Hostel is not just a cheap hotel but a cultural phenomenon. The typical hostel guests are so-called backpackers – a special category of travellers who despise comfort and try to understand the country’s real life. Not very rich foreigners have some options where to have a drink and to stay overnight in Moscow, according to director of the first Moscow hostel “Napoleon” Mikhail Nuridzhanov.

“5-star hotels seem expensive and just not interesting to a backpacker”, Mikhail Nuridzhanov explains and confesses that he is also a passionate traveller. Amongst Mikhail’s business partners is Richard Lines – a veteran of the backpack movement.

“Richard travelled around the world for nearly two years without breaks. Once he happened to travel to Russia. We met each other being quite tipsy at one of the Moscow bars. Richard complained that there was no any hostel in Russia and it occurred to us to start a new business. As a result the first (now it is not the only one) classic western hostel. It offers ascetic conditions of living but we guarantee fresh bed sheets, clean toilet and friendly personnel”, as Mikhail says.

Apart from private hostel business owners in Russia there also exists Youths Hostels Association that unites all backpack travellers despite their age, nationality, skin colour, religion, gender or political views. The Association claims that hostels favourably differ from hotels in not only prices but the general atmosphere also. Unlike hotels, in hostels it is hard to imagine guests locking in their rooms and staying there alone. In hostels there are special chat rooms where people come to talk and to meet new interesting people. Hostel guests can easily start a conversation with a room mate or with a neighbour (even if he is shaving at the moment), to exchange a couple of phrases about the city you are staying in, and to ask and tell about the route you are following.

Hostels in Moscow and St. Petersburg

Moscow: Hostel Sherstone (Address: 8, Gostinichnyi Proezd, korp.1, office 324, 3-d floor, Moscow, 127106, Russia); G&R Hostel Asia (Address: Zelenodolskaya str., 3/2, 1410, Moscow, 109377, Russia); Godzillas Hostel (Address: Bolshoi Karetnyy 6, Apt 5 (First Floor), Moscow, 127051, Russia); Hostel "Sweet Moscow" (Address: 51, Arbat Street, Apt 31, Moscow, Russia); Home-Hostel (Address: 2nd Neopalimovsky pereulok, 1/12, 1st floor, Moscow, Russia); Hostel "Home from Home" (Address: 49, Arbat Street, entrance 2, ap. 9, Moscow, Russia); HM Hostel "Moscow" (Address: 1/33, Maliy Afanas'yevskiy Side-street, ap. 14 (4th floor), Moscow, 119019, Russia); Hostel "Kalinka" (Address: 5 Medovyi pereulok, Moscow, 107023, Russia); Napoleon Hostel (Address: Maly Zlatoustinskiy Street, Dom 2, 4th Floor, Moscow, Russia 101000)

St. Petersburg: Hostel "All Seasons" (Address: 11, Yakovlevskiy lane, 4th floor, St. Petersburg, 196105, Russia (entrance code: 369); Hostel "Metro Tour" (Address: 47, Blagodatnaya str., St. Petersburg, 196105, Russia); Hostel "Ostrovok" (Address: 130, Bukharestskaya str., korp. 2, 13th floor, St. Petersburg, 192288, Russia); Hostel "Na Muchnom" aka SPb Traveller Hostel (Address: 25/4, Sadovaya str., St. Petersburg, 191023, Russia); Hostel "Menshikovskiy" (Address: 8, Menshikovskiy prospect, St. Petersburg, 195067, Russia).

Source:
    moscor.ru

Lavrentyeva Natalya