Accommodation Review: Intervarko Hostel, Berlin

When you think of hostels don't think of smelly dorms, think of private rooms on a budget!

We often stay in private rooms within hostels. They are generally a lot cheaper than hotels, you can sometimes get an en-suite bathroom and you can meet other travellers easily. No need to worry about sharing a room with a crazy thief, think private rooms!

Intervarko is located within the Prenzlauerberg district of Berlin. On the doorstep is a tram stop (M4) and you are within walking distance of Alexander Platz and Mitte.

There is a kebab shop at the Main Street entrance. We can confirm that the kebabs here (like much of a Berlin) are great but the burek is poor so don't bother with that!

You enter from the street into a quiet courtyard to the main hostel entrance. There are a couple of seats for visitors who like to smoke, as the rooms are smoke free (unlike most of the bars nearby!)

Check-in was quick and easy, however, we had to pay an extra €10 for checking in after 6pm.

We were booked into one of the budget rooms. These are on the higher floors. There's no lift, so you'll soon get fit!

There's no TV, but then we're in Berlin we aren't here to watch TV! There is storage for clothes, a mirror, ample sockets for charging and glasses for refreshments.

Each bed had its own light and double socket, so we could charge phones right next to our beds. The mattresses were surprisingly firm and comfortable so we slept well...

...but the curtains are thin so bring an eye mask if you want to sleep beyond 7am!

The view out of the window is not the most picturesque but it was clear that we were in East Berlin. The building is on Griefswalder Strasse which is one of the main roads in and out of the city. Even with the windows open, we hardly heard any noise from transport outside.

Each floor has separate male and female toilets as well as showers and sinks. These were all clean and well looked after during our stay.

The total cost of our stay was €283 (€273 + €10 for late check in). Bear in mind that budget hotels were round €500 for the same period and the main chain hotels were around 1k and upwards!

Overall, a good base for getting about Berlin, especially handy for the transport hub of Alexanderplatz. The room was quiet, the bins were cleared daily and staff friendly.

As well as the kebab shop, there are cafes, bars and shops nearby.

Where:

Hotel Pension Intervarko
Greifswalder Straße 225
Berlin, Germany 10405

A 20 minute walk to Alexanderplatz S & U Stations

Transport:

Tram stop - Otto Braun Strasse. Tram number M4. 6 minutes journey time to Alexanderplatz, 8 minutes to Hackescher Markt.