The 5 best Bruges hostels, including live gigs, free city walks, and sleeping pods

The modern and well-run Europa Hostel, on the outskirts of the city centre, offers solo travellers, groups and families cheap and agreeable accommodation. It’s situated in the suburb of Assebroek, about a 10-minute walk south of Katelijnepoort, and from there it’s a pleasant 10 to 15-minute walk to the Markt and Belfry, the focal points of old Bruges. There are various facilities to keep large numbers of young guests entertained, including a pool table, darts, board games, a television room and outdoor table-tennis, pétanque and badminton in summer. Bike-hire is available from April to September. There are four, five, six and 12-bed dormitories, plus private rooms.

Charlie Rockets is a celebrated institution, with a great bar, and a back room with five pool tables. The bar in the entrance area is the dominant feature, popular with locals and travellers alike, open all day and throbbing with classic rock music (eat your breakfast to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin). It’s an easy-going, relaxed kind of place. There is also a table football in the bar, a pinball machine and a television sports screen and free walking tours of the city. You can walk to most major sights in half a mile. There are 19 rooms of various sizes: doubles and rooms for four, six and eight (with bunk beds).

The original building of St Christopher’s at the Bauhaus dates back at least 200 years, and retains a characterful sense of antiquity and 1960s feel. Staff are engaging and committed, and guests can expect bike hire, free city walks, and a huge variety of accommodation – the most modern dormitories have ‘pod’ bunks. At the other end of the scale are the two-person apartments, with a living room and kitchen facilities. The Bauhaus bar – with its exposed beams, low-hung industrial lamps, beer bric-a-brac and junkshop furniture creates a sympathetic backdrop for its impressive list of Belgian beers.

This well-established hostel is modern and well-designed; in fact – apart for a lack of pampering luxuries – you might think you’re in a fashionable minimalist hotel rather than a hostel. Just about all needs are covered: luggage storage, bike rental, a computer, chill-out room with board games, and guests are encouraged to join a free walking tour of the city. It also has a small concert hall, and regularly hosts free music events. In summer, the bar spills out into the central courtyard garden. The hostel has 120 beds in 32 spacious rooms, with two, four or six beds/bunks, in each (two six-bed dorms are for women only). Some rooms have en suite bathrooms; others share bathrooms (prices are scaled accordingly).

This red-brick hostel is located on Korte Vuldersstraat, within walking distance to all the main sights. Public rooms – with chandeliers and stucco work, and wonderful tiles in the downstairs loos – are all redolent of the building’s grander 19th-century past. The old, high-ceilinged living rooms have been converted into a cheerful and friendly bar, a lounge and a kitchen/dining area. There is a washing machine for laundry, and luggage storage facilities, and free maps aimed at younger travellers. Outside, there’s a small courtyard at the back for barbecues in the summer, and access to a roof terrace.