Are hostels in London safe?

Can anyone suggest any fun, lively youth hostels in Central London/Soho area??

• Hi there - I am a 25 year old American guy stopping in London for 1 night on 16th June - can anyone recommend any fun youth hostels, would be great to find similar minded people who wouldn't mind mingling and possibly even going around London together that night - hitting the town and doing some exploring etc. Would be ideal to stay around Picadilly Circus/Leicester Square/Soho area so any suggestions around here would be fantastic!! THANKS!

• Answer:

  Unfortunately London is not known for its great hostels. I have stayed in many and for the most part they are dirty and dodgy. I would go to http://www.hostelworld.com and find the one with the highest cleanliness rating in your price range. If you have not used this site before, it is one of the most reliable hostel locating sites on the web. Trust the user ratings and comments! Specifically, I would stick to YHA (youth hostel association) hostels in London. Though you need to pay a small fee to become a YHA member to stay in some of these hostels, the fee is well worth it since YHA hostels are well maintained, clean and have helpful and friendly staff in London and throughout the UK. http://www.yha.org.uk/ There are 7 YHA hostels in London (several in central) and you can find their locations and more info at the website! All the one's I've used have had great atmosphere's with young travelers and enthusiastic staff. Cheers!