Tree House Hostel

Rooms and decor

Picture an early-1900s red-brick building on a cobbled lane in Riga's old town. Open the door and worn wooden stairs wind up to floors 4 to 6 — that is Tree House Hostel, hidden with real charm in the heart of Vecrīga. The name fits: open a window once you are up here and you look out over the brown-red tiled roofs of the old buildings stretching to Riga's Gothic church spires, like sleeping high in the treetops above the old town. The dorms hold 4 to 8 beds in bunks, with a personal locker for valuables, and every bed has a reading light, a power outlet and a small curtain for a bit of privacy when you turn in. Want more of your own space and there are a limited number of singles and doubles — some face a quiet lane where you barely hear traffic at night. Real guests agree it is all spotless, with sheets and towels freshly washed each time, and it feels less like a tired old hostel than like staying in the home of an old friend who keeps every corner in order.

Food and amenities

The heart of this place is the shared kitchen and the common area, designed to feel more like a living room than a hotel lobby. The kitchen has everything you need — electric stove, oven, microwave, a fridge with separate shelves so each guest can store food, full cookware, and a long table to eat at like close friends. What a lot of reviews agree on is how clean the kitchen stays: staff keep on it all day, the sink has no smell, the counters are wiped down, and it actually makes you want to cook rather than eat out. Mornings are busiest, with guests of every nationality making coffee, frying eggs with Latvian bread and trading restaurant tips. The common area is done in Treehouse style with soft sofas, a bookshelf, board games and a work corner with free Wi-Fi quick enough for a call or a movie. It is friendly enough that solo travelers never feel alone — if you have come to Riga by yourself and want people to talk to, this is a great place to start.

Location and getting there

Location is Tree House Hostel's trump card. It sits in the heart of Vecrīga, Riga's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage district with some of the best-preserved medieval and Art Nouveau architecture in northern Europe. Step outside and you are in winding cobbled lanes of Latvian coffee shops, bakeries turning out Baltic-style dark bread, and amber and silver handicraft shops. The House of Blackheads, with its striking red-and-white facade, and Riga Cathedral are both just a 10-minute walk. St. Peter's Church, with a tower you can climb for a view over the city, and Town Hall Square are nearby too. Riga Airport (RIX) is about 30 minutes on bus 22 for only a few euros, and the central station Rīgas Centrālā stacija is a 12-minute walk if you plan to take a train on to Tallinn, Vilnius or Saint Petersburg. If you like seeing a city on foot all day, this kind of central spot pays off — you barely spend a cent on public transit.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, the hostel is on floors 4 to 6 of a historic building with no lift up to the rooms, so you haul your bags up the wooden stairs yourself. If you have a big heavy suitcase or struggle with stairs, weigh it carefully — some reviews suggest resting a moment before the climb, and staff can lend a hand. Second, the dorms share bathrooms and showers, and there are relatively few for the number of beds, so between 7 and 9 in the morning, when everyone is up, you may wait in line; come earlier or later if you want an easy shower, and remember this is normal for hostels, not a problem unique to here. Third, a hundred-year-old building shows its age: thin walls mean you sometimes hear the next room or footsteps on the wood floor, and some things like hot water or the winter heating may not be 100 percent reliable — if you hit a problem, tell staff right away, as they are known for fixing things fast. Finally, there is no breakfast, unlike a hotel, so you cook your own or buy from a shop nearby — but that is part of what keeps the price so low.

Our take

From reading dozens of real reviews, Tree House Hostel sells a World Heritage old-town location, a warm treetop-house feel, a spotless shared kitchen and a starting price of around $20 a night, all in one. If you are a solo traveler or backpacker who wants to sleep in Riga's old town without paying hotel prices, who wants to wake up a few steps from the House of Blackheads and Riga Cathedral, cook your own meals and meet travelers from all over, this is the best choice in Vecrīga. But if you are traveling as a family with small children, or you expect hotel-level privacy, a lift to your room and a private bathroom, it may not be your answer. Overall we give it 8.5/10 — best for budget travelers, solo travelers and backpackers who want to soak up the charm of a World Heritage old town at a price they can actually reach.