My brother and I are taking a trip to Europe next summer (it's his 16th birthday present from me) and I am trying to find the least expensive overnight accommodations as humanly possible. Hostels.com has many places that go for around $150 a night for the two of us. Can anyone recommend a good and cheap place to stay the night in one of the following places?
Paris, London,
Amsterdam,
Berlin,
Krakow (or somewhere else near Auschwitz),
Venice, or
Rome
Thanks a million!!!
Ashley
In London, try www.easyhotel.com. Clean bed, shower and bathroom en suite. I get a room there for 25 pounds a night when I book a couple months ahead. Yes I said 25 pounds a night. Sometimes 35 depending on the location but I always stay in Earls Ct which is 25. It is the same price for 1 or 2 people.
Its more like a cabin on a train, but if all you need is a clean place to sleep and shower, its well worth it for $40 a night in central london. They have a few of them in London and they are usually within 10 minutes walk to the tube station nearby each one, i.e. Paddington, Earls Court, Victoria, Kensington.
See pics and read reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. They aren't for everybody! The rooms are tiny and i mean literally like 4 walls built around a double bed. Not much room. You really need to get on well with whomever you stay with because its such close quarters. Not recommended for claustrophobics as most rooms have no window.
You might want to look into couchsurfing [http://www.couchsurfing.org/] - it's a free network of hosts and guests [and I understand sometimes you get a real bed, not just a couch]. At age 54 I'm no longer a candidate, but the son of friends did 2 weeks in Germany last year, much of it via couchsurfing, and came home swearing he'll never travel any other way. Check the website for specifics on the places you are interested in - but I just noticed they have 20 openings in Antarctica, for heavens' sake, so your locations should be easy!
What a great sister you are; have a wonderful trip!
My 19 yr old nephew stayed alone in a hostel in London that was clean, safe, and nice neighborhood( some are way too rowdy and areas a bit seedy).It was called the Aster Hyde Court. He was in a 6 bedded room, but we booked last minute, other wise I think he could have gotten as smaller room( private).
I have heard alot of good comments about the MJE hostel in Paris,, even met an Australian girl who was staying there and she was happy with it . A girl at my work who was just 18 stayed at the St Christophers Hostel in Paris, clean etc.. but it is not as central as some,, but she did like it.
In Rome,, google for convents that rent out rooms( yes, seriously,, safe, clean and central,, cheap too, most often no a/c so consider carefully about that.. a/c in Rome in July and August is pretty important)
Amsterdam,, there is a Christian youth hostel I saw once,, safe, clean, great location, but,, I forget the name,, yikes,, maybe google for it.. the reviews I read were very good( you do not have to be christian ,, just no boozing( in the hostel I mean) or drugs,, which considering your brother is only 16 is not a bad idea)
Ashley,
As you've found, Hostels.com is not always the best site to obtain good prices. They seem to list properties that are more "Hotels" at times, which are priced accordingly.
To begin with, you might have a look at This website for HI Hostels. As these are a "chain", taking out a one year membership would provide preferred rates at any of their properties. I've found HI Hostels to be well run and fairly consistent in the facilities (some variation depending on country). They usually either provide breakfast in the cost of the room, or it's available at a small additional cost.
Note that some HI Hostels are co-ed, which means male & female share the same dorm rooms. Some separate the rooms by gender. Most Hostels provide either 4, 6 or 8 bed dorm rooms as well as some double rooms (those usually book up quickly).
You might also check Rick's Guidebooks as there are lots of budget Hotel listings, some of which are not much more than the cost of a Hostel. I find budget Hotels a nice change when I want a bit of privacy.
One other Hostel you might look at in Rome (it's NOT part of the HI chain) is This Hostel. Based on my last stay there, I'd certainly recommend it.
I'm assuming this is the first trip to Europe for both of you, so I'd also highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door as it will be very useful in helping you to travel efficiently. Pay special attention to the "Rail Skills" chapter.
Good luck with your planning!
I am a huge advocate of couchsurfing. Never had a baad experience staying with local people is the best way to see and experience Europe. When searching for a couch you can browse through profiles and request a couch through someone who shares a lot of similiar interests than you.
I also had a great experience picking hostels through www.hostelworld.com, the rating system was true to my experiences. Trip Advisor is good to check out the hostels as well.
I loved Greg-Tom Hostel in Krakow. Free laundry, breakfast, supper, internet/wifi, use of kitchen for only $15/night. Super clean, great staff and secure. Also arranged great tours to Auschwitz and Salt Mines and many pub crawls and vodka tasting tours :)
Ashley, just be aware (for Rome) that many of the convents/monasteries have curfews. Also, in London a lot of the colleges have rooms available since students aren't there, it may be the same for other cities too. Check Rick's book for the list in London.
In London, I have stayed at YHA Earl's Court and YHA Holland House in Kensington. I prefer Holland House for it's superior breakfast, and I think they have cheap dinners available.
In Paris, I stayed at St Christopher's Inn, lovely place with curtains on every bed for some privacy. A nice open plan reception, bar and restaurant. Some cheap dinners available. But expensive for a hostel at 33 Euros per night.
Amsterdam, I stayed at Stayokay Stadsdoelen (IYHF). Nice enough with a good breakfast, but nothing special.
Berlin is a party town and the hostels are full of young and drunk people. I have stayed at Circus Hostel and Hostel Heart of Gold. If you want to be woken at 4am by people coming back drunk or having sex in your room stay at these places.
Krakow I stayed at Cracow Hostel right on the main square. Great location is the best thing about this place.
Venice has a hostel on the island of Guidecca. Offers cheap dinners. A good cheap option, but inconvenient location.
I don't know about Rome, I stayed in a hotel.
Lonely Planet has a much greater selection of hostels to choose from than RS. Sometimes two people can share a room more cheaply than staying in hostels because you each have to get a bed in a shared room. Many of the rooms in the independent hostels are co-ed and most of the HI hostel rooms are segregated by gender.
We just visited Krakow this summer, and stayed at the Gardenhouse Hostel (http://www.gardenhouse.pl/index.php?action_lang=EN), which is located on Florianska Street, maybe less than 50 meters from the main square. It was very affordable, amazingly located and the staff was ridiculously helpful. We loved our stay there and would definitely recommend it.
The least pricey place I was able to find in Rome (this was a few years back) was Tiber Camping (http://www.campingtiber.com/content/pricesbungalow.htm)where you can rent small camping trailers for little money. There's also a restaurant and convenience store on the grounds. The only setback is that it's definitely out of the city center (takes about 15-20 minutes to get into Rome by public transport) but they offer a shuttle van to the nearest train stop. We ended up really liking the scenery between the hostel and the city, but it is definitely a hike. That being said, I'm not sure you could find anything less expensive more centrally located. Good luck with your travels!
Hotel Nice in Marghera-Mestre is €85 for 2 per night. Great hotel, great service. Right by the bus stop to Venice and walking distance to the Train Station.
Get on the e-mailing list for the Travelodge chain in the UK. They often do room "sales" throughout the year. For example, at the moment rooms from £12 per night for travel Jan to March 2010.
I have never seen a "Hostel" listed for anywhere close to $150 per night.
My daughter and I have stayed in many hostels and plan to stay in them when we visit Portugal, Spain and Italy next year.
Check out Hostelz.com for reviews and prices and Bug Europe for reviews.
http://www.bug.co.uk/reviews/hostels/Europe/index.htm
Western Europe:
http://www.hostelz.com/hostels-in/Western-Europe
Eastern Europe:
http://www.hostelz.com/hostels-in/Eastern-Europe-%26-Russia
Good luck and enjoy your trip.
You will have to have legal permission from your parents for your brother to travel outside the US with you provided that you are over 18.
Shanan, read these posts here on Travelers' Helpline:
Ashley - the Cybulskiego guest rooms in Krakow are just outside the immediate old town area - they're clean and include a good breakfasts, a wonderful bargain at 33 Euros double (type 2 room w/o TV.)
London hostels generally stink. But the Globetrotter in London is a real standout.
For a private room in London, it's hard to beat the Cherry Court Hotel near Victoria Station (a Rick Steves Pick.) A double goes for 60 GBP, more for two beds:
Oops. Forgot the link for Krakow:
In London, Palmer's Lodge is fantastic, easily the best hostel I've stayed at.
In Rome, try The Beehive - it is mostly a B&B, but there is a room with 8 beds for backpackers too.
In Paris, Le Village was pretty cheap, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it since it was not very clean.
Asley ,
I don't know why you saying that hosels.com is not cheap. Do you actually look for a private room? $150 is a lot for a hostel.I staye din Rome last year for 20EUR/per bad/per night.
Hostelwolrd and hostels.com have pretty much the same hostels listed , so I don't believe one is better than another one.
Yes, you can us couchsurfing.com if you wish. I sued it in Milan, but the reason I don't like to stay with locals is that you have to follow their schedule. If the host will be home late and doens't give you the key, you have to stay out and wait for her/him. When in a hostel you can go in and out anytime you want.
And somethingelse somehostels have age restrictions.Check the hostel's rules before you book. 16 years old might be too young for a hostel, in their opinion.:)
Try Hostelworld.com also. They also have ratings and reviews.
Sometimes you can find cheap hotel rooms on TripAdvisor (read the reviews before you book).
Once you've found a place (hostel, hotel, B&B), check out their own website too. Sometimes you can get a better price booking directly with them than on one of the above websites.
It is really too early to try, but maybe 4-5 months before your arrival dates, try priceline.com and name your own price. If reservations are down, you could snag a bargain. I got a 4-star hotel for a Sat. night in Amsterdam in June in a great location for a bid of $70 (add about 10% for taxes).
That's a lot of destinations. How long are you planning to be in Europe?
I'll pop back into the conversation to chime in my support of Hostelworld as well. I use it all the time and have never had a bad experience. The user reviews really help to give you an accurate picture of what you're getting yourself into. Tripadvisor is also very helpful, and I've gotten a few tips by looking at reader suggestions/comments in the New York Times Travel section (they have destination guides). Generally speaking, they're not very budget-oriented, but every now and then you'll get lucky.
