Dopa Hostel

Convenient location near Bologna Central Station and historic center. Clean, quiet rooms with comfortable amenities. Excellent, friendly staff. Varied, high-quality breakfast.

I have mixed feelings about this hostel. I do believe it’s the best hostel choice in Bologna. However, it fell short for me a few times. First of all, the city tax and any extras must be paid in cash. This was not advertised in any confirmation emails that I recall so I barely had enough for city tax upon arrival. I had to go to the ATM to pay for my towel rental. A heads up would have been nice so I could have ensured I had enough for all my extras I needed (my hostel in Rome lumped it in with the bunk credit card payment so that’s what I expected in Bologna as well). Secondly, although I ultimately had success, it was a struggle to get my laundry done. They advertise laundry service both on the website and on signs throughout the hostel, so I planned to have my laundry done at Dopa. When I asked the first day, I was told there wasn’t time (it was 4pm). The second morning I was told they didn’t have time (I asked at 8am). After I came back to the hostel that afternoon there was suddenly time for them to do my laundry so I took them up on it instead of scrambling to find a laundromat. My clothes were given back to me still slightly wet which wasn’t ideal for the €7 pricetag but I hung them on the hangers near my bunk to finish drying overnight. If laundry service wasn’t a guarantee I do feel it should be advertised that way (“laundry service as time & resources allow”). Otherwise the hostel was a typical hostel - loud, and a struggle to get into the bathrooms when you needed one (3 showers & 3 toilets shared amongst all guests). But the location was good & felt safe. And the staff did a great job keeping it clean, especially the bathrooms given how many people use them. If I was on a budget I would stay here again but I would prioritize a hotel first if possible.