Athens Youth Hostel Pagration, Athens

Good place

It's a really nice place to stay in Athens. It's not a place near the acropolis directly, however it's a quiet and friendly hostel. We enjoyed the place for three nights.

Good place! But slowest Wi-Fi ever!

Good place to be in Athens. Most of the staff that I met was very kind and flexible. Except that the receipt was never e-mailed to me as we had agreed and the Wi-Fi is the slowest I have ever experienced anywhere!

This hostel is secure, cheap, colorful and airy!

The Location

This hostel is easy to find, it doesn't have a sign per se, however it is characterized by it's bright blue door and clearly marked number. The taxi driver knew the exact location. The location is pretty much, perfect; it is a twenty minute walk to the city center, however there are worthwhile stops on the way. For instance the Olympic Stadium is only a ten minute walk. Pagration is an authentic residential Greek community where you can find cafes, restaurants, bars and shops for all of the things you forgot to pack. It is also a short distance to the nearest metro stations.

Rooms and Bathrooms

This hostel is made up of dorm rooms, which each have five or six beds (mostly bunks). Each room also has a desk and chair, a wardrobe and a door accessing a balcony large enough to fit chairs and hang clothing from the railing. There are enough power points for the number of people. A measure of size for a room we like to use is whether or not one person could do yoga in the room. Technically there is a space where a yoga mat could fit in these dorms, however, unless the room were empty, you would be very much in the way. We would not do yoga in this room.

There are two stories; the first has the male bathroom and the second the female bathroom. Each has a few showers, bathroom stalls, sinks and mirrors. The bathrooms were spacious, consistently clean and stocked with toilet paper. Hot water for the shower costs .50 Euro.

Common Spaces

Upon entering this hostel you are in a long open-air L-shape garden filled with greenery and tables and chairs. This space is perfect for relaxing and enjoying the open-air.

Downstairs there is also a kitchen and a TV room. The kitchen is well structured for multiple users. It consists of cubbies, multiple stove-tops, another table and chairs and a two fridges.

The TV room is an enclosed space consisting of a TV, couches, fans, a table and chairs and a door which closes. We don't feel like it gets much use as far as TV watching. However, it could be used for some yoga.

On each level, outside of the dorm rooms there is a common area consisting of couches and a table and chairs. It is perfect for those times when you don't want to sit (and read, write or browse the internet), but not on your bunk bed.

This hostel has a roof top! It is not really noted, however if you ask, you shall receive! An outdoor spiral staircase shared with potted plants will lead you to a well-shaded roof top. There is also a bathroom up here and rope to hang your clothes. Here, about fifty people could do yoga.

Sustainability

This hostel recycles plastic and glass and have signs letting you know where. We were also impressed by how good the staff are about turning lights out in common areas when they aren't being used.

Summary

The longstanding nature of this hostel is quite literally, written on the walls (advice, philosophies, etc.) along with vibrant colors and green plants. The staff are friendly and know how to fix in the internet quickly when a storm knocks it out.

Athens Youth Hostel Pagration

Athens Youth Hostel Pagration does not have a sign, but it does have a vivid blue door and the address is prominently visible. Taxi drivers have no problem finding it nor will you with a map! The location is excellent! It is a twenty minute walk to the city center, but there are closer points of interest as well. The Olympic Stadium is only a ten minute walk on the way to the center. Pagration itself is an authentic residential neighbourhood also home to cafes, tavernas, and shops for the things you forgot to pack. The rooms are all dorms. They are average sized and sleep five to six people in single mattress bunk beds. The mattresses are comfortable and a sheet and pillow case are provided upon check-in. Each room also has a fan, a wardrobe and a balcony large enough for chairs and a railing to hang clothes from to dry. The night was perfectly comfortable with the fan on and the large balcony door open. One thing we look for in a hostel is if there is enough space for one person to do a little yoga whether in the room or elsewhere, this is also a handy way to describe the size of the room. In these rooms there is one spot where a yoga mat could fit, however it would be crammed and you wouldn't do it if anyone else was present. Also notable that every person is given a key to the front door and the room. There are also plenty of power outlets throughout the hostel. There are two identical but separate bathrooms; male on the first floor and female on the second floor. Each has showers (.50 Euros for hot water), sinks and toilet stalls. We found the bathrooms to be very clean at all times and in perfect repair. Several spread out common areas exist. Upon entry there is a long narrow open-air area with tables, chairs and plants. This area forms an 'L' shape so if you wanted to utilize this area and remain distanced from others you could do so. There is a TV lounge consisting of tables, chairs, a couch, TV and fan. There is a solid door to this room. You could also do yoga in this room, we didn't see many people watching TV. The kitchen is compact and fitted with all the necessities to house many guests including two refrigerators, multiple cabinets and stove tops and two sinks. There are also common areas with couches, tables and chairs on each level outside of the dorms and bathrooms. These are spacious and ideally situated for stepping outside your room and sitting somewhere which isn't your bed. There is a secret rooftop! We read about it and asked and were directed up an (slightly dangerous) outdoor spiral staircase to the roof. It is large and mostly covered with lovely views of the neighbourhood and Athens. There is also a toilet up there as well as lines to hang laundry. It seems odd that it isn't being used, but at the same time nice to be able to use it to escape. This has become the yoga spot! You could hold a yoga class of fifty people up here! The staff are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and laid back. They wander around and happily answer questions and offer advice. There are intercoms on each level so you can press a button and ask a question at any time. At one point the internet went out during a horrendous rain storm and it was back up and running almost immediately. Athens Youth Hostel Pagration has done this right! It is one of the cheapest in Athens and its long standing history is literally written on the walls. You will like this hostel if you appreciate bright but comforting colours and great outdoor areas. This hostel is not handicapped accessible.

Chilled out backpackers, look no further

Great stay here! Although a little walk from the city centre (if you had to come back for a friend from town during the day you wouldn't, unless you were iron man) this hostel was surrounded by "real" Greek culture. The Friday fruit market was great, and eating out and around the hostel was so affordable! Nice, chilled out vibe in the common area. Only thing was the lockers didn't lock (but the rooms were pretty safe), and because it was summer the nights were so hot, one more fan in the room would have been luxurious! If I come back to athens, I'll come back.

Cheap and friendly

One of my favourite hostels that i've been to. Good value for money, very friendly staff, walking distance from the main attractions of Athens, free wifi. A good place for meeting people.

Comfortable and cheap but ...

Its clean and safe but beware! The owner spies on guests with hidden cameras and listening devices. At close to 80, he's quite the voyer.

Visited this hostel and found it clean, safe with friendly staff. Very good value for money in my opinion.