the circus hostel in the trendy centre of berlin offers 200 beds for backpackers. at the reception there is a map that marks sightseeing spots, bars and clubs. for night owls there is a cheap breakfast buffet that stays open until 13.00. apart from internet access the hostel also offers a cd-station, where you can check out local electro, techno, d&b, house & hip hop underground artists. at the top floor there are eleven  affordable apartments that come with a dishwasher, balcony and a good view over the city centre. televisions are purposely absent from every room. in the evenings the hostel opens it’s bar with dj's and regular karaoke nights. every monday alternative tours start from the circus to either the chancellors office, the wartime bunker network or to the stasi headquarters in normannenstrasse. in the former administration centre of the feared east german secret service are the original camper vans with built in prison cells and infrared floodlights for night photography hidden in the doors of trabant cars. also see the executive office of top spy mielke. witnesses from the time work at the research institute and museum as guides. they can give moving personal accounts of the suppression and resistance against the east german regime. all rooms are kept the same as demonstrators found them in January 1990. a visit here is highly recommended.