HI - Madison Hostel

Hostel

Such a terrific place. Perfect location. Amazing staff. A truly wonderful, friendly, and historic American city. I cannot recommend HI Madison more highly, and though my exploration of this beautiful isthmus has just begun, it's off to a tremendous start. Miles of bike trails connect you to virtually every place you want to see. SF is great, but I'll be leaving my heart in Madison, Wisconsin. A+

I booked a night here so I could see a concert, and it really exceeded my expectations. First of all, it's super centrally located. It ended up being about a block from the concert venue, and two blocks from Capitol Square. It's not especially close to the university campus, but its proximity to Capitol Square makes catching a bus a breeze. The staff was also very friendly, and always patient with people who needed help. Lastly, I stayed in the six person dorm for women and thought it was clean and comfortable. My only suggestion would be to ask ahead of time whether someone would like a top or bottom bunk — an older woman in my room was assigned a top bunk, and she couldn't get down without the help of a couple of women in our room, so asking might help alleviate problems like that in the future. I'll definitely be back, and next time I'll bring a friend!

I wanted to like this place as the location was great and the staff were awesome, but there were a few too many small things that added up. The men's bathroom had several problems. There was always a wet towel in there, and after the first day the faucet on the tub broke, so only really cold water came out. Also, the internet got so allow it was useless.

I've been going to this Hostel since 2013. Wonderful location — especially if you're looking for activities around the Capitol Square. (Big hint: Dane County Farmer's Market). The hostel has a great staff.

Great location with affordable price. Nice clean facilities. The girls dorm it wasn't the most modern facility, but it was a great place to just sleep. Perfect for people visiting the city. The shared spaces were very cute, and other guests were friendly! There was even a board with events that were happening that weekend.

Great place, comfy, nice staff and guests. Could be a little cleaner in bedrooms (dusty, needs to be vacuumed) but better than Motel 6 or Red Roof Inn and great location downtown. Nice kitchen with some fruit and limited breakfast supplies available incld (like eggs and pancake mix, bread) not vegan and gluten free friendly but I was able to buy and cook my own food to save $$. Football weekend so most guests (not me) were there for the game.

My friends and I loved staying here. Great location.

The HI Madison Hostel is awesome! I can’t wait to make another visit once again soon!

Excellent place to stay. Very central to downtown. Cool layout. Staff is excellent.

Very clean, very eco-friendly, and the staff was very accomodating. It's right next to downtown, easy access to groceries and anything else. One of the best hostel experiences I've had.

Inexpensive. Close to the square. Bars and restaurants just a block away.

The front desk staff didn't give us precise information about parking, which caused our Car be towed. We spent a lot of money and time on it. It's a terrible experience for us.

Very inviting and clean place. Friendly staff and fellow travelers. Would highly recommend!

I’ve mostly frequented hostels outside of the US so it was fun to find one in my home state. Dorm and private rooms were both available and lots of nice common areas to hang out in on the main floor. The house had a historic vibe but was very clean, colorful, and best of all very cozy on a cold day/night. The bed was SO comfortable and the staff was very nice and had good recommendations for the surrounding area. All around great experience!

Great location as far as proximity for walking to the Capitol. Met some pretty cool people here, too.

Super cute and cool hostel. Friendly staff, clean and good prices! So close to the capital, great food, bars and the monona terrace.

Great place to stay for reasonable price. In Madison. You can meet diverse people. Self service kitchen make own food. Easy acess to. Take public transportation. If you don't mind sharing room with others or they have few private rooms also. Works for me.

The only reason I gave a 5-star is because of the cost and the location of the place. If you are looking for a perfect and cosy bed to sleep, this might not be the place to stay. Good points about the place are: staff is nice, location is amazing especially if you like a quiet place but at the same time want to be close to everything in Madison. Overall it's a perfect place for people who just need a place to sleep and don't mind sharing room.

That this place exists is the biggest plus there is. Nothing currently available through Air B&B comes close. That said this place has the most comfortable beds and softest sheets of any hostel I've ever stayed in. Clean, friendly, great location. Free coffee!

Nice old house with lots of rooms. Front desk closes early but you have 24 hr access. Super warm and cozy.

Worked here. Stayed here. Met so many people that I now call good friends here. Madison is lucky to have this gem.

Very clean. Professional, helpful, and friendly staff. Great location for downtown and campus conferences, or for exploring the beautiful City of Madison. Room prices, $30-$70.

The only one like it. Parking available. I felt very safe here and the rooms and bathrooms were clean.

An awesome place to stay if you are in town for a short visit. Nearby the city centre and way too near the grown up party scene around Wilson and king street.

Great service, everything was clean.

Centrally located, dorms weren't overcrowded, friendly, helpfull staff. It was a good place to relax — not a party place. Also, many amenities. Great value for the price.

Lovely hostel. Super comfry beds, clean and with everything that you might need, and the staff went above and beyond for me. One of the best hostels I have stayed at.

The beds were very, very comfy, the house is charming and conveniently located, and Emily really went the extra mile for me both when I arrived and when I left several days later (even very late when I stupidly forgot my security code! ). Would definitely recommend to travellers in the Madison capital area. Great bus service from here too!

The rooms and bathrooms were clean and it's greatly located. The only issue I had was that when I asked for a towel at the front desk they said they didn't have any available, which was very inconvenient since I didn't bring any with me.

As an adult student studying sociology it has great character & personality, so to speak, with the overall stay in aspect of fellow guests, rooms, building and location as well. With bad reviews, as a student, I see negative stereotyping and can only wonder if people were looking for conformity or creativity. The commercial look and feel of everyday hotels or the creativity of a place to think of as home.

Decent hostel. It's in an older building, so that's something to keep in mind, but it's quiet at night and cheap, so for a hostel what more do you need.

Madison is a nice city to visit. I was really surprised at how much Madison had going on. Went on a whim one day and was very glad I did. I am from Minnesota and never visited Madison. The hostel is in a good location and a block away from the beautiful capital building. A block past that you will see state street which is filled with bars and restaurants. The University is right in the area so alot of college bars with cheap drinks. Madison is a city that knows how to party. During the day they have street markets and lovely views of the great lake. The hostel in a decent size building. The rooms were rather small and the pillows looked worn out and old. They change the code on the outside door to get into the hostel every day so make sure you get that code. I came back late one night and forgot to ask for the code that day. Had to piggyback my way in from a guest that was also coming in late. Thankfully he was or I would have been locked out. The receptionist is not 24 hours like other HI hostels. I drove to the hostel so not sure how the public transportation in this area is but they do have a small parking lot in the back that I was able to park my car in. Street parking is hard to find. I would suggest walking down to the water during the day and downtown Madison. And then go to state street during the night to the wide range of bars. Glad I visited and would recommend this hostel if planning to visit the Madison area. Let me know if you have any questions:).

Pros: price, location, staff Cons: cold shower, lack of privacy. Overall my stay was great.

Terrible hostel. Awful service, dilapdated rooms, and extremely noisy due to a stoner restaurant connected to the hostel that blasts regae well past midnight on weekdays that shakes to rickety old house that serves as the hostel into the wee hours of the morning.