Kafischnaps

Named after the strong liquor taken with coffee, the Kafischnaps pension is first and foremost a happening café and bar—which happens to rent out five guest rooms upstairs. Located in a quiet residential neighborhood, this tastefully decorated inn is an intimate (and fabulous) budget pension for trendsetters and their followers.

The bar strikes a delightful balance between the old (like its delicate Art Nouveau chandelier) and the new (a stark black vitrine filled with pastries and bottles of obscure drinks). The same can be said about the rooms, where the hardwood floors of the traditional Swiss house are juxtaposed with simple, clean-lined European furniture.

Each room at Kafischnaps was designed by a different decorator. We saw a world map and funky orb lamps in one room, while another sported old-fashioned wall lamps to match three sweet, spare pears painted on the wall. Aside from a bed and perhaps a vintage chair or nightstand, there is little else in the rooms.

All five rooms share one bathroom (shower and toilet areas are separate), and there are few amenities here, but two of the five rooms do have a television.

A TV doesn’t seem necessary, however, since the downstairs bar provides plenty of entertainment (do note that said entertainment also means noise well into the night). The hopping café serves food, stiff drinks and even stiffer coffee beverages.

And since Kafischnaps is packed around the clock with Zurich’s hipster set, you might want to come with a carefully groomed beard or an ironic T-shirt. The staff is equally hip (and they know it, too).

Kafischnaps is located right in front of a bus stop that connects you to both the train station and the trendy Zurich-West neighborhood, which is helpful since aside from the café there’s not much happening in the immediate vicinity.

Wi-Fi is free throughout. Note that Kafischnaps does not have an elevator. Another EuroCheapo pick, Zum Guten Glück, was started by some of the Kafischnaps' owners.