Harbin Wheat International Youth Hostel

The location is good and easy to find. Staff were friendly, and I found the stay pretty comfortable.

I usually choose hotels or business hotels when traveling abroad, but this time I wanted to try backpacker-style travel. I’m glad I picked this place outside the tourist areas. For four nights I stayed in a century-old, three-story Baroque building with no elevator. Seeing the beautiful Baroque architecture each morning and experiencing everyday local life nearby were lovely parts of the stay. There are several distinctive Northeastern restaurants and shops around, and it’s easy to get places by walking to the Jingyang Street bus stop. Harbin surprised me in April: the day before I left, rain brought a sharp drop in temperature, then it snowed overnight and into the early morning. When I first checked in, a handsome young man greeted me. He’d only been working for a few days, but took responsibility and later helped me kindly with a problem choosing a TV channel, without any complaint or irritation. I thanked him and hope the hostel keeps him on. The mascot 🐕 was incredibly cute, and any pet lover would adore it.