Shelter City Christian Hostel

A safe, comfortable, clean, and affordable hostel located in the red light district of Amsterdam.
My friends and I stayed in the 16 bed female dorm (€ 21/​person/​night) and didn’t have any complaints about our stay. The bathrooms reminded me of high school locker rooms but they weren’t terrible. There are plenty of lockers in the dorms where you can store your valuables and whatnot. The hostel serves a really satisfying, delicious breakfast that is free for the hostel guests so that’s always a plus. The staff is very friendly and accommodating as long as you respect their rules (no drugs and no alcohol allowed).
There are plenty of things to do around the hostel and plenty of delicious restaurants to try. If you get bored and want to venture to other parts of Amsterdam, the tram stop is only a 1 minute walk away.

Bonne auberge, au cœur du quartier rouge mais je né me suis jamais sentie en insécurité pour autant.
Nous avons pris une chambre prévue pour 4 filles avec mon amie, chambre qu’ils nous avons partagée avec deux espagnoles. Salle de bain et toilette privé pour nous 4.
Auberge assez calme, centrale, propreté correcte, literie bien. Pour le prix (150 € pour 2 pour 3nuits) elle était parfaite!
Petit déjeuner compris dans le prix, pas exceptionnel mais très correct.
L’auberge est chrétienne donc l’alcool et la drogue sont interdits à l’intérieur ce que je trouve plutôt bien!

Good location, street noise is minimal — quiet place to sleep. Like many other hostels, walls are paper thin. Basic sink, bunk bed, and locker in room. No soap/​towels provided. Bring your own lock or buy one from the front desk.
Didn’t try the breakfast or wander into the café/​garden common areas, so can’t comment.
Friendly, caring people at front desk. 15 euro deposit extra required (returned in cash at check-​out) and credit card accepted for payment. House rules clearly explained from get-​go — need to buzz in and show voucher for entry.
Christian hostel, so be prepared to hear some religious talk.

Really great hostel, very clean and safe. There is a large locked room to store luggage which is nice if you get in early. The staff are friendly and international, very helpful and answer questions easily.
It is a Christian hostel and there is no alcohol in the café but there are plenty of other options. There is an Irish pub at the end of the alley which had a good Guinness and plenty of other restaurants and cafes close by.
Just about an 8 – 10 minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal.

Unbeatable value. For $ 20/​night you get lodging and free breakfast. The hostel is better organized than most, there is no hassle in finding bathrooms or showers, and they are plentiful. The location is perfect, in the red light district with all tourist attractions a few steps away. The hotel bans drugs and alcohol on premises but observing what other guys in the hostel were doing this rule is close to impossible to enforce. The staff are friendly and seem to genuinely take an interest in their guests. They do a lot of outreach that is optional to participate in, bible studies, open mic nights, tours etc… These can be pretty entertaining. For brief moments it did feel a bit like I was judged just for staying there and being actively evangelized which felt odd. I feel for the struggle of the workers here, they are trying to do the best for the community and their guests. Overall I think they are doing an excellent job, I had a ton of fun here meeting people and at a low price. I could not recommend this place more highly.

The location of the hostel is great! Very central.. .. The staff was incredibly friendly. The hostel is clean & they offer great daily breakfasts. I did not use the internet since I was out most of the time so I am not too sure about the WiFI. You have to show your hostel pass to enter the building at all times of day so I felt like my belongings were safe. This was my second stay here and I would definitely go back.

3.5 stars, but I didn’t feel comfortable giving it a 4.
My review is based on the fact that the experience is completely different on the male floor vs. the female floor. The people of this hostel are very friendly and welcoming. They made us feel so comfortable traveling to Amsterdam. You would never guess that this hostel is in the red-​light district of Amsterdam. I guess they really did succeed in «sheltering». :)
The breakfast: They provide a sufficient breakfast and are willing to even pack you food on your day of travel if you request it ahead of time. They have an interesting system where you can trade in a jam for an additional pancake. Not sure how that’s equivalent… but we still got a laugh out of it.
The internet: You have to buy coupon codes to use the wifi by the half hour. It was kind of expensive, but you will find that this is true at most hostels.
The lounge: The main lounge area is near the kitchen/​cafeteria. They have a beautiful pond outside that I loved writing by.
Safety: Overall safe. The doors are always locked and they require you to show documentation every time you enter the hostel to prove that you are staying there.
The experience was very comfortable staying in the female rooms. It was very clean and we felt very safe here. They provide lockers that you can keep your suitcases in, although you need to bring your own lock. If you have an over-​sized backpack that wouldn’t fit in to a normal locker — then you store it under one of the bunk beds. From what I remember, the girls’ bathrooms have funny hours and one of the ladies came to kick us out due to cleaning hours. She was literally counting down by the second as we were washing off. Can you imagine? We kept talking to her to buy ourselves time. «But why do you need to clean THIS second?» It was hilarious.
From what I understand, the mens floor was a little different. Apparently, there were many «creepy» men that do a lot of staring. Our friend didn’t feel very comfortable in those rooms. Could have just been that specific weekend that we were there though.
Overall, I recommend it! They were so sweet to us. I would definitely return!