Backpackers St. Pauli
Adults-only backpacker pad on Bernstorffstraße, two tram stops from Reeperbahn
Backpackers St. Pauli sits on Bernstorffstraße 98, ten minutes walking from Reeperbahn and two minutes from S-Bahn Holstenstraße. Adults-only (18+), with a ground-floor bar, sun deck, shared kitchen and a crowd that skews solo backpackers and twos. Rooms are simple, clean, and quiet at night because the bar closes at 23h.
Backpackers St. Pauli is Hamburg's classic small-scale backpacker hostel, tucked on a residential side street two blocks off Max-Brauer-Allee in St. Pauli. The building is a converted old walk-up with four floors and no lift, so your shoulders remember the check-in; upside, the small scale means the common spaces feel like a house share rather than a hotel lobby.
The ground-floor bar is the heart of the place. Craft beer on tap (Ratsherrn from down the road in Schanzenhöfe), Club Mate, cocktails that won't shock your wallet, and a sun deck and terrace out back for summer pre-Reeperbahn drinks. Adults-only means no school groups, which in Hamburg hostel-land is a genuine relief — weekends here skew 25-to-35 solo travellers and couples on city breaks, not the 18-year-old rite-of-passage stag scene you might find closer to Davidwache.
The shared kitchen is fully kitted — stovetop, oven, electric kettle, Dryer, dining table, the works. Dorms are 4- to 6-bed with proper Reception-issued linens and pod-style lockers. Bathrooms are shared per-floor, which is the main tradeoff versus pricier places nearby. Wi-Fi is free throughout and fast enough for video calls.
Location-wise, Holstenstraße S-Bahn (S11/S21/S31) is a 3-minute walk and gets you to Hauptbahnhof in 8 minutes or Reeperbahn in 2 minutes. Walk 10 minutes south and you're at the Beatles Platz and the nightlife strip; walk 8 minutes east and you're in Schanzenviertel's craft-beer and brunch belt. Fischmarkt (Sunday morning 5-9:30am) is a 15-minute walk down toward the Elbe.
- 01Actually adults-only — no school-group chaos, which in German hostels is often a deal-breaker
- 02In-house craft beer bar that closes at 23h, so you can use it without it ruining your sleep
- 03Three-minute walk to S-Bahn Holstenstraße = 8 minutes to Hauptbahnhof, 2 to Reeperbahn
- 04Shared kitchen that gets consistent top marks for cleanliness in reviews
- 05Small scale (under 100 beds) means you meet the same faces across two nights
- Rating 8.3 from 1,554 Booking reviews — top quartile for St. Pauli hostels
- Adults-only policy (18+) enforced at check-in
- Free WiFi throughout, daily housekeeping, lockers in every dorm
- Ground-floor bar with sun deck and terrace; open evenings to 23h
“It has all you need, comfy bed, heating, light and electric plug next to the bed, room is clean, place is quiet. Location is close enough to the metro.”
“Walking distance from cozy cafes and bars. Nicely connected to public transport. Other guests were friendly and respectful travelers.”
“It was very clean. The staff was very nice. You never really had a bad day. It was very cozy. The beds were fine and overall it was very good.”
- S-Bahn Holstenstraße3 min walking
- Reeperbahn nightlife strip10 min walking
- Beatles Platz12 min walking
- Schanzenviertel bars8 min walking
- Fischmarkt (Sunday morning)15 min walking
- Hauptbahnhof (via S-Bahn)8 min on S-Bahn
