Blue Bird Hostel

The kitchen had a decent setup, and tea and coffee were there for anyone to use, though a few more pieces of cutlery would help. In the female dorm, the curtain gave me plenty of privacy and the room was clean and tidy. The toilets and showers worked, but there was sometimes a drain smell, and the water pressure on the fifth floor was weak. I appreciated how friendly and helpful the staff were. My booked room had no free lower bed, but an attentive employee quickly helped us find another arrangement. Thanks! 🫶 I had a good stay and would come back. 🙂

The person who really made our visit was the Sri Lankan girl who helped us. She was kind, always smiling, and gave us great tips. The building is gorgeous, our room was lovely, and the location puts you right in the city center. I love Riga and this hostel. When I return, I’ll stay here again for sure. ♥️♥️♥️

The old building has been renovated to an acceptable modern standard, and I thought it was good value for the money. From some dorms and the common room you can see dome square, which is close by. I came by bus from Vilnius, and it was a 900 metres walk to the hostel. Reception hours are limited, though, so check-in is almost entirely self-service, and checkout might be too.

I’ve stayed in a dozen hostels over the years, and this was probably the strangest. It might be a good choice with friends, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a solo woman travelling in the off season. It felt abandoned and spooky, and I felt unsafe. There were some real positives: everything was very, very clean, the privacy curtains were nice, the decorations were pretty, and the staff I did meet were friendly. But I barely saw any staff at reception, so I couldn’t store my luggage or do laundry. The whole place is a four floor apartment building turned into a hostel. You go up a windowless staircase, and each floor is its own apartment behind a locked door. The kitchen and reception are on one floor, while the dorms are on the others. Going through the building at night, even just to reach the kitchen, felt unsettling. The shower room had no lock on the door. I had to walk up five dark flights to an empty corridor and dorm, then get undressed in a windowless room without being able to lock the door. That was unnerving. Check-in is self-service, and it was a mess, as other reviews mention. I didn’t see another person for my first eight hours there. I walked into an empty building with signs saying to call if I saw any homeless people. With all the other bed curtains closed, I wasn’t sure whether my room was empty. Eventually I called out “hello” to find out, and it was empty. The whole thing felt gothic. Seeing someone later was almost like being jump-scared. They were all normal, thankfully, but I kept wondering what if they weren’t.