1 of 6 6/1/2008 11:59 PM Find hostels in: Search Hostelz.com - "Reviews of All Hostels Worldwide" Hostels Guide > Western Europe > Switzerland > Zürich > Zurich Hostels > City Backpacker / Hotel Biber City Backpacker / Hotel Biber Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland «Prev 4 of 4 Hostels in Zurich Online booking is not offered for this hostel, contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed below). Address Niederdorfstrasse 5, Zurich Map Price Dorm CHF 33.- / Double CHF 98.- Location/Contact Location Our hotel is well situated in the heart of the old city just a few minutes' walk from the main train station. We are located in the middle of the walking area of the old town. There are no parking at the hostel and it is not possible to drive in front of the hostel. Parking you can find in the sourrounding parking houses. Website www.city-backpacker.ch Telephone +41 (0) 1 251 90 15 Fax +41 (0) 1 251 90 24 Number of Beds: 65 Bedsheets: Dorm CHF 3.- / Double included Towels: Dorm CHF 3.- / Double included Parking: no parking available Airport/Train Pickup: not offerd Luggage Storage: FREE Coed Dorm Available: YES Bathroom in Room: No Credit Cards Accepted: YES Nonsmoking Rooms: YES Smoke-free Commons: No Pets Allowed: No Service Animals OK: No Wheelchair Accessible: No Reservations Accepted: YES Internet Computers: Pay Wireless Internet: No Age Range Allowed: All Ages Minimum Stay: 1 night Maximum Stay: 7 nights Details Lockout: No Lockout Curfew: No Curfew Checkout: 10 AM (10:00) Reception Hours: 08:00-12:00 and 15:00-22:00 Membership Required: No Open Dates: All Year Their Description Our hotel is well situated in the very heart of the beautiful old town just a few minutes' walk The Hostelz.com Review The Zurich City Backpacker is a nice little hostel in a great location. It's not far from the
2 of 6 6/1/2008 11:59 PM from the main train station. All important sights are in walking distance. We are located in the middle of the walking area of the old town. There are no parking at the hostel and it is not possible to drive in front of the hostel. Parking you can find in the sourrounding parking houses. There is a common kitchen for your service. Our hotel is well situated in the heart of the old city just a few minutes' walk from the main train station. We are located in the middle of the walking area of the old town. There are no parking at the hostel and it is not possible to drive in front of the hostel. Parking you can find in the sourrounding parking houses. Reception opening-hours: 8.00-12.00 am and 15.00-22.00 pm. Please note that there is no check-in possibility after 22.00. We cannot wait even if your train/flight is late. Canncellations without charge can be made up to 3 days in advance. After you get charged if we cannot sell the room/beds to somebody else. We are looking forward for your reservation. Please note that we need the number of a credit card (VISA or MasterCard) as well as its date of expiry for any reservation. Thank you. For further information please do not hesitate to contact us. Features Kitchen Lockers Lounge / Common space Book Collection/Exchange Washing Machine (laundry) Clothes Dryer 24 Hour Free Hot Showers Phones (public or in room) train station, just a short walk across to the other side of the river and a short distance down a side street. But once you reach the hostel, you're only halfway there since it's bit of a climb up four or five sets of stairs just to reach reception. Note that the reception has limited hours (currently 8-11 AM and 3-10 PM), so you must arrive during those times. It's a small hostel with about 60 beds in total. Coed dorms are available, but many of the dorms are male or female only (so ask if you prefer a coed dorm). The rooms have sinks, with the toilets and showers are shared by the floor. The rooms and facilities are clean and very well maintained. The common area is very small, consisting of just a small sitting around outside the reception office. There's also a small kitchen, but it's only open when the reception is open. The sitting area does have an internet computer, but it's very expensive and you're better off walking down the street to use the internet at the McDonalds or one of the internet cafes. There's a very comfortable couch and plenty of brochures about hostels and things to do in Switzerland, so it's a good place sit and plan the rest of your Swiss travels. Incidentally, Zurich is a neat little city, but it's expensive and it does tend to be just a stopping point between other destinations. Most backpackers only stay for one night, so the crowd changes every day. -- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review Hostelz.com Poll Which do you use for opinions when choosing a hostel? Comments from Hostelz.com Users (the ones with star ratings) Hostelz.com's own Exclusive Reviews Both Not sure / don't understand Other: Submit
3 of 6 6/1/2008 11:59 PM Currency Exchange Your Comments This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites, we don't censor out the negative comments. We do not validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site so take what you read here with a grain of salt. Comment by Dan January 2007 This hostel has no redeeming features. It really is awful and I wouldnt recommend anyone stay here. It looks so dirty (it isnt -- I saw the cleaner everyday) but because everything is so tatty and dated it looks horrible. The room was cluttered and uncomfortable. It is close to the centre and station but it is located on a sort of red light district -- very sleazy. The only positive is that there is a nice man who works on reception and he helped me book my next hotel when the women on the phone didnt speak English. Avoid. Comment by brendan November 2006 found this hostel experience probably the worst ive ever had in a hostel, not all the hostels fault, and its out of season so not many travelers about. the annoying thing is the guy said the place was not even half full, yet had so many crammed into that one room, why not apply some common sense and let people spread out, your rooms are tiny anyway so its not comfortable. Have to admit the main problem was a snorer and a guy whispering to himself like some sort of a chant or prayer in another language for hours in the wee small hours then sleeping all day -- creepy. if the snorer made me feel unable to sleep then this dude made me wonder if sleeping was a good idea. i feel this could have been avoided by spreading out the five people in this tony six-bed dorm though the hostel. in lucerne after all i had a hostel room to myself, hey november is quiet for traveling switzerland! anyway i seemed to survive the night after a few doubts during some stages. i don't have to stay at hostels and do so mainly to meet other travelers and share stories and just have a laugh, but it just didn't seem like there were many people like me at this hostel. i asked reception about tours and if they're running and he said most people cant afford much when they're staying here and he only sells one or two a month. he also didn't seem overly friendly. anyway i wouldn't stay at this hostel again, in my second night i considered paying an additional 220 francs and get a hotel to get some sleep, but i decided not to in the end. Comment by anonymous, Germany August 2006 I stayed in this hostel in July for three nights. There are two showers and toilets and one kitchen for four six-bed-dorms on each floor. They were clean and never crowded even the hostel was booked-up every night. It is well located in the city of Zurich, next to shops, restaurants and bars but because of that it isn't a very quiet place, too. I stayed over the weekend and we let the windows open all night so we heard the noise of the bars. I cannot say whether the windows will silence the noise but maybe it is better during the week or in autumn/winter when people cannot sit outside. There is a small common area next to the reception and also on the roof of the house (kind of balcony, not opened
4 of 6 6/1/2008 11:59 PM all day). Was a pity that I first didn't realize it. Staff was friendly, they have one computer with internet access (you have to pay for), all in all good stay. Comment by anony July 2006 Extremely clean rooms, pleasant staff. The hostel is only eight minutes from the main train station. It's located on a narrow cobblestone street with shops lining both sides. At night the town is very alive with people partying and staying out late. So, it's very noisy there during night time, and so it can be difficult to get a calm night's rest. The hostel has one internet station so you can check your e-mail. Great location, and it's only a few minutes walk to the river so you can enjoy lunch by the water. My g/f and I stayed two nights, the other hostellers were friendly and we felt very comfortable there. Clean, safe, and decent price. Comment by Emma and claire December 2005 Great hostel. Staff were pretty helpful. The rooms were a bit cramped, but the kitchen was quite good. The common room was cosy, and the internet was quite expensive, but it is zurich! Our only problem was with the smokers in the common room, as it was small, and when you are a non-smoker, fresh air is important. Other than that, the location was brilliant. Oh and dont leave it too late to go clubbing during winter, even on Saturdays, as everything was basically closed or empty, by 11pm! Comment by J., N. Ireland August 2005 I thought this hostel was really good. We left our backpacks in lockers at the train station and took everything we needed in small bags, then rented free bikes (outside the train station) and cycled to the hostel, which wasn't far at all. The best thing about the hostel is the balcony, which is a great place to sit and drink with people you've met in the hostel, and look over the busy street (niederdorfstrasse) below. Definitely visit the Lindt chocolate museum (loads of free chocolate and free entry!) and the rheinfall waterfall, which was really pretty. Comment by Hisham Elshoni December 2004 I have visited this hotel twice in my life. The first time was on April 15, 2001 for a week and the other was January 23, 2002, also for a week. I was really surprised by this hotel. Till now I've been searching online to find a better hotel, but I can't. About the rates: I am sure that their rates are the best rates in Zurich in comparison to other hotels. I am asking anyone who knows of a better hotel to tell me, though I'm sure no one will say anything. Thanks to all the staff working in this nice friendly hotel.
5 of 6 6/1/2008 11:59 PM Comment by John Wilson, England November 2004 Nice hostel, good for meeting people. But the owner, the bloke who works at reception, is a bit odd, quite hostile. Comment by Focusphere November 2004 This hostel is clean! Area: It is on the main street of Zurich where restaurants and pubs abound. There is a great liquor store just around the corner that sells cheap alcohol as well (well, cheap by Zurich standards). Environment: You have quite a journey to get to the reception desk, but who wouldn't do well with some exercise? The lounge area is extremely small, consisting of one couch and a few tables. The one PC they have is quite expensive, but there is an Internet place nearby. Facilities: This hostel has the cleanest and most impressive facilities I have seen in a hostel in all of Europe. The rooms are very clean and the beds are sturdy and made out of solid wood. There is a sink and mirror in the room, excellent lighting, and the floor is spotless, with nice carpet. It is basically a hotel room. The bathrooms spray very strong water, and they are enclosed quite well for privacy. There are kitchens on each level, so you don't have to walk very far, and the kitchens are equipped with all the supplies you could hope for. Atmosphere: The staff were quite friendly. They are in their late 20's and 30's, and are very professional. They ask you if you have any questions, and were very upfront about telling you to let them know if you need anything. I had them clean my clothes, and they did an excellent job, even folding my clothes for me and doing it much better than I would have. This is not exactly a party hostel, but the place is very liberal, and everyone seems to respect each other. Highly recommended, and kudos to the management. Comment by Cristian July 2004 This is the cleanest hostel I've ever stayed in maybe that's because I've only seen US hostels so far. It was a bit pricey, but everything is like that in Zurich. I found it easy to find, even without a map (which I forgot at home before leaving), as it's on the most lively street in Zurich. The reception is on the 5th floor(!) and I can see how that can be a pain if you have luggage. The people were pretty fun, mostly backpackers. Comment by Alvina July 2004 It's pretty close to the train station, and the rooms are cozy and clean. It was pretty bad hiking up all those flights of stairs to the reception area. Just when you thought you'd reached the top, there was another sign pointing you up another flight of stairs. That was the worst!! Be sure to pick up the free guide for backpackers at reception. Comment by Scott July 2004 It's kind of crowded and vertical, but it's roughly a ten-minute walk down a busy shopping (and, I think, pedestrian) street. I have a picture of the big blue cow standing on the Niederdorfstrasse balcony. Comment by Mario January 2004 The worst part is carrying your pack up to the 5th floor. The showers are hot, bathrooms clean, and I thought reception was alright,
6 of 6 6/1/2008 11:59 PM not mean but not necessarily outgoing. Perfect location too. Easy to find if you check-out their website. As you walk down the street you'll see their sign on the right side sticking out from the building. Comment by Anna July 2003 This is not really that friendly of a hostel. It's clean and the amenities are acceptable, but it is almost impossible to find. I was only saved by two ladies sitting on their balcony who pointed me in the right direction. I am not the only one. They said that all the time backpackers wander past their area, around and around. The map in the YHA guide is terrible and inaccurate. Save yourself time and grief and take a cab when you arrive. Trust me. Have you visited this hostel? Post your comments here. «Prev 4 of 4 Hostels in Zurich Hostelz.com is the only hostel guide with complete information and reviews on all youth hostels and backpackers worldwide. About Hostelz.com - Contact Hostelz.com - Add a New Hostel - Group Bookings Copyright 2008 Hostelz.com