Brisbane City YHA review

Brisbane City YHA: Imagine you arrive at a new city destination, take a train from the airport to a busy inner city station, then try to find your way to your hostel, backpack weighting heavy on your shoulders. You spot your hotel’s sign in the distance and walk up the hill, around the corner – et voilà: you are greeted by the smell of freshly made crepes (thin pancakes), friendly vibes and genuine smiles. Our three nights stay at Brisbane City YHA couldn’t have started better.

Location! Why we like Brisbane City YHA

While Open Air Crepes and Wine aren’t an everyday treat at Brisbane City YHA (our arrival coincided with French National Day), something is going on almost every night – we hear barbecue Fridays on the hostel’s rooftop terrace are legendary. Other regular activities include movie nights, weekly guided walking excursions of Brisbane city and Sunday morning pancakes.

Brisbane City YHA, rooftop pool

Apart from its appeal as environmentally friendly budget accommodation, Brisbane City YHA is popular for its great location, a short walk away from major attractions including Suncorp Stadium and South Bank. Nearby Roma Street station is a major hub, with very frequent trains leaving for Gold Coast and Surfer’s Paradise (approx. 1,5 hours from Brisbane).

Our room had great views over Brisbane’s growing skyline, indicator for the city’s growing popularity among Australians and expats. The bed was solid (not always the case in hostels) and the mattress firm but not hard, just the way we like it. Ensuite bathroom was small but clean – more than adequate for a budget accommodation.

As a modern, purpose-built hostel, Brisbane City YHA has everything a backpacker could want. It offers an amazing rooftop pool with some of the best views in town, on-site cafe, free Wi-Fi hotspot (we used Wi-Fi in our room at a small surcharge), and a travel desk from where you can book your onward journey, benefiting from YHA exclusive discounts.

Sustainability at Brisbane City YHA

Demand for sustainable business practices and environmentally friendly accommodation is growing around the world, and Brisbane is no exception. Here’s where Brisbane City YHA really stands out from the crowd of backpackers in the capital of Queensland, Australia’s ‘Sunshine State’. The hostel has many resource-saving and other eco-smart initiatives in place, as we discover during our tour around the property with Mitch, the manager in charge.

One of the most recent initiatives by YHA Australia is to minimize the use of plastic bottles by providing filtered water in hostel lobbies. Plastic litter in Oceans has become a major headache, which makes this even more important.

Especially during hot summer months, water saving has top priority in Australia and it is great to hear that this property managed to reduce overall water consumption by over 780 kiloliters (15%) in 2014 compared to 2013. Using rainwater – collected in a 80,000 litre tank on site – to flush toilets is a great idea, and so are water efficient taps and showers.

Here’s a list of all the environmental initiatives at Brisbane City YHA.


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Things to do in and around Brisbane

While friendly, comfortable accommodation is key to any successful city trip, chances are you’ll spend most of your time out and about. The best way to get to know a new city is to explore it by foot, bike or bus – in Brisbane you also have the option of cruising along the river on one of the free ferries (buy a GoCard at Roma Street Station to benefit from discounts on train, bus and ferry all over Queensland).

Here’s a list of recommended things to do in Brisbane.

Eco-smart travel with Greyhound Bus AustraliaInsider Tip: If traveling North to Cairns, buy a Hop on Hop off Pass with Greyhound Bus, by far the most comfortable way to travel and to explore Queensland’s unique destinations along the way. Book through YHA front desk and save 5% off standard rate! Learn more.


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Review of Brisbane City YHA Hostel and Backpacker Accommodation
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