HI - Turin - Ostello Torino Hostel

This hostel is a bright, spacious, and fun place. The large building, many common areas, bright colors, and clean rooms attract a large number of travellers and encourage them to be social. It also offers a close bus stop and a helpful (though seldom available due to understaffing) staff to help travelers explore and get the most out of their visit to Torino, Italy.

The Location

Located in a quiet neighborhood, about five bus stops from the train station, Ostello Torino is a great place for either resting or catching a bus to see the sights of Turin. The hostel itself can be rather difficult to locate. The street is so small that it isn't on most maps and even some of the locals aren't sure where to direct a questioning traveler. The best thing to do is talk to information at the train station, hop on the appropriate bus (which bus is appropriate depends on holiday, weekend, weekday, etc. which is why asking at information is so important), and then walk the few blocks from the nearby station to via Alby.

To see most of the sights of Turin travelers will need to either catch a bus back to town or resolve themselves for quite a walk. To the bridge, about halfway to the train station, is a twenty-minute walk at best.

Rooms and Bathrooms

Each occupant is given a separate room key to access their room. The showers also have working locks and the hostel desk faces the doors to discourage any non-occupants from wandering the halls.

The rooms themselves are brightly colored, spacious, and clean. They all have lockers. The bathrooms are, likewise, in great condition. And the whole hostel has a cheery and well-kept feeling.

Common Spaces

The hostel is well set up for the social traveler. There is a large dining area on the main floor and dinner is offered every night for an additional fee. There are also vending machines, tall circular tables, and two computers (internet also costs extra) in the front-desk area. On the second floor there are two long tables, a balcony with additional seating and a view of some Italian homes through the trees of the hostel yard. This setup encourages hostellers to enjoy the spaces outside their rooms and make friends in the process.

Summary

The only complaint that can be lodged against this hostel is that there isn't a large enough staff to accommodate the many hostellers who pass through. One front desk staffperson cannot handle the magnitude of needs, particularly when registration opens at 3:00. We stood in line for the front desk for over an hour just to sign in and drop our things in the room. If time is of the essence, our suggestion is to sign in later, once the crowd has thinned, and sign out early, before anyone gets up.

Aside from shortstaffing the hostel is fun, bright, safe, and in a nice location. We absolutely recommend it to both the solo-traveler and backpacking groups.

by Gigi Griffis

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review