Raise a Smile Hostel Berlin

Raise a Smile is a non-profit hostel bringing a little bit of Africa to the heart of East Berlin. Thanks to your reviews we are the no. 1 Hostel in Germany for the last 2 years in a row!

***Important* Please read all of the information on this page before booking***

Our small homely hostel is in an apartment block in Friedrichshain, an alternative area full of bars, restaurants and history in the heart of East Berlin.

The Raise a Smile hostel is run as part of the Zambian children's charity Raise a Smile, so all profits from your stay at the hostel will be donated to the charity. Its been designed with a Zambian/African theme to raise awareness of the country, its inhabitants and its beautiful landscapes and animals.

Our hostel is aimed at solo travelers and groups of up to three friends. We try our best to give backpackers and travelers the chance to meet other guests in a fun, friendly, social atmosphere and to experience the real Berlin, not only the most famous historical sites.

The Tram (which runs 24 hours) is only 1 minute walk away and the U-Bahn station less than 5 minutes walk away so you can easily explore the huge city of Berlin. Alexanderplatz is less than 10 minutes away by U-Bahn and the Brandenburg Gate 25 minutes by tram. The East Side Gallery (which is an absolute must-see section of the Berlin wall) is in walking distance. There are plenty of amazing restaurants, cafes, bars, graffiti and interesting little shops in our area which is famous for its alternative, laid back atmosphere.

We offer a self-service breakfast for a suggested donation of around 3 - you decide how much you want to pay. We have a fully-equipped communal kitchen, free bed sheets, free Wi-Fi, free city maps, free luggage storage and, of course, free smiles!

You can have lots of fun here and we DO allow alcohol in the hostel (in comparison to many other hostels in Berlin). However, it is NOT a party hostel so please don't book with us if you are only here to get drunk every night!

We dont have 24hr reception so please let us know if youre going to arrive at a different time than indicated when you booked so we can make sure to be there. Dont worry, theres no curfew once youve checked in!

****************Important! Please read the following before booking!****************

We do not accept groups bigger than 3 or stag or hen parties - We are NOT a party hostel! We require a minimum of 2 consecutive nights in the same room. If you would like to make a booking where one night would be in one room and another night in a different room please contact us before booking!

****************You must indicate what time you will be arriving on the booking page. Please inform us if you are going to miss the time you indicated when you booked your bed so we can arrange for a new time. After check in you will have 24 hours access. ****************

We reserve the right to cancel any booking of people who do not stick to our booking conditions.
A key deposit of 20 is required, which will be returned when you give the keys back when leaving.
You have to walk through a dorm to get to the elephant room (basic double room). The giraffe room (standard double room) has a door from the main corridor so you do not have to walk through another room.