit tucked away from everything. If common areas are in the right spaces of a hostel, people gather there to socialize. However both of these were on a residential floor at the end of a hallway. Both Alex and I said we would have loved to come hang out more in the room with the big couch. However when you’re out exploring the city all day, you spend less time in the hostel.
I also couldn’t forget to show you this swing in the lobby! I took a quick ride on it the first morning of our stay!
The sauna
There’s a sauna inside the hostel! As mentioned before, any reservation includes free saunas in the morning. I love that guests can experience one for free since it’s such an essential part of the Finnish culture. Saunas in the city can get quite pricey, so I feel like budget travelers would probably otherwise skip this experience. You do have to pay to go in the evenings, but it’s only 7,50€ for hostel guests.
When you visit a true Finnish sauna, you go naked unless it’s coed. This hostel has a sauna for men and a sauna for women. I did the Finnish things, so I really didn’t get any photos. However let me just tell you that it was super relaxing.
The breakfast
I want to note that they have changed their hostel restaurant. Starting August 1st, there will be a new Mexican restaurant called Suburritos. They will be have lunch and dinner as well as breakfast. I’m honestly kind of sad it wasn’t open when I was there because I love Mexican food.
When we were there, there was a different restaurant. We ate very well! I love when hostels have a good breakfast so you can start your day energized and ready to see the city! The breakfast was a very typical breakfast with eggs and bacon. I’m a happy camper when there’s toast, eggs and coffee.
Overall, this hostel in Helsinki city centre was the perfect place to stay when traveling on a budget! We had our own space without spending a fortune and were very comfortable!
Would you stay at a hostel like this?
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Our stay with Euro Hostel Helsinki City Hub was complimentary in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
