Hostels in Amsterdam, Europe for over 40 years old/Need CHEAP accomodation

Hi,

I'll answer the "Europe if your over 40? part. Yes, of course. The HI hostels have no age limit anymore, not even in Bavaria, well known for that feature, the age limit of 25 was abolished in 2009. That's what that woman said to me...abgeschafft. You'll see people of all ages stay in hostels, HI and private, but most are under 35.

Now, there are some private independent hostels with an age range from 18-35. I know a few in Munich like that. I stay in hostels once or twice on a trip, dorm or private room, and got over 20 years on you. You don't "mind the youth." Neither do I, that's to be expected in a hostel. But, on a couple of occasions max, I did feel that my presence in the dorm room was not really welcomed...too bad, it didn't bother me regardless. .

Thank you for your expeditious and honest response Fred. It helps me immensely.

I last stayed in a hostel in Sorrento. I think I was about 70 and the only guest over 25. They gave me a room to myself. There are many hostels in Europe. Try to pick the best ones. Rick Steves names a few, and the 'Let's Go' books list them. My favorite hostel was in Menaggio on Lake Como. They serves a decent breakfast and catered to all ages and nationalities. I met some interesting people there. Paris has a few good hostels on the Marais. They are popular so tend to be booked up, but you can try.

For Amsterdam, I would suggest Cocomama - it is a boutique hostel - all their dorm rooms are unisex, although they do have some private rooms and some small 2-bed dorm rooms that can be booked as a private if you so choose - or just book 1 bed and you've got yourself a relatively quiet room to share with just one other hosteler. If you don't mind being in the minority it is really not a big deal to be over 40 and stay in a hostel - although you should very carefully read reviews before you select one. Yes, the majority of hostelers seems to fall in the 18 to 35 demographic, but at any hostel I've ever stayed at, probably about 5-10% are over 40. I will say in my experience, if you want to find more of the older hostelers, then some of the swankier "boutique"/"flash packer" hostels that cost a bit more tend to attract more older guests who still want budget, but can afford a little bit more than your average, cash-strapped college student.

While "Let's Go" guides might list more hostels than the typical Rick Steves' guidebook, it's still very much geared towards college aged travelers. I would suggest looking at hostels and budget accommodations (hotels, guest houses, B&Bs) listed in Rough Guide or just go onto a website like Hostelworld.com and plug in your cities, dates and see what options come up and then read through the reviews and check out the hostel's own website or TripAdvisor for other reviews and photos.

If you aren't super fussy and just want a basic room, there are lots of hotels that have single rooms (albeit small ones) that won't break the bank - and if you are locked in with dates and willing to pre-pay, there are other chain hotels (like Ibis, CitizenM or Easy Hotel) that sometimes offer good deals online. The hotels are only an option if you are willing to eat on the cheap with takeaway from markets like Marks & Spencer - but if you are relying on having access to a kitchen so you can cook all your own meals, you'll have to take the hostel or Airbnb route. Airbnb has loads of places to choose from in all different price ranges - and if you don't require the full privacy of your own studio or 1BR apt, many of their listings are for an extra bedroom in someone's home. Couchsurfing is another option - sign up on their site and see if you can find a willing local host for your dates.

Thank you Swan . Thank you Ceidleh. Excellent responses.

Going to look at all suggestions listed.

Hostels that were named, air bnb, couchsurfing, homestay.

Thank you

Hi,

There was one "practice" which you should be informed of when staying at a private hostel. I encountered this at check-in at a private hostel, Wombats. (I know, there isn't a Wombats hostel in Amsterdam.) Whether it is normal practice in other private hostels, I don't know. At check-in the private hostel wants a picture ID as collateral for the key card used to lock your room and presumably your locker in the room, makes no difference if you're in dorm room or private one. Admittedely, I was a bit nervous the first time at this because I gave them my Calif DL as collateral. It's sort like their holding your DL as hostage until you return that key card and the bed sheets at check-out.

I'm very fond of the Eurocheapo website; they not only list less expensive lodgings, but have other budget tips for cities as well. Here's a great page from them of Amsterdam hotel advice; you can follow links in that page to get to their lodging recommendations: http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/amsterdam-hotel-advice.html

Pay particular attention to the part about the stairs being more like ladders. I would have thought he was exaggerating, until I saw them for myself.

For Amsterdam, even more than other places, it's important to determine if you want to be in a "party" place or a "non-party" place and book accordingly. For both hostels and less expensive hotels, some accommodations in Amsterdam get a lot of people who want to drink, get high, etc. If you don't want that, you'll be unhappy in such a place, regardless of age. (And, of course, vice versa). Read reviews on HostelWorld, HostelBookers, and TripAdvisor to learn more about places before booking.

I really like staying in private homes (in Germany, Privatzimmer) and in small family run Pensions, etc. Privatzimmer are often no more expensive than staying in a hostel. I have found that the best place to find them is on the town's own website.\

I would call myself a budget traveler (I spent about 60-65€ day for everything, exc trans to/from Europe). I eat at least one sit-down meal per day plus breakfast, which is included with my accommodations. The key to this is finding economical places to stay.

Your age is fine, I've stayed in hostels when I was young, now that I'm old, with friends, with family, or alone.

That said, I do read reviews on hostels before I stay. I want something less party and more sleep oriented.

I stayed at Vondelpark hostel in Amsterdam. They put me in the older building - that seems to be the quieter side. I liked the hostel, it is near a park, museums and public transportation. They have a no drugs policy - which means you walk through a cloud of pot smoke just outside the front door.

Another of my favorites is Burg Stahleck on the Rhine, just above Bacharach. It's clean, quiet, well run and has a great view. The only knocks are the uphill walk to the Burg and the fact it's always full, mostly with European travelers, so reservations are a must any time of year.

The atmosphere is not young, but it is very friendly, central, clean, and they offer a nice breakfast (free) at the Bulldog hostel. They also have private rooms and apartments there and I've never seen an age restriction there. This is the link: http://hotel.thebulldog.com/

If they take older travelers, and I'm sure they do, it's a great place to take advantage of low prices and while the atmosphere is very lively and party friendly, the dorms usually quiet down pretty early, and it is NOT the party atmosphere the Flying Pig is famed for. The Flying Pig may not have age restrictions either and has 3 locations but I'm less personally familiar with it than I am with The Bulldog.

Apartment rentals can be $$ saving too and Air BnB and booking.com are good places to check out....but I still think nothing is cheaper than The Bulldog and Flying Pig (the Flying Pig beach location being the cheapest). Hope that helps!

As the others have mentioned, it's certainly possible for the 40+ crowd to stay in Hostels. I'm in my 60's and still use Hostels on occasion.

I often use HI Hostels as I've found the facilities fairly consistent from one location to another. At times they can be packed with school groups, but I don't find that to be a problem. Having an inexpensive HI Hostels membership provides slightly cheaper rates and preferred booking over non-members.