HI - Bologna San Sisto Hostel

Far from the city
Well, the hostel itself was of a fairly average quality. The staff were very friendly, yet there was only one member of staff at reception at any time, which meant that often queues were very long. The hostel was quite institutional, but filled all one's needs adequately, except for the breakfast, which consisted of one bread roll. If you stay here though, beware of the mosquitoes!

Can I give it a no-star? It was the worst hostel I have ever stayed in! Firstly as we arrived on Sunday it was impossible to find a bus so we had to taxi. Even that took ages so I dread to think about how long it would have taken on a bus -- it's in the middle of nowhere so good luck trying to find a food outlet. As we didn't have a HI membership they were going to charge us twice the usual charge (instead of 18E each for a double, they wanted 36E each, i.e. 72E for a crap room!) -- the grumpy, rude staff maybe making an extra buck on the side? But wait there's still more -- we had to leave at 9:30 a.m. for so-called cleaning, however when we arrived back just after re-opening time (4:30 p.m.) nothing had been done -- the bathrooms were still filthy, the floor grimy, and the toilets were indescribable (we have photos as proof!!). Breakfast was a joke -- hmmm stale bread and jam. What's more, it was like staying in a prison as there are bars on the windows -- is this to keep people out or keep them in? Only go to Bologna if you really really have to (day trip maybe?) -- but please please please don't stay here!

The daily lockout between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and the curfew at night in such an exciting night city, makes this place more like a day-release prison than a backpacker destination. Someone please open a decent backpackers in this town soon. I must say though, the staff are very sweet, and the people staying here interesting and pleasant.

Very clean and institutional. The main house is supposedly not as nice, but I stayed in San Sisto 2, which is just a short walk away, with only five people in a dorm room. Did I mention clean? Staff are very nice, and the remote location is relaxing after a long day in the city. My friend and I used the bicycles offered from the hostel to meander around the city — bring a map. The city is about a half-hour ride from the hostel. You might not be able to enjoy the hip nightlife of the university district, because there is an 11:30 p.m. curfew. The two Internet stations are expensive, but a nice necessity if you need it. The common room is mainly used for people watching TV and films, and because the hostel is so big, there is not much social action. I urge you to walk down the road to the Jolly Bar and visit with the boys of San Sisto — "charming" fellows from the area who run the small sports bar.