On our trip to Denmark, we spent four nights at the Generator Hostel Copenhagen. Prior to the trip, I did quite a bit of research on where to stay and which type of accommodation to use. Copenhagen has a good selection of hotels, hostels and self catering apartments. I opted for the Generator due to its central location. It had positive reviews online and seemed like good value for money.
Design details at the Generator Hostel Copenhagen: youth hostels are changing.
If you’re used to traditional youth hostels where you stash your food in a communal fridge and hope that it’s still there the next day, you’ll be in for a surprise at the Generator Hostel Copenhagen. This is a new breed of hostels: part hostel, part hotel. The Generator is a sociable place with plenty of communal space and there’s a relaxed and informal vibe. You can stay in a private en-suite room or a dorm and there’s a laundry room for washing clothes. You can’t self cater which is tricky if you’re trying to save money in an expensive city like Copenhagen. However, the Generator serves a good value buffet breakfast as well as catering for lunch and dinner. There’s a supermarket round the corner to stock up on food for the rest of your day.
Accommodation at the Generator Hostel Copenhagen
There are dorms (mixed and female only), double rooms, and family rooms at the Generator. You can even book a private six bed en-suite room making it a particularly appealing option for larger families or groups of friends. We booked an en-suite family room which had two single beds pushed together plus a set of bunk beds. It was a spacious and light room with big windows overlooking rooftops (we were on the top floor of six). There was no noise from adjoining rooms or corridors despite the hostel seeming pretty busy during our stay in April.
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- Twin beds in the family room
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- A family room in a youth hostel
While we were in Copenhagen it was quite warm during the day but the temperature dropped to zero at night. However, our room remained quite hot each night so we needed all the windows open (there’s a fan for summertime, no air-con). The Saturday night revellers were out on the terrace below us until the early hours which might disturb some people but we were so tired it didn’t bother us. The terrace was fairly quiet for the rest of our stay and no doubt if you request a room elsewhere in the building this might not be an issue.
Room with a view
The communal space
The first floor of the Generator Hostel Copenhagen is given over to various communal areas including a large outdoor terrace and a covered petanque area. There are spaces to socialise in with shuffleboard, table football and darts and there are spaces in which to be alone: plenty of comfy furniture where travellers can curl up with a book and a coffee or beer. There are also a couple of TVs showing sport.
Communal area at the Generator Hostel Copenhagen
The ambience
We arrived at around midday on a Saturday when the hostel was pretty quiet. Check in is a civilised 2pm so we spent an afternoon exploring the city before returning to the Generator for an early dinner as we were quite tired after a 5am start in the UK. The food is crowd-pleaser stuff: burgers, chips, pizzas and so forth.
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- The hostel by day: a sociable space for travellers
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- Shuffleboard
The staff
The staff are young, patient and friendly (even when they’re asking an unsuspecting youth if he’s paid for his breakfast). They speak such perfect English that I had no idea whether they were Danish or from an English-speaking nation. The reception desk is manned 24/7 and bike hire, tours and other travel arrangements can be made there.
Information board at the hostel
Location of the Generator Hostel Copenhagen
The Generator has a pretty unbeatable location. It’s a 6 minute walk to Kongens Nytorv metro station (15 minute journey direct to the airport) and an 8 minute walk to Nørreport train station where you’ll find direct trains to Malmo in Sweden (journey time around half an hour).
We only used public transport for the airport and for a day trip to Malmo. Otherwise we walked or cycled everywhere. Nyhavn is 10 minutes walk from the Generator while the National Museum of Denmark and the Tivoli Gardens are both a 20 minute walk from the hostel.
Nyhavn is just 10 minutes walk from the hostel
Just around the corner from the Generator you’ll find an Aldi supermarket where we stocked up on fresh bread, cheese, ham and fruit for lunches. You also have Kongens Have park just a 2 minute walk from the hostel which is perfect for families needing a green space to let off some steam.
Where to eat and drink near the Generator Hostel Copenhagen
There are many, many brilliant places to eat in Copenhagen: we barely scratched the surface. The food at the Generator is fine if you’re after a quick bite to eat. Here are a few places near the Generator which we sampled:
We didn’t eat at Nyhavn but it’s such a pretty area that we did find ourselves there on more than one occasion as it works well for an evening aperitif and / or ice cream stop: great for keeping all members of the family content. Vaffelbageren on Nyhavn makes its own waffles and has a very good selection of ice cream. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the Generator.
Popular Vaffelbageren, Nyhavn
Illum: perfect for coffee
Our verdict
We paid 3,850 Danish Krone for our 4 night stay in April 2019 (room only) for a 4 bed en-suite family room, this equates to approximately £110 per night.
The hostel is a good value, very central family friendly place to stay in Copenhagen. We would definitely stay at the Generator Hostel Copenhagen again. Please note, this is not a paid review.
Have you stayed at the Generator Hostel Copenhagen? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Find out about the best things to see and do in Copenhagen with kids: including playgrounds, museums and day trips out from the city.
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Having recently reacquainted myself with a hostel for a family stay I must say I am very impressed by the look of this one and the location seems amazing. #familyfriendlystays
Author
I think my family will be going to a lot more hostels from now on. And Yorkshire is top of my list so I’m looking forward to reading your review.
This looks great! An avid fan of Youth Hostels for many years now, we have quite recently discovered the similar Meininger group of hostel/hotels, and really like the idea. Generator looks a bit funkier than Meininger, but it’s a pity that there is no self-catering facilities; this would be particularly important for us in an expensive city such as Copenhagen. Still, we’ll definitely be checking this out – thanks for the tip!
Author
I’d definitely like to try the Meininger group, it sounds good. And I’m keen to try a few more hostels in the UK, they seem to be having a bit of a makeover at the moment.
Wow – an app for meeting other guests. The world really has changed! This sounds very reasonably priced for Copenhagan. We’re hoping to travel there at some point soon, so I’ll bear it in mind!
Author
Yes, staying in a hostel is a good way to keep up to speed on how travel works for the younger generation.
This is a great option – I spent ages looking for somewhere to stay in Copenhagen last October (we never went, but it’s still very much on the bucketlist! Loads of great tips and things I’d like to know about a place before I stay there! #familyfriendlystays
Author
I spent a long time looking too: everywhere was so expensive! Really glad we stayed at the Generator, such a great location.
Haven’t hostels changed so much over the past years? This place sounds perfect for families visiting Copenhagen and a great location too. #MondayEscapes
Author
Yes haven’t they just! I’m keen to try a few more now to see how they compare.
Copenhagen is on my wish list. This hostel looks like a great location. #MondayEscapes
Author
The location was pretty unbeatable. It was nice not having to rely on public transport to explore the city.
That sounds fantastic – Denmark is on my list and I think reading a review like this would change my husband’s thoughts of Hostel stays. He has 1 experience of a YHA in Cornwall sometimes and assumes that they are all similar. It also looks really family friendly (apart from a Saturday Night!) #MondayEscapes
Author
It’s certainly very different to a lot of hostels I’ve stayed at over the years! It’s great to have an affordable option like this in an otherwise expensive city.
Fantastisk! That’s Danish for fantastic. Happy you found the view (and the coffee) at Illum’s Rooftop! Good to know that the Generator is a good spot for families and budget travelers – I will add it to my list of recommendations when people ask before coming to visit this fine city. Danes do hostels well – and we’ve stayed a few in other parts of Denmark. Efficient, clean and accommodating usually. Cheers from here. Erin
Author
We loved Denmark! And I really enjoyed reading some of your other tips. You’ll be referred to in my future posts about what we got up to!
Thanks so much – happy you found some helpful tips! Cheers from here.
That’s a very reasonable price, Annabel and it’s good to see that you didn’t need to sleep in a dorm. I haven’t stayed in a hostel since I was in Italy 20 years ago. I think I should start discovering them again with the kids. #farawayfiles
Author
It had been a similar hiatus for me. Looking forward to trying out a few in the U.K. now.
I admit I’ve never stayed in a hostel in my entire life, but I think this might be one I would consider. I actually never knew, until I started blogging, that there was such a thing as a family hostel. I alway thought they were for people 25 and under. Copenhagen is a place I dream of going, so maybe thats the place I discover staying in a hostel? #farawayfiles
Author
There are some utterly brilliant hostels out there, give them a try! We’ll definitely be using them more now that I’ve rediscovered them.
You know, I would never consider booking a hostel with kids but youo’ve introduced me to a new concept. And in somewhere like Copenhagen where it can get a little expensive this seems like a great idea! Thank you for the info. #farawayflies
Author
There are some really great hostels out there, it’s definitely worth investigating some in the destinations you’re travelling to.
I have never thought of booking a hostel, but what a great idea. Copenhagen looks absolutely beautiful its definitely on my ever growing list !! Thanks for linking up to Monday Escapes 🙂
Author
It’s amazing how so few families use hostels, we’ll definitely be trying them for more city breaks in future.