One of my goals from this big trip is to review more hostels here on the blog. I love hostels—I almost always stay in them, either in dorms or in a private room. I’ve stayed at Godzillas Hostel in Moscow both on my trip three years ago, and again on this trip. I was even in the same room! This is a great hostel, and I absolutely recommend it if you’re visiting Moscow. Here’s my full review:

Location: Godzillas Hostel has an excellent location—definitely one of my favorite aspects of the place. It’s less than a 5-minute walk to a Metro station (Tsvetnoi Bul’var // Цветной Бульвар), and about a 20-minute walk to Red Square. The neighborhood is safe—it’s literally down the street from the police station. I felt comfortable walking from the Metro to the hostel on my own even at midnight. They have very specific directions on their website for walking from the Metro to the hostel.

Room: I stayed in an 8-bed dorm room—it was actually the same room for both of my visits! The bunks are comfy and the room is fairly spacious. There are individual plugs and reading lights for each bed, which I love. There are also lockers that are big enough to store valuables (although not big enough to store big backpacks/luggage).

Price: Considering that Moscow can be a very expensive city, I felt the price was good. Although not necessarily super cheap as you would expect Eastern Europe to be, it’s a good price. I paid 950 rubles/night in my 8-bed dorm (~ $16/£12.50). I felt that this was definitely worth it for what I got from this hostel.

Bathrooms: The bathrooms at Godzillas Hostel are just fine and cleaned regularly (at least once a day). There are separate individual toilet and shower rooms on each floor. Even though there’s just one of each, I rarely had to wait to use either of them. Since my first visit in 2014, they had upgraded the toilet paper they used in the bathrooms, which I was very grateful for!

Staff: All the staff I encountered were helpful with any questions or problems. They all spoke great English, and in general seemed to be nice people. I have to mention that during my first visit, a guy named Vova helped translate medications for me when I got sick and needed to get antibiotics—which I’m still very grateful for three years later.

Common Areas: There’s a large common room next to reception on the main floor. It looked like it was undergoing construction, but there was still plenty of room to hang out and the TV was working just fine. There are also kitchens on each floor. The kitchen on my floor was very well-equipped (both an oven and a stove), and had pretty much everything you’d need for cooking meals on the road. The kitchen was a huge bonus staying here, as it helped cut food costs.

Amenities: The wifi worked well throughout the hostel, and they also had free tea and coffee. One of the best things about Godzillas Hostel is that they offer visa support, and it’s very easy to do online through their website (for more information on getting a Russian tourist visa, check out my post here!). While the visa invitation form wasn’t working for my second trip, the hostel emailed back very quickly to explain the problem and to recommend booking through their associate (another hostel). I had absolutely zero problems purchasing my visa invitation online for my first trip. They also took care of registration (police registration is necessary for anyone staying 5 nights or more in any city in Russia), which was free. We had to ask for it, but it was available for us not long after. All of the visa stuff was a breeze with Godzillas Hostel.

Security: Security was good at this hostel. The front door had an electronic fob, and we had a key for the dorm room. No one locked the door for my dorm room though, but that had nothing to do with the hostel. Reception was also open 24 hours, so that added another extra level of security (and also made late arrivals far less stressful). There were lockers in the rooms (bring your own lock) that were big enough for valuables. I felt safe here.

Verdict: Would I return? Yes, in a heartbeat. This is one of Moscow’s best hostels with good reason—it’s professionally run and makes an excellent base for exploring the city. I can’t recommend Godzillas Hostel enough if you’re looking for budget accommodation in Moscow. You can visit their official website here.

What do you look for when you stay in hostels? Let me know in the comments below!

I was not compensated in any way by this hostel—my opinions are always my own.