HI Coimbra - Pousada de Juventude

The hostel is clean, warm, and welcoming. The showers are great and have hot water. There's free breakfast included (I only had cereal) with lots of options - plus the kitchen workers are very sweet. Important note - the receptionist is a delight. She's sweet, funny, caring - you just feel at home!

Pousada da Juventude Coimbra offers a great location near the city's main attractions, friendly staff, and clean facilities. The atmosphere is social, making it ideal for meeting other travelers. However, noise from people entering the building can be disruptive and some parts of the building feel outdated. For light sleepers, it's worth requesting a room further from the entrance. Overall, it's a budget-friendly option for those seeking convenience in Coimbra.

I stayed here for 2 nights with a friend and it was distinctly average! We stayed in a shared dorm (they are male or female, no mixed dorms) for the first night, then managed to get into a twin room for the second night. Both rooms were similar - extremely basic, with cupboards in the dorm rather than lockers, and wooden bunk beds which looked pretty old. The beds weren't that comfortable either. The shared bathrooms were awful, not enough showers or toilets and they could have been cleaner - I know it's difficult when a lot of people are in and out every day, but by the end of the day they were a real mess. There were a lot of families staying too, so if you're a young traveller hoping to meet people it might not live up to your expectations of a hostel. Another annoyance was that there was only 1 key per dorm - not ideal for security reasons or for if you are sharing with people you don't know. The good points are that the hostel is very cheap, breakfast is included in the price, and it's not too far from the centre or Coimbra's 'nightlife' (we visited in summer when most students were away so even on Saturday night it was really quiet). The staff were quite friendly too. Basically, it just really needs refurbishing. Hopefully they will do it soon!