Belgrade · Serbia
Balkan Soul Hostel
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Definitely there are bed bugs, you should be aware because now just all my skin is going crazy after stayed there for 2 nights.
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Confirmed Google Maps
I saw someone commenting about a weird “bed bug” situation, and I have to say—the exact same thing happened to me. They’re not exactly bed bugs because the bites aren’t clustered or as numerous, and they look like mosquito bites, but they’re much itchier. By the second day, the bites had swollen up and looked infected. By the fifth day, they were much better. I also noticed a small dot of blood on the sheets, exactly like the photo I saw in another review from a few months ago, which makes me think they don’t replace dirty sheets. For context, I was staying with a group of friends, and this only happened to me. I’m honestly amazed at how similar my experience was to the review I read before visiting this hostel. Other than that, the hostel is nice and pretty clean. However, it is quite noisy since there’s no soundproofing between doors.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Not a bad stay for the price, pictures made it look a lot better than it was tho. Very few showering facilities for the amount of people staying. Multiple people (including myself) suffered from bed bugs taking a liking to us - on this, I would not advise staying here. I have 30 plus bites and a very unhappy girlfriend who nuked my clothes (and bag) in the wash when I got home!
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Confirmed Google Maps
Well, even though they claimed that they did not find bedbugs in the bed I was sleeping, they’ve mosquitoes that bite in patterns and leave blood stains after. And no matter what bug or mosquito they have, it made me suffer for couple of days. Apart from this issue, the blond receptionist is really friendly and helpful, and the hostel is quite central & equipped. With a nice common area and events happening once in several days, it was easy to meet with other solo travellers.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
The hostel is good in terms of atmosphere, it’s very social, the staff is nice and they organize a lot of events to get to know your fellow travellers. However the hostel itself definitely looks better in the photos than in reality, the facilities aren’t super clean and they have bed bugs
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Vibe Analysis
Balkan Soul Hostel has a social core built around nightly events, shared dinners, cocktail nights, karaoke, pub crawls, and a basement common room with a kitchen and dining table. It can work well for solo arrivals who want an easy way into Belgrade's hangout circuit without a huge party-hostel setup. Megatron the cat is a real personality marker here. The resident cat adds a homey, weirdly calming layer to the place, alongside friendly staff and volunteers who are often active in getting conversations started. The location is central and walkable, near Kalemegdan, bars, restaurants, shops, ATMs, and the bus 72 airport stop. Facilities are practical rather than polished: a stocked kitchen, free coffee and tea, lockers, laundry for a fee, and generally clean dorms are clear strengths, though the building is small and can feel tight.
Signals to check
- Rooms can be small, crowded, hot, or poorly ventilated, and air conditioning may be limited or unreliable.
- Bathrooms are limited for the size of the hostel, with recurring issues around odor, cleanliness, shower pressure, and wet floors.
- The social side can vary by night, and the pub crawl may not land well for everyone.
- Payment may be cash-only, and price or receipt handling has caused frustration.
- Room doors and the front door may not always be locked, so security can feel loose.
- Bug bites or bed bugs have been raised as a concern across different periods.
- Noise can travel through the building, and quiet hours may not always solve it.