The Circus Hostel
Berlin's social hub where the bar is as good as the beds
Wonderful
3,075 reviews
Check availability & prices
Compare prices for The Circus Hostel in Berlin
72%
Solo travelers
91%
Would stay again
84%
Made friends here
3 nights
Avg. stay
Our Honest Take
From the Hostelpedia team. No BS, just real advice
The Circus Hostel is the hostel Berlin locals actually recommend, and there's a reason it's survived 20+ years in a city that eats bad hostels alive. The bar on Weinbergsweg is genuinely good. Not 'good for a hostel,' just good. Cocktails cost what they'd cost at any Mitte bar, and on weekends you'll find as many Berliners as backpackers in there. The karaoke nights are legendary and the walking tours are run by people who actually live here. That said, it's not cheap by Berlin hostel standards, and if you want dead-quiet sleep, request a courtyard-facing room. The street-side dorms catch noise from Rosenthaler Platz until late.
🎯 Insider Tips
- 1Book the courtyard-facing dorm if you're a light sleeper. Weinbergsweg gets lively until 2am on weekends.
- 2The breakfast buffet is worth it on your first morning to meet people, but after that, grab a €2 coffee and pastry at any Bäckerei on the street for half the price.
- 3Use the hostel's bike rental to reach Mauerpark flea market on Sundays. It's a 10-minute ride and the karaoke there is peak Berlin.
- 4The bar does happy hour 6-8pm. Start there, then walk to Torstraße for the real Mitte nightlife without paying club cover.
🔥 Why We Love It
The bar is a real bar. Locals drink here, the cocktails are solid, and karaoke night brings the house down every week.
Location on Weinbergsweg gives you the best of Mitte without the Alexanderplatz tourist chaos. Independent shops, good coffee, street art everywhere.
The daily events program is genuinely social. Walking tours, pub crawls, cooking nights. You'll meet people on day one.
Rooms are properly maintained with reading lights, outlets, and privacy curtains. Not the cheapest dorms in Berlin, but you get what you pay for.
Bike rental makes reaching Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain clubs, and Mauerpark flea market easy and cheap.
📖 The Full Story
The Circus Hostel sits right on Weinbergsweg in Mitte, one of Berlin's best streets for independent cafés, vintage shops, and street art. Rosenthaler Platz U-Bahn is literally across the road, putting Alexanderplatz, Friedrichshain's clubs, and Kreuzberg's bars all within 15 minutes.
The ground-floor bar is the real draw. It's not a sad hostel lobby with overpriced beer. It's an actual bar that locals drink at too, with cocktail specials, karaoke nights, and DJs on weekends. The daily events program runs walking tours, pub crawls, and spontaneous kitchen hangouts that make it nearly impossible to spend a night alone here.
Upstairs, the rooms are cleaner and better designed than you'd expect at this price. The bunks have reading lights, power outlets, and privacy curtains in the dorms. Private rooms are available and feel more like a boutique hotel than a hostel. There's also a solid breakfast buffet, bicycle rental, and a travel desk that actually knows Berlin beyond the tourist brochure.
The Circus has been around long enough to earn its reputation. Three thousand reviews and an 8.7 rating don't happen by accident. It's one of those Berlin hostels that gets the balance right: social without being a frat house, central without being on a tourist strip.
✨ The Vibes
💬 What Travelers Say
Ikram
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · 2026-03
“The location is amazing, perfect for great bars and food in the area. The staff very nice and the bar and lobby area all great. The room is ok and plenty of space.”
Izzy
🇮🇱 Israel · 2026-04
“The location is simply unbeatable, the rooms are beautiful and immaculately clean, and the staff is genuinely exceptional. Breakfast is decent but a bit pricey for what's on offer.”
Michael
🇺🇸 United States · 2026-03
“The location, the staff were very helpful. The room and bathroom was clean and the place was wonderful.”
Lisbeth
🇩🇰 Denmark · 2026-04
“The location makes it easy and safe to travel alone, but everything is actually perfect!”
📍 What's Nearby
Rosenthaler Platz U-Bahn
1 min walk
Hackescher Markt
8 min walk
Museum Island
15 min walk
Mauerpark
12 min walk
Alexanderplatz
12 min walk
Torstraße nightlife
5 min walk
📋 House Rules
- •Check-in from 15:00, check-out by 11:00
- •Quiet hours 23:00–07:00 in dorm areas
- •No outside alcohol in common areas
- •Photo ID required at check-in
- •No smoking indoors
From
€22/night
Compare prices across booking sites
Room Types
Mixed Dorm (8-bed)
€18
Bunk beds with reading lights, power outlets, and privacy curtains. Shared bathroom.
1 guest
Mixed Dorm (4-bed)
€26
Smaller dorm with more space per bed. Reading lights and personal lockers included.
1 guest
Private Double
€65
En-suite private room with double bed, desk, and city views. Boutique hotel feel.
2 guests
Private Twin
€70
Twin room with two single beds and private bathroom. Great for friends traveling together.
2 guests
🏠 Amenities
🏨 Other hostels in Berlin
EastSeven Berlin Hostel
9.2 · From €20/night
Grand Hostel Berlin Classic
8.4 · From €24/night
Generator Berlin Mitte
7.8 · From €18/night
Three Little Pigs Hostel
8.2 · From €19/night
Singer109 Hostel & Apartments
8.3 · From €21/night
Boutique Hostel LEKKERURLAUB
9.3 · From €28/night
Sunflower Hostel Berlin
7.8 · From €16/night
Don't sleep on this one
The Circus Hostel is one of the most popular hostels in Berlin. Beds fill up fast, especially during peak season. Lock in your dates now.
Check Availability Now 🔥