Must-see hotels in Eastern Europe

  • Belka Hostel

    Listvyanka

    This purpose-built hostel located at the far end of ul Chapaeva provides top-notch digs for backpacker prices, leaving Listvyanka’s other flat-footed…

  • Todoroff Wine & Spa

    Plovdiv & Southern Mountains

    From sleeping to sipping to enjoying spa treatments, your every movement can be in reverence to juicy Thracian wines at this fabulous winery-hotel in…

  • Nikita’s Homestead

    Olkhon Island

    Occupying a sizeable chunk of Khuzhir, this intricately carved timber complex has grown (and continues to grow) into one of Siberia’s top traveller hang…

  • Ulan-Ude Travellers House

    Ulan-Ude

    So central is this high-ceilinged apartment hostel, you might even catch a glimpse of Lenin’s conk from one of the windows. The 14 beds are divided…

  • Hotel Baltschug Kempinski

    Zamoskvorechie

    If you want to wake up to views of the sun glinting off the Kremlin’s golden domes, this luxurious property on the Moscow River is the place for you. It…

  • Hotel Tsentralny

    Yekaterinburg

    Opened in 1928, this historic hotel is housed in a grand art nouveau building in the heart of town and has seen its fair share of celebrity guests. It has…

  • Iris

    Krasnoyarsk

    Housed in a 19th-century former religious school for girls, the romantic French theme and impeccable personal service set the Iris apart from most…

  • Hotel Pacai

    Vilnius

    Staying at luxurious Pacai, in a restored 17th-century palace, you slumber beneath the same timber beams as past nobles – except nowadays there's modern…

  • Baikaler Hostel

    Irkutsk

    Experienced tour guide Jack Sheremetoff had a super-central apartment hostel in Irkutsk long before the word even entered the Russian language. Despite…

  • Brick Design Hotel

    Meshchansky & Basmanny

    Not only is this boutique hotel cosy, thoughtfully designed and very centrally located, it also doubles as an art gallery, with original works by Russian…

  • Hotel National

    Presnya

    Now operated by Starwood Resorts, this 1903 beauty occupies a prime location at the base of Tverskaya ul, just across from Alexander Garden. As such, some…

  • Hovel Hostel

    Krasnoyarsk

    A sparkling oasis for budget travellers who have made it all the way here through Siberia’s snowy wilderness, this boutique hostel features a large…

  • Eva Hotel

    The Urals

    Located in the centre of town on a quiet street, Eva Hotel is a delightful boutique stay with just 10 light-filled rooms. Staff are courteous and will…

  • Yugodom guesthouse in Belgrade, billed as a 'stayover museum'

    Yugodom

    Belgrade

    This evocative two-room guesthouse offers more than a comfortable bed; it's also a vessel for time travel. Billed as a 'stayover museum', Yugodom (dom…

  • Vila Raskrsnica

    North Macedonia

    It's worth detouring from the tourist trail just to stay at this utterly lovely village hotel, which offers four rooms in a chalet-style house and lip…

  • The early 1900s building of Savamala Bed & Breakfast

    Savamala Bed & Breakfast

    Belgrade

    This brilliant B&B is all early-1900s charm out the front and nouveau-Savamala graffiti-murals out the back. As hip as you'd expect from its location in…

  • The art nouveau Hotel Moskva on Terazije boulevard

    Hotel Moskva

    Belgrade

    Art nouveau icon and proud symbol of the best of Belgrade, the majestic 123-room Moskva has been wowing guests – including Albert Einstein, Indira Gandhi…

  • Hostel Bongo on central Terazije boulevard

    Hostel Bongo

    Belgrade

    Guests at the modern, brightly painted and meticulously maintained Bongo can take their pick: plunge into the tonnes of attractions, bars and restaurants…

  • The popular and centrally located Hostelche hostel

    Hostelche

    Belgrade

    Bend-over-backwards staff, a homey atmosphere and super location make this award-winner popular for all the right reasons. Dorm beds are all floor level …

  • Villa Dihovo

    North Macedonia

    A remarkable guesthouse, Villa Dihovo comprises three traditionally decorated rooms in a historic house that's home to former professional footballer…

  • Aldyn Bulak Yurt Hotel

    Tuva

    Cupped by bare hills at an attractively sacred site by the Yenisey River, the luxury yurts at this upmarket complex have flushing toilets, air…

  • Village Hotel

    Maramureş

    Run by a charming English couple, Duncan and Penelope, this idyllic property has three rooms in the main farmhouse and three traditionally styled cottages…

  • Costel Hostel

    Moldova

    Located in southwest Moldova just 12km from the Oancea/Cahul border crossing with Romania, this is a wonderful place to experience countryside living…

  • Hotel Rilindja

    Valbona

    Pioneering tourism in Valbona since 2005, the Albanian-American–run Rilindja is a fairy-tale wooden house in the forest 3km downhill from Valbona village…

  • White Tree Hostel

    Pristina

    Pristina's best hostel is run by a group of well-travelled locals who took a derelict house into their care, painted the tree in the courtyard white and…

  • Eco Hostel Republik

    Serbia

    Regional Serbia's best hostel gets a thumbs-up for being environmentally conscious, with furniture made of recycled material, solar-energy panels, waste…

  • Camping Veliko Tarnovo

    Bulgaria

    This friendly campground snoozes among green meadows in Dragizhevo village, a 15km drive east of Veliko Târnovo. Efficiently run by cheerful British…

  • Hotel IT Shipka

    Bulgaria

    In a quiet residential area 500m east of Shipka village square, this friendly, family-run guesthouse has attractive, modern rooms with great views of…

  • Casa Georgius Krauss

    Sighişoara

    This dazzling boutique hotel is hived out of an old burgher's house at the northern end of the citadel. The restoration left period details like wood…

  • Villa Ammende

    Western Estonia & the Islands

    Built in 1905, the Villa Ammende is an art nouveau masterpiece, and now one of Pärnu's best hotels. Original stylistic touches such as colourful tiles and…

  • Maškovića Han

    Northern Dalmatia

    Now here's something really special. This beautiful sandstone compound, first built 370 years ago, is like an ancient caravanserai (inn) and is one of the…

  • Hotel Teatar

    North Macedonia

    Sensitively designed in the image of a traditional Macedonian (Ottoman) house, Hotel Teatar is without doubt one of the loveliest hotels in the country…

  • Urban Hostel & Apartments

    Skopje

    In a converted residential house with a sociable front garden for summer lounging, Urban is an excellent budget option on the outskirts of the leafy Debar…

  • Püspök Panzió

    Transylvania

    Brimming with charm and colour, this former barn has been transformed into a welcoming guesthouse with unique hand-painted decoration, firm beds and…

  • Popova Kula Winery

    North Macedonia

    In Demir Kapija village, this is North Macedonia's most aesthetically pleasing winery, with great views over vineyards and the village's gorge. It has the…

  • Vuglec Breg

    Zagorje

    This rural inn has a scenic location in the village of Škarićevo, 4km from Krapinske Toplice. The five traditional cottages (featuring rooms and suites)…

  • Soul Kitchen Hostel

    St Petersburg

    Soul Kitchen blends boho hipness and boutique-hotel comfort, scoring perfect 10s in many key categories: private rooms (chic), dorm beds (double-width…

  • Mama Shelter

    Belgrade

    Belgrade is just the seventh city worldwide to receive one of Philippe Starck's whimsical designer Mama Shelter hotels – the city's hottest – this one…

  • Kosovo Houses

    Plovdiv & Southern Mountains

    Retreat from civilisation in isolated Kosovo (population 10), a 50km drive south of Plovdiv. Three houses in this 16th-century village have been…

  • Stone City Hostel

    Gjirokastra

    This hostel is a fantastic conversion of an Old Town house, created and run by Dutchman Walter. The attention to detail and respect for traditional…