Set in a former 1862 prison, this quirky hotel is a 10-minute walk from the Lucerne train station and 13 minutes by foot from the Glacier Garden of Lucerne.Simple, laid-back dorms set in former prison cells include free Wi-Fi and bunk beds. Some have shared bathrooms, while others offer en suite facilities. Private rooms are also available.A casual bar offers terrace seating. There’s also a guest lounge, a library and a courtyard.
Barabas Hotel Luzern in Luzern
Description
Nice hotel, good breakfast. Could have had more vegan options, and we were not given a double bed as we had booked, but instead 2 twin beds. Created a bit of uncomfort.
MoreHighly recommended for a unique quirky experience. Staff very helpful and friendly would definitely stay again when in Lucerne
MoreBasic accommodation but still really ok. The room was just for sleeping but I wouldnt recommend it if youre going to spend hours in your room or if youre claustrophobic.Very nice setting overall with some historic character.Only negative was the breakfast which was really limited.
MoreTotally thrilled with the hotel and the great kindness and professionalism shown by both Valentina and also Katrin.They made the stay.and the location was perfect!
MoreValue for money. Budget friendly. Very close to all attractions.
I had 3 nigths in Lucerne in a shared 6 bed room. I am very happy with the organization, the rooms, the sanitary facilities are very clean and in a good condition and the staff is very friendly and open for every question. The location of the accommodation is perfect to discover the city.I gladly recommend Barbaras for a trip to Lucerne!
MoreMy family (elementary-aged kidsstayed in a 2-bunk room for a couple nights and it was AWESOME! Super cool to stay in an old prison, with furnishings that were basic (as youd expectbut high-quality. Comfy beds, super clean. Helpful and friendly staff. Excellent location, close to train station, plenty of restaurants and attractions. Continental breakfast had good variety and was well-presented. I wouldnt stay for a super long time because the rooms are on the small side, obviously, but for a few-night stay it was perfect! Absolutely recommend to those who have an adventurous spirit and are looking for something just a little bit different.
MoreOur stay was great! The staff is the best and the bed slept very good. We will definitely be back!
MoreVery good place, with clean bathrooms and betrooms. Good for a night sleep!
It is a nice place, simple equipped- but there was everything we needed. The localization is excellent. The breakfast was fine. Only in these summer days it was really hot in the room as we arrived, the window is small and it was hard to get some fresh air inside.
MoreCool experience but expect to sacrifice sleep quality esp on hot humid summer days.. air circulation here is honestly quite bad (even with the fan providedand there is no curtain in the room. Probably part of the package?
Morefun little hotel/hostel made out of an old prison. good breakfast and kind staff
The Barabas Hotel in Lucerne was a unique experience. Staying in a old prison was interesting to say the least. The prices were reasonable given it was in Lucerne. location was also good. We rented a 4 person room with 2 sets of bunk beds. The beds were good, clean, and the room and bathroom were good and clean. The only real problem was that that it was very crowded and no where to put our luggage to keep it out of the way. Also, the check in time ending at 7 pm caused us to change our trip around. Would be nice if it was 9 pm
MoreGreat place to stay, nice garden to chill, lovely personnel and great price for switzerland.
MoreGreat location, reasonable price for Lucerne.The receptionist was always lovely and helpful. Checking in and out was easy.The room was clean, and so were the shower and toilet. The room was cleaned every day.There is a nice outside area to sit in when the weather allows it.The hotel was a former prison, which we found rather cool!You should know that the rooms are tiny (as seen in the pictures). We were aware of it ahead, so it didnt surprise us like it surprised some other reviewers.If youre OK with the size of the rooms, this place is recommended.
MoreVery unique experience staying in an old prison.The rooms are really quiet but have everything one needs for a few nights.Breakfast was a little odd in that we got Bento boxes.But hey, COVID.The receptionist also helped us figure out the cheapest way to around and go up mount Rigi.. I love all of Lucerne, except the price.
MoreUnique hotel! Rooms are old prison cells but so comfortable! Great breakfast! Thanks for the warm welcome.
More+ Perfect location and friendly staff- The double room is a bit small. Also, it would be nice to have a do not disturb sign that you can hang on the door
MorePerfect hotel for simple overnights. Rooms are clean, great mattress for a restful sleep, shower well done. If you are looking for more luxury or more space then try the Japanese rooms, but if you just need a comfortable nights sleep, the prison rooms are great! AND the Japanese Izakaya restaurant Nozomi downstairs is fantastic!
MoreCheap option, strange as it is an old prison, but very clean and comfortable
Marvelous place to stay if youre looking for something affordable in this city. Great common room with hot drinks. Excellent breakfast. Associated Japanese restaurant is highly recommended if you think you like or might try this style of food.
MoreVery interesting place, nice staff. Given the rooms were cells theyre quite small, probably wouldnt stay more than 1 or 2 nights🙂
MoreAwesome location, very interesting place. Well insulated (thick walls 😉, rooms not very big (again 😉)
MoreIndeed it was cell in a jail with very tiny room and bed. No place to keep the big luggage’s and even to keep your towel and clothes. For one night is fine. Later they took extra city tax from my booking that was strange. Then I realised for that price I could have got good hotel. If you really want to experience this please do stay. But I won’t recommend. When you have busy travelling schedules.
MoreThe split bed was a bit uncomfortable. I am a somewhat athletic sleeper, and at some point found myself straddling the two sections. The room over the street was loud from the sound of drunken celebrants at the bars below echoing off the narrow concrete walls above. The bathroom is a bit tight, too. The breakfast hall was poorly attended, with items out of stock and dishes piling up on the bus table.These are just the items that reduce my overall rating, but generally the accommodations were good for me.
MoreIt is a good idea, to combine rooms with the Japanese restaurant Nozomi to have a small "Japan experience". The room was nice, but maybe some little details could still be added.The food in the restaurant was delicious and the staff was super nice and flexible also with special inquiries. During times where you cant really travel out of country, this is a small replacement for a trip to Japan :)The only negative was the bed, as it was too hard for us, and the pillows were huge and stuffed, so we had to use the blanket as a pillow. The rest of the room was really nice.
MoreWe stayed just outside the prison part of the hotel in one of the more luxious rooms. We liked the beds and the bathroom contained all we needed. A good place to stay when you want to visit the centre of Luzern. The Japanese restaurant that has the same owners as the hotel was good as well. Not the best Japanese restaurant I ever visited but the service level of the staff was very high.
MoreI get a room in this hotel and I see no towel on my bed, my pillow isnt the right size for its sheet and there is a pipe in front of the toilet so you have to be cricked to do your business but otherwise was great
MoreWe stayed at Barabas for one night. The location is excellent, very close to the train station and many sights.The room was very comfortable and clean.We had lunch in the restaurant. It was very good!We would recommend the Hotel Barabas highly - good value for your money, great location, very helpful staff and great atmosphere.
MoreVery basic and, well, like a prison, so what do you expect? A small room, two beds, a bathroom, thats it. No wardrobe, no gadgets such as alarm clock or TV. It does offer the charme of a real prison though, I just love the prison doors to the rooms that still have the locks and that little window in the door to hand the inmates the food.The location is absolutely central and the Japanese restaurant next door is gorgeous.
MoreMy husband and I absolutely loved our stay here! Getting to sleep in a converted prison cell was just such a cool experience. The hotel staff were all very friendly to us Canadians and the complimentary breakfast was delicious. Great location too! Highly recommend!
MoreThis is a great place to stay if you are traveling with friends and are bored of regular hotels.You can share these bunk beds and enjoy a thrill of staying in prison cell.Bathrooms are bit smaller but they are pretty clean so it didnt matter much.Place is conveniently located and they have darts and foosball to keep you entertained.
MoreThe door keypad broke and so I was locked out of my room and had to sleep in the public couch in the hallway with strangers passing by me all night. And my room mate was locked in the room. There were no other rooms available. Also the bathrooms were flooded
MoreWe enjoyed our stay in prison. The welcome was very warm and friendly and the room was clean. However, for almost 190 CHF I would have expected some more amenities such as a TV, more than one towel per person or proper blinds. The location is perfect, very close to the old town of Lucerne. The breakfast was OK, it had all you need but nothing more.
MoreThe shower curtain fell and cut my toe, I went to the reception asking for first-aid. The staff said they didn’t have it..Found a cockroach in the kitchen..Roommate was being loud at 1 am so I had to sleep in the common room area..On top of that there was construction in the morning (6am)This is my first time leaving an one star review..
MoreThis hotel is based on prison theme but this is where the uniqueness ends...rooms are very small ..after putting two bunk beds there is no space left..even to spread your luggage..there is no place to sit...no table chair...very cramped and small...would not recommend...
MoreIm staying with my colleague in a 4 bunk bed room, the room is clean and nice but the only problem is the washroom which make me feel uncomfortable because the door is without a lock and the glass wall can see through when u turn on the lights in the washroom. hope the hotel management will improve it.
MoreHorrible terrible place to stay!This hotel was advertised as jail cells converted in to hotel rooms which sounded interesting and location of the hotel was so perfect wrt. Lake, bahnhof etc, exactly the reasons why we chose this place. But it turned out to be the worst experience ever -1. They literally made guests experience jail stay!! The hotel room was so tiny that 2 people could hardly move there. We knew that Europian hotel rooms are smaller in size so we were kind of prepared but this was even smaller.2. 0 ventilation!! The room had tiny window which was not accessible to open/close, exactly the way how criminals were allowed to have minimum fresh air. Room just had one small table fan for entire room ventilation.3. Wrong choice for family!! - we are family with a 4 yr kid and room had 1 bunk bed (single bedsand one more single bed. Our kid was not ready to sleep alone in that depressing room, so dad and him shared a single bed.4. Only good part was shower! But newly built bathroom was made of transperant material so anyone visits bathroom and switches on light and entire room gets bright.5. There was a small place to put our luggage but if option was either put luggage or open main door/bathroom door.I can understand the innovation behind jail converted into hotel but they should have upgraded rooms to have good ventilation, light, bright windows etc.Who can stay in this room?Family - No!! Reasons above!Indvidials - No!! Dorms were much better.So not sure who can stay in this room!!The frustrating feeling was - we were on a Europe trip and treated like criminals.We seriously considered moving to other room and asked this place for an upgrade if possible. Luckily we got an upgrade to deluxe room and when we moved our stuff out of this depressing room we literally understood how criminals would be feeling coming out of the jail to breath fresh air!!
MoreA cool hostel in an old prison. It has a very central location, so you can walk to the bridges and river easily. The bunks were comfortable and there was a toilet in the room. Though the toilet is only separated by cloudy plastic, so not super private! There is a toilet in the bar/breakfast area downstairs. The other guests were noisey in the corridors, but I think this is the same in all hostels, pack earplugs! The breakfast cost 9 CHF (booked night before, more if you book in the morning), its a buffet so its great value. Full continental options plus scrambled eggs. Good coffee machines.
MoreGreat hostel in city center. The staff helped us plan 3 days of sight seeing. They had wonderful tips and recommendations of things to see and do. Will stay again.
MoreGreat location as it is located very near to the sight seeing spots in Old Town. Good experience for those who are adventurous. The private rooms truly provide the prison vibe. However, the sink needs some improvement. Its a bit difficult to wash my face or brush my teeth without wetting the floor.
MoreIts a best prison stay that we ever experienced!!!!! 😄❤️ the two receptionists were very friendly ,helpful and greatful for us.. we were very happy about that as Sri Lankan tourists... And we had a great day in luzen Switzerland!! Thank you very much for Ur warm welcome and service and for a such a great experience!!!!
MoreInteresting Place. Good beds and bathrooms in former cell blocks. Historic: some murals remaining. Extremely friendly and helpfull staff. Definitely worthwhile.
MoreWe loved this place! The staff was super helpful. Staying at a former prison was honestly super cool. The WiFi was super fast and the rooms were clean and spacious. The hostel is also located at a very central location. They have breakfast included! Would for sure recommend and stay here again.
MoreNot bad, not bad at all. I do however have a couple of complaints. Numero uno, why is there a grate hanging in front of the pool table? Its in the way of anything practical and blocks like 7 beer placements. Now dont even get me started on the pool table. Im pretty sure the surface of the moon is flatter than that. Neil Armstrong got the good end of the deal. Lastly guest books are pretty cool, but some of the doors could do with removing the death threats left by previous inmates.
MoreGreat location. Beds are very comfy. Breakfast is well worth the cost. My only disappointments where 1they allow guests to smoke outside the front door so the smoke into our room which woke me up at 5:30 each morning. 2the lighting in the room is dim and makes it difficult to read.
MoreOne of a kind experience! The room was quite compact, but the experience made up for it. The corridors and stairs everything still had the jail feeling than a hotel.
MoreEven though I knew there is no elevator, I still could not handle it when my mom and I ( two femalehad to carry one big luggage to Floor 2 ( from 0 to 1 and from 1 to 2). My mom felt very scared living in this old prison and I would not choose to live here next time.The good part is that wifi is available, the price and location is good compared with other hotels around. The staff is young and full of energy. Breakfast is 8 if you book before the mid night. Good price.
MoreGave 4 stars because the rooms didnt have Wifi (it was only in the main lobbyand it can be very noisy if people are hanging out in the hallways. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was to stay here! Rooms were very clean, staff was helpful, and its not every day you can say that you stayed in an old prison! Would recommend and stay again.
MoreIt was a Wonderful Expeirience staying here on My Europe trip. Wonderful staff and hospitality
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