Blue Door Hostel

Blue Door Hostel sits east of the centre, a short stroll from the old Ottoman footbridge, and it sells itself on getting guests out: cycling, kayaking, surfing…Blue Door Hostel sits east of the centre, a short stroll from the old Ottoman footbridge, and it sells itself on getting guests out: cycling, kayaking, surfing and climbing are the icons on its own banner, and the house programme adds a Sunday barbecue night and cooking sessions with Nana, the hostel's resident cook, that have become its signature online.

The operator's line is that the hostel is your home, and the tone is social rather than quiet. Reservations are taken by message. For a visitor planning to use the capital as a base for the mountains and the lakes, it is the hostel most likely to have a trip already leaving.