I loved this hostel! It definitely tied with my other favorite on my backpacking trip around…read moreEurope, the Wine Hostel in Porto, Portugal.
This hostel was a little ways away from the metro (across the Danube and down a block or so), which tended to put me off in other places, but it actually landed the hostel in such a perfect location of great restaurants and quiet streets that I really didn't mind. The place is modern, clean, the staff is friendly, and the rooms are awesome. Granted, our room looked a bit like a tornado hit it, but that's due to crappy room mates, not the cleaning staff of MEININGER Franz. Anyways, those roommates checked out so the remaining roomies declared what was ours, we tossed the rest in the trash, and it was gone that evening. Problem solved and we were all happier for it.
The ensuite bathrooms were awesome! There was a toilet and sink room, and then a shower and sink room opposite. That really came in handy, so I would definitely stay at MEININGER's going forward for that addition alone. It's just nice to do your hair and brush your teeth while another person is showering, the morning routine doesn't have to stop.
The bunks were super comfortable. I was out like a light. The sheets are fresh and clean, and outlets and lights are available at every bunk.
The common room was great! After a long day of walking all over Vienna and visiting museums (which are at the very closest about a mile away from the hostel, so get a metro pass and take advantage of it; believe me, you'll be doing PLENTY of walking even taking the metro to each stop), my group ordered some beers and chilled downstairs. A guy around our age asked if he could drink with us, which, of course!! He was from just outside Barcelona and we talked of our travels, and then an Australian woman piped up so we called her over, and a pit stop to our dorm room revealed a guy fresh in from Montreal, so he came down and joined our group. It was so wonderful! All these strangers from around the world just traveling, gathering to share a drink in the common room of a hotel/hostel in Vienna, Austria: it's what backpacking is all about. It was so great!
The next morning the breakfast spread was very large and plentiful, so if you eat a lot, maybe it's worth it. It was Sunday and a lot of places in Europe don't open on Sunday, so our options were limited and we paid what we considered too much for the Breakfast. We say it was too much because my group are not big breakfast eaters. We just don't need a lot early in the day, a bowl of cereal or granola bar usually does is just fine, so €6,90 for breakfast kind of sucked. But it was good, I'll give them that.
And, as is tradition, when we checked out and didn't have to catch our flight until later that afternoon, MEININGER Franz locked up our luggage for us so we could continue to wander Vienna without our backpacks.
I loved this place. I didn't book it, my sister did, and I remember thinking it was a bit expensive, but it was totally worth it. So totally worth it. I have a friend going to Vienna next year and I raved about this place and said she would absolutely love it, it's right up her style. You feel safe, clean, and also like you can just start talking to anyone in the common room and not get weird looks like you would maybe in a hotel in The States. It's so wonderful; like I said, I'll be staying in these places again!