Youth Hostel St. Gallen

I stayed a whole week and felt right at home. The welcome was the warmest I've ever had at a hostel, and the receptionists and managers really made an effort to look after everyone. Breakfast was delicious, there's tea all day, and the place is spotless.

The breakfast buffet was good and service friendly, and the place was generally very clean, though I did find two large spiders and their web in the shower (see pictures). My basement private room cost CHF 67.30, which seemed like good value for Switzerland until I realized the en-suite had a shower and sink but no WC. The room's layout also felt backwards to me: the bed was by the door, with a table and two stools at the far end. Its high window seemed more suited to letting people outside look in than giving the room a view. The hostel is on the outskirts of St Gallen, with a commanding view, but it's a long way from both the centre and the railway station. You automatically get a St Gallen Mobility card for free tram and trolleybus rides, which helps make up for that.

The staff are very hospitable, and breakfast is good. It also looks suitable for retreats and seminars, with a marketplace full of restaurants nearby. From St Gallen Train Station, the S21 or S22 gets you here in about 10 minutes. It's quiet, and well placed for the Cathedral, Abbey Library, and beautiful Appenzell and Roschach.

The receptionist was really helpful and nice during our one-night stay this summer. The rooms are basic hostel standard, and it was okay overall. There isn't any parking, and getting in means taking a very narrow street that drops steeply downhill. One thought for the next renovation: plastering the ceilings in the rooms would make a difference.