City Hostel, Geneva Review

Geneva is not cheap. As a transit point for Switzerland, France and 200 international organisations, it does mean that hotels in this city have it good.

One worthy option is the City Hostel. A 10-minute walk from the station with bags, less without, makes it easy to take the train from Geneva Airport, which is free if you collect the free ticket in the baggage hall.

One worries that hostels will be noisy and crowded. Yes, it was 100% full, but not noisy nor crowded and felt very much like an hotel.

A range of rooms are available to suit different budgets. Single rooms come with and without a television, but have no bathroom, although they do have a wash basin. Double rooms are the same size and, again, the bathroom and toilet across the corridor are shared. Single and double rooms are equipped with full bedding and towels, together with complimentary soap and shampoo. Each floor has ‘new sanitary installations’ at which hairdryers are available.

Families are catered for with cots available for children under two years old and no charge for children who sleep with their parent/s in their own room.

The cheapest rooms are dormitory style and a number of variations are available. These come with bed linen and towels and are reserved for backpackers.

Check in is strictly after 2pm but, if early, there are free lockers in the basement if you wish to stow baggage for a while. Likewise, if you wish to leave your luggage there after the 10am check-out time, you may do so up until 10pm the same day. There are three types of lockers: personal, food and fridge lockers. Padlocks are available from reception. Late check-in, up to 1.30am, is catered for with appropriate arrangements first being made.

If you have arrived by car, undercover parking is available for a daily fee, if reserved in advance. There is also a free-to-use bicycle storage room.

Wireless Internet is available at a charge and it worked across the hostel, but was not the fastest. For those without their own laptop, there is a well set up Internet room with a number of computers, Skype and USB access and a printer to use. This room opens from 7.30am to 2am the next morning, so ample time to do your sightseeing and then send an email to folks back at home!

On the ground floor are reception, vending machines and a television room, with comfy chairs, where movies are shown each evening in English.

Reception provides a great selection of services, information, freebies and things to buy. Here you will be able to get a map of Geneva and the Swiss Backpacker News for free. You may also make photocopies, send faxes, receive incoming mail and hand in outgoing mail, buy postage stamps, exchange euros (paper only, not coins), pick up timetables for the free transport system, arrange for a taxi or book Swiss train tickets for excursions. Information on these is also available. Also at reception, for a small deposit, you can borrow electrical adaptors and irons. Available for purchase at reception are Swiss army knives and Swiss chocolate, a small selection of food and beverages, including beer and wine, and phone cards for the public phones in the basement.

No food is served at the City Hostel, but there is a fully-equipped kitchen with stove, microwave, refrigerator, pots and pans, crockery and cutlery on each floor. Nearby are a number of bakeries, restaurants and cafés. Geneva is very cosmopolitan and it is easy to find Thai, Indian, Chinese and Arabian mixed in with many Swiss and Italian restaurants. Around the corner is a useful, small supermarket.

The basement contains a coin-operated laundry, with irons (available from reception) and ironing boards, which is open from 7am until midnight. Also here is a ‘relaxing area’ with television and a children’s play area, with a BRIO train, toys, games and some children’s videos.

Overall we rate the City Hostel as a very good place to stay for budget travellers, not just backpackers. As it is so popular, do book ahead which is easy to do on the website.

2, rue Ferrier 1202 Genève/Switzerland
City Hostel Images