Hostel Dalagatan

The receptionist was really helpful and even helped me with my luggage. There’s a shared kitchen too, which is handy for a short, budget trip. I recommend staying here.

I ended up leaving Hostel Dalagatan for my last night because I felt so unsafe. Generator hostel, eight minutes up the road, was lovely and I had no problems there. It cost a little more, but that felt better than risking more hostile behavior or possibly getting hurt. Dalagatan was appalling, as plenty of other reviews say. I expect the hostel will reply rudely, since its responses to negative reviews seem to call people liars and mock their experiences. Maybe it’s time they took some responsibility. The safety problems were the worst part. Staff are only there from 10am to 3pm, and neither the emergency number nor the main reception number was ever answered when I called. Apart from security cameras, there seemed to be nothing to protect guests. There were several older people who appeared to live there permanently, and some were hostile and could be violent, as other reviews have mentioned. Other guests told me about older men behaving inappropriately toward young women. Other reviews also show photographic evidence of bed bugs. My room was tiny and badly ventilated, and it stank. There were far too many people packed into it. Being next to the toilet meant hearing people being sick through the night, which happened surprisingly often. People also kept mistaking my room for the toilet and trying to get in at all hours. As a young woman traveling alone, I found that disturbing and honestly scary. The place wasn't clean either, despite the regular cleaning. It was very superficial, often at inconvenient times when people were using the kitchen, with cleaners working around us instead of waiting or asking us to move. The whole stay was awful.

It’s a very basic place, but fine if you just need somewhere to sleep. The beds were decent for me, and the bathroom was spacious and fairly clean. Each dorm has its own bathroom, which is handy when you don’t want to walk down a hall at night, though it could be a problem when everyone needs it. There are lockers in the room and more out in the hall. The hostel is down in a stone basement, with signs asking you not to use your phone. It has a monastery kind of feel, and there isn’t much interaction or a proper lounge area. There’s a TV and tables where you can eat, plus a well-equipped kitchen and clean, organized fridges with plenty of room. Free coffee was a lifesaver for me, even if it’s basic gas station coffee. Tea and sugar are there too, but bring your own creamer and keep it in the fridge. The bed lights flickered a bit on low, which was kind of creepy.

The kitchen was clean and well equipped, the bathroom fixtures worked, and the beds were comfortable. Our room was dark and quiet, and we could lock it separately, so it felt safe enough and I slept well. It had no ventilation, though, and the rooms in general were very small. We were fortunate to get a small upgrade to the side room of the 11-bed dorm. Even with cleaning staff around, the rooms and bathroom didn't feel clean. They seemed to do only surface-level work, leaving dust and dirt in easy-to-reach places that were out of sight. I saw the bathroom being cleaned, but it still didn't feel clean. The cleaners also tried to work around me in an uncomfortable way instead of waiting a bit or asking me to move. The overall atmosphere was the biggest issue. Quite a few older people seemed to live there permanently, with very few young guests, and they weren't very friendly. I didn't feel unsafe myself, though my male travel partner did. One late night, while we were sitting and snacking in reception, the man next to us, who was working and eating, suddenly threw his plate across the room and smashed it. That seemed like a bit of a safety hazard.