Budget Hostel Review – The Yard Hostel Helsinki Finland

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The Yard Hostel Helsinki Review

The Yard Hostel in Helsinki has superb reviews on Hostelworld and a fabulous rating on Booking.com. It has a great central location, friendly staff and a fantastic cleanliness rating. My main reason for staying in this hostel was the location. You can walk to all the famous tourist hot spots and museums very easily ie within a 30-minute walk. If you don’t fancy walking there are trams very close by which are very accessible.

Staying in a hostel for the first time? check out my tips for staying in hostels here.

The Yard Hostel Helsinki Story

The Yard in Finnish is Piha which means backyard and symbolizes a green garden where you can hang out and meet your friends. The Yard Hostel Helsinki is owned by Finnish ladies and has a relaxed feel and charming elegance about it. They said the location is like a secret garden in the middle of the city. Honestly, the location is very central and is perfect for tourists in the city.

Did you know you can get an overnight cruise to Stockholm from Helsinki? Click here for more information.

How to get the Yard Hostel Helsinki?

From the Airport get the “I” or “P” train to the central station. It costs €4.10 for a single journey to the hostel. Get the ticket ABC – these are the zones in Helsinki. You must buy a ticket BEFORE you get on public transport. At the airport, there are staff around to ask. Tickets can be purchased through the self-service machine or on the HSL app. The self-service machines are great as you can change the language to English so you know exactly what ticket to get.

If you are arriving at night time you can get bus 600 which takes 45 minutes.

You will find the Yard hostel on Kalevankatu in between bar Kaleva and restaurant Kosmos. If you use Google Maps simply type “the yard hostel Helsinki” and it should pop up. The road which it is on has an Irish pub on the corner and Stockmann shop is opposite the road. (I used these landmarks to find the yard hostel easily.)

The entrance outside the building between the bar Kaleva and restaurant Kosmos says CityForum Hostel. The first door to enter the hostel is on the right-hand side where you will need a code to enter. Upon arrival, you would have received information with codes to enter the building. The hostel is on the 3rd floor, you can take the lift or the stairs. You will then need an additional code to get into the yard hostel.

What does The Yard Hostel Helsinki include?

Dorm/Private Rooms

What’s included in the Dorm Rooms?

• Linen for bedding
• An extension cable with 3/4 plugs attached to your bed
• A reading light
• A mirror
• A stack of three shelves
• 4 hooks
• A privacy curtain
• A draw under the bunk to lock away your belongings (this was big enough to fit my hand luggage suitcase in)
• Key card (for access to your dorm room)
• Wifi – located throughout the yard hostel Helsinki

• Hair dryers – these are located in a box near reception and are free of charge to use
• My dorm (6-bed female only) had a sofa and desk with a large mirror in my dorm room.
• Iron/ironing board

None of the dorm rooms has en suites, they are all external. There are 4 toilets and 4 showers to use. The toilets however are separate from the showers. There is a soap dispenser in all the showers.

What’s included in the Private Rooms?

There is a choice of a budget double room or a budget single room. The budget double room comes with just a double bed and the budget single comes with just a single bed. All bathrooms and toilets are external – the same as the dorm rooms.

It also has the following amenities:

• Linen
• Soundproofing
• Iron
• Heating
• Carpeted
• Socket near the bed
• Clothes rack
• Wifi
• Key Card (for access to your private room)
• Bedside table
• Desk and chair

Note: There is no window in the budget single room or the budget double room.

Luggage Storage

Luggage storage at The Yard Hostel Helsinki is included on the day of arrival and the day of departure. There is a room dedicated to your luggage however this is not locked during the day and anyone staying in the hostel has access to it. It is the room with the glass door when you enter the yard hostel and turn left. It is open from 9 am and you will need to take it out before 8 pm as this is when it is locked by staff.

Self Service Kitchen

There is a kitchen which is completely free to use and has the following facilities:

• Fridge/Freezer
• Microwave
• Tea/Coffee-making facilities
• Utensils
• Shelf for foods
• Dishwasher – no pots or pans are allowed in the dishwasher, you will need to hand wash them yourself.

If you intend to keep food in the fridge/freezer or shelves make sure you label them. If not there is a chance that they will be thrown out. The yard hostel provides labels as well as a pen and scissors for you to do so.

External Bathrooms and Toilets

All bathrooms are external. The showers have hooks and shelves to put your belongings on and some are more spacious than others. The toilets are separate from the showers – which is very convenient. There are 4 separate showers and 4 separate toilets in the hostel.

What’s not included?

Towels

Make sure you bring your towel as this is an additional charge to rent your towel for the duration of your stay. It will cost €3 to rent a towel.

Laundry

There is nowhere to do your laundry in the hostel.

You can head to Pesunet, Punavuorenkatu 3, 00120 Helsinki, Finland it takes 7 minutes by tram or an 11-minute walk.
Open: Monday-Friday 10 am – 6 pm. Saturday 10 am – 3 pm.

There is also 24 Laundry, Mechelininkatu 12, 00101 Helsinki, Finland. It’s a 15-minute tram or a 20-minute walk.
Open every day from 6 am – 10 pm.

Entertainment

In the common area, there are benches and tables perfect relax and make new friends after a busy day. There is also a TV and sofa as well as a desk and table if you wish to play games or watch TV.

There is:

• A PlayStation
• DVDs
• Board Games
• Netflix – is free for you to use

How to the Book The Yard Hostel Helsinki

You can book The Yard Hostel Helsinki via Hostelworld, Booking.com or Agoda. I would check all of these sites to see which has the best deal. Do make sure when you book what the cancellation policies are. The Yard Hostel Helsinki does offer dorm/private rooms with free cancellation up to three days before for peace of mind. This usually is more expensive than no cancellation. If you do choose no cancellation you will lose your money if you decide not to go or are a no-show.

If you are unsure if The Yard Hostel Helsinki is the place for you, you can use my search function below.

What do I need to pack to stay in The Yard Hostel Helsinki?

• A lock (for the draw under your bed to lock away your valuables)
• An eye mask and earplugs – this eyemask is contour so there is no pressure on your eyes and these earplugs are silicone which I have found more comfortable for sleeping in.
• Flip flops (I like to use these for the bathroom and double up as sandals)
• A backpack – this particular backpack is anti-theft (if you are cycling/walking they are very convenient and are also handy for carrying groceries/shopping)
• International travel adaptor with an extension cable (so you can charge more devices at once)
• Comfortable shoes/trainers/boots – for doing lots of walking (bonus if these are waterproof)

The Yard Hostel Helsinki Info

• The Yard Hostel Helsinki is on the third floor and the hostel itself is only on one level.
• There is a lift to the hostel.
• You will need two codes: one to get you into the main building and one to get you into the hostel. Make sure you check your booking confirmation for the codes.
• You will receive your hostel room card which only gets you into your dorm/private room. The doors of your room will lock automatically so you will need your card with you when you leave – even to go to the toilet.
• Towels are not included in the price. It is an extra €3 to rent a towel and you will need to do this before you arrive.
• Staff are not there 24/7. If there is no one there on arrival there will be an envelope with your name on it with all the relevant information including your keycard and room number.
• Only Soap is provided in the showers.
• The kitchen is free to use – just make sure you wash up after yourself.

The Yard Hostel Helsinki FAQ

The Yard Hostel Helsinki Review

I stayed at The Yard Hostel Helsinki for 4 nights and it was a very pleasant stay. The dorm rooms were clean and comfortable and my dorm room had plenty of space. The staff at The Yard Hostel were incredibly friendly and helped me plan my itinerary in Helsinki and answered any questions I had.

In the hostel, there are folders with “things to do in Helsinki” as well as a large board with information about what is happening that week nearby in Helsinki. I wouldn’t have said this is a social hostel. Many people were staying there who were working nomadically and I didn’t want to be disturbed. I would therefore say if you are looking to meet friends and party this may not be the hostel for you.

Having said this I loved the location of the hostel and I would stay there again if I wish to visit Helsinki again. Everywhere I wanted to go was within a short walk which made me make the most of my stay.

For more information about the yard hostel Helsinki check out their website here.