Zürich is an expensive city, there are no two ways about it. Money flows through like the pretty river water that cuts through the city. You might think there is nowhere to stay on a budget but there is a new accommodation option that sits somewhere between a hostel and a boutique hotel. Its superb location, stylish decor and reasonable price tag might be a game changer. Read on for our Pop up Hostel Krone Zürich review.

This post may contain sponsored content or affiliate links that help support the blog. All opinions are our own.

If you are visiting Zürich, find out all about the city and “How to Spend 2 Days in Zürich”.

Our Arrival

We arrived a bit later than planned and reception is only open during certain hours of the day. We emailed the hotel and they set up a self check in for us. So we received an email with a lockbox code. We popped in the code and grabbed our room key. It was really easy. We used the little lift to take us up the two floors to ours. I know, it was lazy but we had walked the long way from the station by mistake and spent 30 minutes trying to find our Too Good to Go location…all whilst wearing our backpacks. We dumped our bags and then ate our delicious dinner. (More about the dining room later).

The Location

Krone Zürich has an excellent location. It’s just two minutes from the heart of the old town and fifteen minutes from the lake. You are also just fifteen minutes from the main train station (or you can hop on the tram that is right outside). Located right on the riverside, if you have a room overlooking the road, you’ll also have a wonderful view of the Limmat. In the sun, it glitters beautifully at the bottom of the hill.

Our Room

We had a lovely large room at the front of the property. I was very surprised by the size , expecting the property to have much smaller rooms. There was a wardrobe built into one wall with room for both of our bags and a few shelves for extra bits. Next to this was a big sink with “that IKEA mirror” that I’ve listed after for years. It was backed by a gorgeous golden feature wall and J was instantly obsessed. Opposite was a standing full length mirror so outfit checks were a go!

There was a writing desk with a wooden chair, but also a big bucket chair to relax in. On the desk were two coffee pods that you could take downstairs to pop in the coffee machine. There was also a sign about getting a free coffee just around the corner at a coffee shop. We asked reception about this as we couldn’t find the spot on Google Maps. It seems it’s actually a brand of coffee and lots of places serve it but we didn’t fancy trying to convince someone to give us a free coffee if they didn’t know about it so I stuck to the pods.

The bed was really big with two nice thick duvets. Yes, it was May but no one had told the weather that! We each had a big pillow but they were the European kind that are swuare and very squishy. These are not my favourite and so I used my travel pillow as well. On each side was a lamp on a bedside table and I had a weird but very useful multi plug on mine. If you are bringing plug adaptors then you probably only be able to use two of the three slots so near that in mind.

We also had a towel and a pair of slippers each which was a nice touch as the bathrooms were outside of the room.

The Bathrooms

The bathrooms are shared. We had a toilet just outside the room and one further around the corridor on the same floor. They were kept immaculately clean throughout our stay.

The four showers for our floor were all in one spot towards the back of the building. They were also very clean but one was missing a curtain so it was out of action in my book.

All of the bathrooms and our room’s sink have gorgeous products from a local brand called Foeders. Apparently they really took off during the pandemic and I can tell why. They smell gorgeous, especially the black palm.

Dining

There is a small kitchen on the first floor, next to reception. It has a kettle and microwave so great for noodles and packet rice but not if you want to make a proper dinner. There was no hob or oven. However, there are a few tables and then a more comfortable seating section for chilling out. There is a big communal fridge where hostel rules apply. Label your food and don’t take anything that has a label belonging to someone else.

Overlooking the river was an area that seemed to be a bar but was never open during our two night stay. When it was raining, we walked back to the hotel to eat our packed lunch in the dry and we took a table in here. A few other people seemed to be doing the same.

Final Thoughts on Pop Up Hostel Krone Zürich

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Pop Up Hostel Krone Zürich and to be honest, I am still a little perplexed…but pleased. I would say that it is definitely a hostel. It has the kitchenette and shared bathrooms meaning it’s not what most people would think of as a hotel. However, our lovely big room with its fabulous view is definitely a cut above your standard hostel. It is an excellent option for budget travellers that want a bit more privacy and a bit more space than you will find elsewhere in the city.

Rosie xx