The Cathedral Hostel

On the third floor of a historic early 20th-century building, this small hostel sits on a busy pedestrian street near the cathedral. It's clean and good value, with friendly, helpful staff, though it's not a party hostel. The traditional metal bunks have curtains for privacy on the lower beds. There are charging points by the bunks, but no shelves or bunk lights. Lockers are a bit small, and a 1-euro charge applies; combination locks are fitted. I'd happily stay again and would recommend it.

The location is great, though the prices are, well, better if you can book early, I suppose. The dorm was okay only because it wasn't full. Some old, bent bunks leave you sleeping in a hole, and some have no mattress, just two toppers. Good luck to your back. Light comes through the foil-covered glass panels in the door, and the hallway light switches on whenever someone passes. They should at least put some opaque foil on them. There is a kitchen and a sofa, but the staff member was kind of rude, not terribly so, just not friendly, and only spoke Italian. The showers barely have enough water pressure for two people, despite there being around 18 of them. None has a bathmat, so the floor gets wet and dirty from people's shoes. You can't leave the shower with clean feet.

The location is amazingly good for the price. I arrived after the stated check-in time, but if you let them know, they'll accommodate you. A friendly guy greeted me, though he only spoke Italian. The shower and bathroom doors could use some maintenance, but they do the job. It can get a bit loud at night if your room faces the street.

The location is perfect, and the hostel is very quiet and inactive, which is fine if you want a calm place to rest. But they didn't provide bed sheets, and there were no keys for the room doors. Bathroom facilities were limited, and the luggage policy was inconvenient: keeping bags for a few hours after checkout cost an extra €3. One girl in my room was very noisy at night and made lots of complaints about her personal matters without considering those of us trying to sleep. Acceptable for a quiet stay, but several basic services could be better.