The Yellow Hostel

I prefer hostels to be smaller, as smaller hostels tend to have a more sociable and friendly vibe. But my first choice of hostel was booked out so i ended up here. For a large hostel, however, Yellow was decent. The common areas were inviting and had a good atmosphere. The staff here were awesome -- better than many other hostels, because they were actually the same age/demographic as the people staying there -- they were all foreign travelers on an extended stay in Rome (they had good taste in music too, rockin' the common/reception area with some drum'n'bass and hip-hop). The dorm rooms were all on the floors above and were remarkably spacious for a hostel. There were plenty of showers/bathrooms on each floor too, so there was never a wait. The location was decent -- close enough to Termini, which is the main transit point for both local and (inter)national trains and buses. The neighborhood seems like a fifty-fifty mix of hostels/hotels and apartments, but not overtly touristy. I had a good time at Yellow, who also run a bar-crawl, which is a good way to meet fellow guests. Even the staff showed up after their shifts to catch the end of it -- good times!

This is a great hostel. I found the staff helpful, and the general atmosphere good. The lounge is a great place to hang out; there is always someone to talk to. This is a very social hostel, so be prepared with earplugs if you like to go to bed early. The kitchen is nice and clean, the showers could be a little better, but at least the water is nice and hot with good shower pressure. I found the location to be great, its very close to Termini and a metro stop on the blue line. The neighborhood wasn't scary at all. The pub crawl is a lot of fun, so definitely take advantage of that opportunity. The only thing that would have made this perfect would have been breakfast.

My favorite hostel. Plenty of showers and hot water, very clean, large kitchen. Fun staff! Don't go if you just want to curl up with a book every night! They have really fun pub crawls and reception can get crazy at night.

The Yellow is great! This was my first hostel and it spoiled me a little bit. The rooms are all very clean, all of the guys at the reception are friendly and helpful, the internet is free, the area is safe, but interesting. I was a little nervous being a solo female traveler, but it was not a problem at all. Plus, this is a nice place to meet people. Go on the pub crawl. Seriously. If you come back late at night and are a little shy, simply walking into the bar/reception is a little intimidating, but the pub crawl is great. I actually met all of the people in my room and there was a lot of room 21 love. Plus, the map they give you is really helpful. And it is so nice to be able to have a shower and toilet in the room.

This hostel was great, nice social vibe. The tours advertised at the hostel were good as well. It was clean and there was always something going on at night. I would suggest going to some less American type bars on the pub crawls but just my two cents. Bill and Alesha were great, as was the rest of the staff.

This hostel was a fun place to stay due to its very social atmosphere. There were lots of travelers from all over the world I met in the kitchen or waiting in line for the internet. They also showed some nice movies in the internet/common room. There was also a bar/reception space, decorated in cool colors. The location was all right, five minutes' walk from Termini station, which is convenient, if you arrive from Da Vinci airport by the train express. It felt pretty safe walking from the train station at night. It felt not that safe walking from the bus station -- choose "main" roads on your way back. Get a small map showing all the bus routes at the hostel, for the main line of metro (A) for some reason closes at 9 pm (the other line, B, is open til midnight), so you have to use buses to get back to hostel after 9. All the pretty piazzas like Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, where you can spend your evening, are not too far from line A, so make sure you know the number of the bus that will take you back to Termini. Luckily, Rome has a really good public transportation system. I also know that the hostel offers its own tours of Vatican or the city. If you miss those, you can always try to get one from the Enjoy Rome office, which is two blocks away on your way to the metro. During my six-day stay the internet was down for two days, and sometimes the elevator did not work either. The staff was not very friendly (with the exception of one), for some reason. Although, I have to admit, all the guys at the reception were really really cute. They were not unfriendly either, they just kept ignoring me. Maybe because I did not go to the pub crawl, or had my own agenda. They did not really give any advice on good places to eat around the place. When I booked this hostel, I was under the impression that breakfast was included. Well, it is not anymore. So some good advice on cheap places to eat would be nice, with some kind of apology instead of "oh, we changed that on the web-site, no more free breakfast." They did not have alarm clocks to rent/borrow or any kind of "wake-up" service, so make sure you bring your own, if you have to leave early. A couple of people in my room had overslept and missed their flight. The towels were not free, you had to pay 10 euro deposit to get them. I rented the room with shower inside, which was a very wise idea, especially in the 33 C (88 F) heat. The shower is really tiny, and the temperature control is sometimes off, but it's there, and you feel like a normal person at least twice a day thanks to it. There was never a line to the shower in our six-people room. The walls are so thin that you can hear people in the next room, though. Take your earplugs, and you will sleep just fine. Overall, I think it's the people who chose this hostel who made it a very fun place to stay. I will miss these conversations at the kitchen.

this hostel was probably the best hostel i stayed at on my eurotrip this summer. great facitilies (although there were a couple of blackouts that messed the internet up a bit -- not a problem cause there are a lot of cheap internet cafes nearby). the highlight of the hostel was definitely its fun atmosphere. it's a very social hostel and all the people i met while i was there were very friendly. the staff was awesome -- they know how to party and are also incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about the city. go to the yellow and enjoy your stay in rome!

This hostel was alright by my standards. The staff were really friendly and the common room was a pretty good social scene. Our first day in Rome my friend and I took a walking tour -- offered through the hostel. best decision as we learned thousands of years worth of history and all about Rome's ancient buildings from someone who made it quite captivating. I can recite some of the tour to you now -- it remains in my memory!

Overall this place was great. Rooms are clean, there is a nice kitchen/common room, internet access, and the breakfast is fantastic. Only downside is that the staff definitely seem to have a bit of an attitude.

The breakfast is superb!! (milk, yogurt, juice, fruits, eggs, toasts, all kinds of cereals, cofee, hot choccolate, and you can eat as much as you want) The rest is just fine.

Pezzi di Merda. The best, most appopriate way to describe this hostel, and its oh-so-sarcastic, self-centered, pompous staff. First things first> I stayed at yellow in July 2004, and at the time, I myself believed that it was one of the best hostels in Rome, if not Italy. The staff was superb...and in the few days that I stayed here, I had the chance to know them on a more informal, friendly basis - exactly as it should be at a hostel of this type, made for backpackers FOR backpackers. The rooms were sufficient, and the amenities were nice (tours, internet, kitchen, music, movies...etc, etc, etc.) Where in the hostel rulebook does it describe how a hostel should go down in quality as their popularity increases? Is there some sort of mathematical equation that judges a hostel's exponential greatness, negative in the case of increased business? Is it that hard to maintain a certain order of things, those of which mark a hostel as that of an enjoyable abode, a comforting community? The demise of the Yellow Hostel is tragic, a tragedy that even the great Cicero or Homer could not have imagined. Do not mind the dramaticism. It is has been a long journey, and I have been pleased, and equally displeased, with the hostels I have stayed at. Yet none have caused such anger, such displeasure, as this one has bestowed upon my tired shoulders. Arriving 36 hours after travelling through the Adriatic, I was greeted at yellow by the Chandler Bing of sarcastic hostel staff...one who had to make the point of commenting on the proximity of our "personal space" while I asked a simple, yet rightfully-silenced question dealing with my stay. Commenting? Insulting. Prices raised? "Oh sure, no we didn't change the website...don't you mind? 27 Euro for an 8 bed suite." IN low season, while the hostel is empty. Where's a pizza place? "4 blocks to the right and 1 to the left." Hey, thanks for the wild goose chase, there was one across the street. "Oh was there, I didn't know that." Don't you f-ing work here? "Kitchen's closed, can't eat here." No Hot Water. 2 Internet Terminals, not 4. No Tours ("We've changed that"). No Pub Crawl

Large, social hostel with good facilities and an excellent breakfast!! Close to the station and metro, although I hardly used either as most of the tourist sights are within walking distance. Only two internet outlets when I stayed (Dec 2005), one didnt work at all, the other only intermittently. The staff didnt seem to concerned about remedying the problem. But other than that, a great base to explore Rome. And the breakfast will set you up for a day of sightseeing! I would definitely recommend the Yellow Hostel.

This hostel was nice. The rooms were okay, with comfortable beds. Hot water was a problem in the mornings. Front desk staff were really nice. But the Pub Crawl is a big rip-off! You overpay to go to these crappy bars and take a couple jello shots with a drop of vodka in them. The guys that take you out are complete freakin' a-holes. They should go back to wherever in America they came from. Otherwise, I would stay there again.

I didn't like Rome, but I did like this hostel. It's located a short walk away from Termini Station. The rooms were clean, there were locking drawers underneath the beds, and Internet was free. Like the Bulldog in Amsterdam, it's one of those large, well thought out, "made for backpackers by backpackers" hostels. There's a kitchen, laundry facilities, and two common-room areas (the chic lobby and a room with a TV and computers), so you can be social and meet lots of people if you so choose. The continental breakfast, served in the neighboring restaurant, was large and very good. I don't really have any complaints about this hostel; I just think my time here was spoiled by the fact that I didn't enjoy Rome.

We stayed here in a dorm room in October. The hostel was in a good location, a couple of minutes' walk to the main train station, with a Metro stop just around the corner. The room was a bit messy, but the beds and sheets were clean. We didn't have any problems, nor heard of anyone who had problems with bedbugs. Showers and toilets were plentiful and clean — ALTHOUGH we didn't get ANY hot water for the first two days; on the third day it mysteriously started working, and was great. Staff were pleasant and helpful, the free Internet worked well, the kitchen was clean and had (just) enough room. Overall a great hostel; it would have been better if we'd had hot water to begin with, though.