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Hostels Guide > Western Europe > Sweden > Stockholm > Stockholm Hostels > The Red Boat Mälaren (Den Röda Båten)

The Red Boat Mälaren (Den Röda Båten)

Stockholm (Sodermalm Island)

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Hostels in Stockholm

Category	Other
Address	Söder Mälarstrand 6, Stockholm (Sodermalm Island), Stockholm, Sweden Map
Price	Dorm beds from US$230.00. Private rooms from US$295.00/person. Price may vary by season - Check Current Prices by Date Here

Location/Contact

Details

Their Description

Features

Bar
Gameroom
Lounge / Common space
Food/Restaurant
24 Hour Free Hot Showers
Phones (public or in room)

The Hostelz.com Review

The Red Boat Malaren and the adjoining White Boat are conveniently located on Sodermalm island, south of Gamla Stan (the Old Town) and the Gamla Stan t-bana station. The reception is open until late (11PM, 23:00), which is handy when flights are delayed.

It is a quick walk across the Central Bridge from the t-bana and is easy to find. It's close to the ferries to Djugarden and Birka, and a quick walk to the bars of Mariatorget and Gotgatan. There are no kitchen facilities but there is a restaurant in the Red Boat.

The dorms are large and shipwindows open onto a great view across the water towards the centre of Stockholm. The dorms do not have lockers but the main doors are always locked and a code is required to enter each dorm room. The dorm can get a little crammed with people if it is full.

The Red boat has a communal shower with unreliable hot water however the white boat has personal showers with water that is much warmer. 185SEK is a reasonable price for the hostel and (unusually for Sweden) also includes the cost of sheets. And one thing that is inconvenient and annoying is that it was impossible to find a power outlet to use electrical applicances such as hairdryers and shavers.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2004

Ratings & Comments

3.2 Average from 12 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Comment by hjf, German

May 2009

The first time, great; the second time, bad
The first time, I stayed in a twin room on the red boat. It was great. A fine, clean room with a great view on Stadshuset. God facilities, friendly staff. And a great breakfast. The second time, I stayed on the white boat in a single room and the only thing to be great were the spiders in front of my room. It was terrible. Everything was so dirty around the room, just a pity.

Comment by Angryman, Russian Federation

May 2007

I confirm the fact of bedbugs' presence (at least, on the White boat). I never had such an experience before (though in the past I had stayed at least at seven or eight different hostels) so that was very disappointing. I noticed their track on the body in the morning of the checkout day. So even had to use the medical treatment over the international insurance policy. On the other side, the good location (the ship in the beautiful harbor close to Gamla Stan) and relatively low rates are really taking their place. But I forgot to point on the risk of caisson disease. And the common male shower is really dirty. There are no internet access, no kitchen, and in the receipt there is a note "do not eat inside of your room." That's more to a marine museum than to the hostel. Overall, next time I'll stay somewhere else, but not at this place.

Comment by Annoyed traveller, Danish

April 2007

I stayed for two nights in the Red Boat over Easter and I wish I hadn't. the place is full of bedbugs and I got bitten all over my body and had to be treated with medicine because of that -- the itching was hard to bear. When confronting the management they just shouted at me and weren't willing to talk and claimed I was lying (yeah right, and I painted those bites on my body). So one piece of advice, don't stay there! Also the showers are disgustingly dirty and the rooms are the size of a shoebox (big enough for bedbugs to stay there though). Save yourself the itching and go to another hostel!

Comment by Walter

January 2007

The rooms and boat are very clean and they provide linen for your bed. The staff is very helpful and friendly. We stayed in the Red Boat and there were power outlets in the room there opposed to what the Review above says. The communal area is ok too, not very lively but you can meet some people there. The downsides are the very small rooms and the fact that you cannot drink alcohol in the communal area. So you have to drink in your room, which is inconvenient as it is very small. Showers are clean but hot water is not guaranteed. All in all, I would recommend this hostel as it is a nice experience to sleep on a boat for a few nights!

Comment by Jen

August 2006

This hostel was awesome! The staff were super helpful, the view was amazing, and boats had lots of character. They have a guitar at reception that you can borrow, the showers never seemed to run out of hot water, and everything inside seemed clean. I did see some spiders outside, none inside, I'm not sure how hard they are to keep away.

Comment by JJ

April 2006

We stayed on the white boat in a private room with a double bed, which was really nice and a good size room. The views were fantastic and the breakfast was really nice and decent. We really enjoyed our stay so definitely recommend it.

Comment by Mike Sonni

January 2006

Not bad! I stayed here for a couple of nights and found the hostel clean and quiet. Friendly helpful staff. Not very crowded. Not a party boat thats for sure, but cool view and certainly unique.

Comment by Ataru

October 2004

Well, it could be an interesting experience, sleeping on a boat. You can see a wonderful landscape from your bed. This place is in a good location, only five minutes to Gamla Stan, and five minutes to Sodermalm. It's quite clean, but doesn't have so great an atmosphere for socializing. It's a good place to sleep.

Comment by Keith

September 2004

It was summer, and the small dorm room was too hot. There was no room for any bags, so they lay on the floor ready for everyone to trip over them. The paper "sheets" smell like rotten milk, but I'm sure the family rooms would have been nicer.

Comment by Scott

July 2004

I liked my stay at this unique facility. It has a good location, easy to find, and comfortable, if not roomy.

Comment by Joanna

June 2004

Great, interesting choice of accommodation. We stayed in the middle of winter on the red boat on the frozen water, so it was rather cold, but a good time all the same. They serve a large continental breakfast, and the main room/dinning area is a cozy area to sit and chat with other travelers. It is within walking distance to the main downtown area.

Comment by Nigel S.

April 2004

The best hostel I have EVER been to, and I've seen many. The boat is an amazing place to sit and drink during the summer. One word of advice: don't actually stay ON the boat, stay in the onshore segment of the hostel. The boat cabins are hotter during summer, and less spacious. Anyway, you don't need to be sleeping on the boat to relax on the boat. Also, since alcohol is so expensive here, the boat is a great place to start your drinking before hitting the clubs. It is a little walk from the center, but that's a small sacrifice to pay for such a unique experience.

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