About M S Birger Jarl
M S Birger Jarl offers budget accommodation in a historic boat docked on Stockholm’s Södermalm Island, just over ten minutes’ walk away from Gamla Stan old town and a few minutes on foot from Fotografiska and the stunning views of Fjällgatan. Guests can look out to the Grönalund Amusement Park and Djurgården from the decks of the M/S Birger Jarl and the hostel goes for afternoon cruises through the Stockholm archipelago on certain dates.
All 156 rooms feature maritime design and range from small rooms with shared bathrooms, to larger facilities with seating areas, a private bathroom and a window.
TVs and Wi-Fi are available in public areas and this 1953 former passenger liner has six decks, including a lounge and open area on the upper deck.
The sixth deck hosts the Skybar and Roslagen restaurant serves breakfast buffets.
M S Birger Jarl is about 1.7 miles from Stockholm Central Station.
Positive Reviews
positive:
Welcoming staff — stay on a boat for cheap!
Hostel guests reported welcoming and helpful staff on reception and some of them were excited by the novelty of being on the water, and also enjoyed great views out over the islands of Stockholm. It apparently offers decent prices for basic accommodation, especially if you only need the room to sleep in.
positive:
Decent buffet offering and entertaining bar.
The breakfast buffet offering was said to have a wide selection of nicely presented fare, the food on the cruise lunches was also deemed good and the Skybar thoroughly entertaining.
positive:
Walk to Stockholm old town, next to Fotografiska.
Those who stayed thought the location on the shore of Södermalm Island was fantastic, meaning you can easily walk into the Stockholm Old Town. On top of this, you are right next to the Fotografiska museum and within an easy walk of great restaurants.
Negative Reviews
negative:
Rooms rather small and can get too hot.
The rooms here can apparently get very hot due to a lack of ventilation, but on the flip side, this was appreciated by some guests in the winter. On top of this, the rooms were considered tiny, only offering enough space for sleeping.
negative:
Thin walls, but no internet in rooms.
Guests have reported sometimes experiencing noise through the seemingly thin walls, thanks to their neighbours, the bar and engines and also what little ventilation there is.On top of this, some made sure to mention there is no internet in the vast majority of rooms, which was instead only available in the common areas.
negative:
Common bathrooms could be cleaner.
A small number of those who stayed said Ånedin Hostel's carpets could have been refreshed and seemed rather dirty. Furthermore, some people said the shared bathrooms could also have been cleaner.