Moscow's thriving hostels offer alternative to costly hotels

MOSCOW - Until recently, visitors to Moscow had little choice but to pay for hugely expensive hotels. But now there is another option: growing numbers of clean modern hostels that opened over the last five years, charging around $20 per night.

Hostels now offer more than 3,000 beds in Moscow and their number grew by almost a third since May, the city's tourism committee said.

"It's very well located ... and it was cheap as well," said Mexican student Carolina Felton, 22, who was visiting Moscow as a tourist and sharing a dormitory room with seven others, as well as a bathroom and kitchen.