I stayed at D J way back in 2007, it is very near to both the station and the bus terminal, and walking distance to the city square.

The staff is really friendly and helpful.

I made the unfortunate decision to book this hostel for a weekend in Krakow, based on reviews that though old seemed good.

The unfortunate starts here: we reached Krakow at 1pm and went directly to DJ Hostel only to find out that the room we have reserved was given to another guest. I had driven 6 hours to reach Krakow and the receptionist told us that we were expected at 6am (which was when we wanted to leave our luggage in the hostel as normal check-in starts at 2pm) so they gave away our room before noon. Obviously upset, I asked the receptionist if they can do something. Hence, she called the manager, Joanna, and I discussed the issue with her. Joanna said that she tried to contact me to confirm our reservation, but the fact is that I sent a confirmation four days before which they somehow didn't read because of a change in personnel.

To cut the long story short, Joanna offerred us to stay in another hostel but we decided against it because it was filthy. We also decided not to stay in the DJ Hostel because the rooms are eons away from the pictures posted in their site. The rooms are dirty, beddings are quite old, and the bathrooms are practically biological bombs waiting to explode.

Do not ever make the mistake of booking this hostel. Krakow has a lot of good hotels, so I suggest you book one instead. It won't cost an arm and a leg, but will be well worth it.

The DJ Hostel is in an excellent location less than 2 mins walk from the (rear entrance of the) Central Railway Station and main bus terminal and approximately 10 mins walk from the Old Town. There are bars, a bakery and grocery shops all within a minutes walk of the hostel and there is a new shopping centre right next to the train station.

We had booked a double room with ensuite facilities and as the hostel was not busy, we were pleasantly surprised to be given 2 adjoining rooms (for our sole use), one with a double bed and 2 bunks, and the other with 2 bunks, a toilet, washbasin and shower. The rooms were clean and spacious and had a few hanging hooks and plenty of drawer-space for our needs. We were given our own keys although the main desk is manned 24/7.

There is a common room where you can eat breakfast (tea, coffee, cereal and bread are provided) including a fridge for guests use. There are also books, magazines, a tv and a computer terminal with free 24 hour internet access available.

There is a lot of information available on what to see and do in Krakow including lists of restaurants, pubs etc which have been personally annotated to draw your attention to any special features! We visited pubs and eateries off the list and were delighted to find they were exactly as described!

The staff were exceptionally helpful and friendly and our special thanks go to Monika for her personal help with our requests! We thought this hostel was very good value for money and we would have no hesitation in recommending it or in staying here again.

My wife and I stayed at DJ Hostel in Krakow for three nights as part of a 60 day trip through Europe, on a budget.

Having not stayed at hostels often, we were wondering what to expect but we needn't have worried.

Firstly, the staff are extremely friendly and were an absolute pleasure to deal with, both prior to traveling via emails and more importantly once we had arrived. We chatted for ages about the things to see in Krakow, places to go, restaurants to eat in, etc. and we were given many brochures to peruse.

The room itself, (we chose a double room with ensuite) was next to the reception which was a slight worry but again, no cause for concern as the staff were extremely quiet, as were the guests, and we had good sleeps for all three nights. The room was basic, but functional, with a double bed as well as a double bunk, so plenty of room.

The Hostel is also about two minutes walk from the rail station and the free internet was a great bonus.

Overall, DJ hostel was a good place to stay as it is so close to the rail station and the staff were so friendly.

PS, for authentic Polish food, i suggest a restaurant called Polskie Smarkie, in the old town