HI Bergen Hostel Montana — Hotel in Bergen

When booking my trip to Bergen, I narrowed down my accommodation to this hostel and City Hostel, with both of them being about equal distance from an activity I had planned during my visit and having similar prices and reviews. It didn't take long after my arrival to wish I'd booked the other one instead.||Hostel Montana won out in my decision making because it was right next to green space on the map, and I thought that meant it would be a bit out in nature – which was incorrect. It's just at the edge of a regular Bergen suburb, at the top of the hill. The number 12 bus will get you very close to the building (and I really appreciated the detailed instructions on the hostel's website of how to get there by public transport), but it doesn't run frequently, which means you'll often be walking up and down a massive hill as even the nearest tram stop is about 20 minutes away down a steep incline. 3km from the city centre didn't sound far to me, but it really feels far once you're there because of the hills, stairs, and zig-zagging roads you need to follow to reach the hostel. I don't think I would enjoy the journey even if I had a car as the roads are very narrow and full of parked vehicles. It didn't help that it snowed 5cm while I was there, which made the trek even more daunting. The plus side to the location is that it is right by the start of a hike up Ulriken mountain, which I did do one day, and which I imagine is lovely in the summer. You do get incredible views of the city – though I don't think this should be a deciding factor as you will get similar views by walking up any of the mountains around Bergen, without having to make the journey many times.||Location aside, the hostel is big and has a lot of amenities, including a massive kitchen (there's a supermarket nearby), lounge area, dining area, gym, laundry, and drying room. (Take note that the size also means a lot of school groups choose to stay here, in case that puts you off.) The breakfast was included in the price and was plentiful and delicious, with good serving hours from 7-10. The staff are friendly and put on social activities every night, some free and some paid. Unfortunately I didn't participate in any of them because it was too daunting to spend all day in the city, trek back up the hill for the 5 or 6pm activity, and then go back out in the city for the evening – but some of them did sound very fun.||The rooms were disappointing. I was in a four-bed female dorm with an ensuite and it was tiny. The poor girls whose bunk was right by the door could barely exit their beds without being in the way of someone entering or leaving the room or the bathroom. The shower was good quality, you could control both the pressure and the temperature, though the fan constantly blew the shower curtain onto me which was annoying. Note that you have to pay to rent bed linens, which is common in Scandinavia but still worth factoring into the overall price. The pillow and duvet were probably the clumpiest I've ever had and the bed was small; I usually sleep with my little backpack next to my pillow so I have easy access to my belongings, but this wasn't possible on the top bunk. You do have an individual light and power sockets, as well as a tiny little alcove that doesn't hold much more than a phone. The room was warm, a bit too warm to sleep in if I'm being honest, but which at least meant that wet clothes and towels dried quickly. The wifi barely worked in the rooms, and there was no storage for bags – just small lockers for your valuables.||Your experience at this hostel may be very different in summer vs. winter, but even though I'm keen to visit Bergen again, I won't be staying here. That uphill walk just never felt worth what was waiting for...

I have mixed feelings about this place. There are definitely some good things about it: the views are beautiful; the hike to Ulriken starts very nearby; there’s a supermarket next door; the free breakfast is decent (and they don’t actually mind if you take food away for lunch, even though there are signs saying you’re not allowed to). I also thought the common room was good for a hostel - there is even a piano!

But here are the bad things about it, which wouldn’t necessarily have stopped me from booking it but also which I wish I’d known before deciding to stay here: the hostel staff let people check in really late at night. This happened on 2 of my 6 nights: we had all gone to bed and then, after midnight, a new person would arrive in our room. One of these people then put all the lights on and unpacked and had a shower even though it was 1am and the other 3 of us were trying to sleep! I understand that the hostel staff can’t help how guests behave, but I think they could be stricter about not letting people arrive after midnight. I had to get up early the next day and ended up only getting 5 hours sleep.

the bus only runs twice an hour, takes like 25 minutes into the centre, and it’s a pretty long, steep walk otherwise. Also, if you’re planning to book any fjord tours from companies in Bergen they tend to depart at 7.30, so you have to get the 6.30 bus from the hostel to be there in time. you have to pay for everything, even bedsheets, and I had to pay to borrow a padlock for the locker because the padlock I had brought with me was the wrong size for the lockers. Quite stingy. the pillows are SO uncomfortable! The worst pillow I’ve ever used the lockers are tiny, so you have to leave your stuff out - you can fit things like a laptop in the locker but very little else there is hardly any storage space in the rooms. The bottom bunks have space underneath but there’s nowhere for the top bunks to put their stuff, so it ends up feeling messy and awkward no extra towel/bath mat in the showers, so the floor gets wet and you have to use your body towel to dry it up (and hope your roommates will do the same) the free breakfast is good but once it’s over at 10am there’s no way of getting a coffee the breakfast room is a lovely space but they close it for the rest of the day - it doesn’t make sense! It would be the obvious place to let people hang out, especially when it’s raining.

All in all, it was ok - cheaper than the airbnb options and I definitely saved money on food from the breakfasts, but very very basic and not well organised. If I came here again I might consider staying here but I would get a private room and bring...

Poorly managed with unwelcoming, unfriendly and unkind staff. Not all, though, the Polish girls were wonderful. But the girl with a thick Spanish accent that was at the desk in the morning couldn't have been more unpleasant. And the stupid rules that state someone could only check in after 3, no matter the circumstances, they can stick them where it hurts. I arrived in the morning from a night train and an awful hike uphill with my luggage, because the place is remote, and she refused to give me a room. And they had plenty, they were far from full. When I did reception work years ago, and in every place I have stayed at, if you have room, you give it to the guest, even if they're a bit early. Specially when they're very tired and come from a night train. But she just didn't care. The horrendous hike uphill is because Google Maps doesn't show the bus route to get there. In a new city, you resort to Google Maps. It's quite far from the city and the buses stop early. And, even if you take them, you have to be careful because it's the same stop to the city centre or the bus depot.

The no early check-in policy makes even less sense because they're not strict with anything else; they seem to enforce policies to the detriment of the guest, arbitrarily. The spacious breakfast area, with nice tables to work and a nice view, is closed most of the day out of some utter nonsense. One receptionist says they open at 4, then, later, that it's going to be closed. The staff are all volunteers, seem to be clueless and simply don't care about the guests, just care about hanging out there. Not serious or professional. Mostly Spanish it seemed and no Norwegian at sight, which is not ideal if you want a more local experience.

Some other international staff tried better to be accommodating and offer tea, etc. The free breakfast is good and the rooms clean and comfortable, but still. The place is a mess. The cleaning staff is just as careless and mismanaged. They leave your room open with their products in for a long time when they're not working on it.

The luggage room is unlocked, so anyone could go and take whatever they want.

I regret not having booked an Airbnb instead, for not much more of the price. It seemed the only hostel in Bergen if you want to meet some people and not be completely on your own. Next time, I'll spare...