Hostels versus hotels

If you plan to stay in Paris, hostels are not air-conditioned.
If you want a private room in a hostel, some might be available, but you'll pay more.
Hotels allow you to stay all alone, with a private bath, and most have air-conditioning.
If you don't mind staying in the "outer arrondissements" of Paris, there are hotels that charge less than 100EU.
Have a look at Mercure, Accor and Ibis hotels. All of them are spotlessly clean, convenient to transportation and in safe areas. You'll just need about 5 - 10 minutes more in travel time to get to the usual attractions.

You can also check www.booking.com, which has great deals in the center of Paris - many under 100 EU.

Have you thought of trying airbnb?

Now, I don't know what your budget is, but you can find some good deals in a shared apartment/home - eg - you have your own room, but the person is present. We stayed in a great place in Paris a 10 min walk to the Eiffel tower and it was about $80 (Canadian) a night including fees. You can filter for ones that have air con as well. Now, I travel with my husband, so I'm always looking for room for 2, which is generally more expensive.

Hostels are a great way for single travellers to meet other travellers. Some are party hostels with the emphasis on nightlife, others are quieter, which are the ones to look for in the links given below.

http://www.hostelbookers.com/

http://www.hostelworld.com/

https://www.hihostels.com/

"I am a 33 year old (unfortunately) man" - which bit is 'unfortunately', 33 or man??

Plenty of people of your age stay in hostels - no reason to avoid.

"seeing prostitutes or hooking up with women for so called one night stands or worse." - what could be worse - two night stands????

"I am taking 10 working days off work in July to visit Italy to see art museums and ruins."

You can sometimes get a private room in a hostel and still save.

No 2 hostels are alike, it seems. You can't make generalizations about Europe's hostels based on a few experiences. There are some nasty hostels. But you can weed those out by checking over the reviews thoughtfully.

Our family of 3 stayed at the Ostello Archi Rosis in Florence a number of years ago - room for 3 w/private bath was reasonably priced for Florence. No AC. Hostel was quiet and seemed secure. Nice time - but we were there in January. On another trip, we were at the HI Vicenza hostel (no AC) in late June. It was like 100 degrees with 200% humidity. We thought we we'd perish. Italy in summer? Never again without AC.

If the AC will break your bank, you might consider the Dolomites or take in some art/ruins in a different destination from the Alps north. See Italy another time. All the ruins have lasted a couple of millennia, and they'll be there when you're 43 or 53 too.

Which websites do you prefer to look at to find a hostel?

Rick Steves typically recommends Hostelz.com (https://www.hostelz.com), since each of those other sites that people have mentioned only has some hostels and only some of the availability from each one in their booking system. But Hostelz is a free meta search site that combines info from all of them and has better reviews and photos.

Check location: In Venice, some hostels are on the Giudecca island, which increases transport time each day.

Check curfews and lock-out hours: Traditional hostels may have them. As well, convents are a budget option in Rome, Siena, and elsewhere, but often with a curfew around 23:00.

Hi,

Determine first what regarding the level of accommodations you can do without... privacy, AC, internet access, elevator, etc.

I still stay in hostels, not the HI but independent ones, depending on the trip in both dorm rooms and private rooms, which are more spartan than a Motel 6, have stayed in lots of hostels in Germany, Vienna, Paris in the '70s and '80s.

At the independent hostels guests in your age bracket are there as well as seniors. You can be sure they aren't limited to Americans, ie international guests from the mid-20s to 50s, such as Italian, German, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, you'll see there, men and women. As a rule don't expect AC to be at a hostel even nowadays, Thirty -forty five years ago the HI hostels never had AC, not even a fan, and one stayed at hostel after hostel in the course of a trip over. Even small hotels do not have AC....I wouldn't bet on it.

I haven't done it (yet) but people in our travel group recommended staying in convent/monastery lodging -- clean, quiet, inexpensive and NO hanky-panky allowed. Rome evidently has a number of these, some listed in Rick Steves' books.

St Christophers Hotels all over Europe are nice. I think they are a UK company. They have private rooms but I find they are as much as a 3 star hotel depending the country. I am trying Air B and B this year see how that works out as I can get a well reviewed place in Paris for 67 Canadian plus fees. Amsterdam about 80 Canadian

It's been a while but I stayed at the Beehive in Rome it had one dorm room huge but only 8 beds. They also had single and double rooms you need to book early if I remember. In my room I was in my 30's there were a few recent University grads and two women in their late 50's. Very low key.

I am a good deal older than you and I still stay at hostels. I often find that there are often people older than me there as well. I usually stay at HI or YHA hostels. Some have big dormitories, others have smaller rooms of 4 or 6 per room. Some hostels have a party reputation, but that is not the case with HI hostels.

Don't worry I stayed in hostels up to my 43rd birthday when I started to afford hotels. I'm glad I did the travel has shaped me for the better. Think of this way you are going to Italy to sight see and eat and not to spend time in lodging. And now I stay In Ibis Hotels they have a no frills budget brand Ibis Budget that is in some cases 40 to 50 dollars more than you would pay for a bed in a hostel.

http://www.ibis.com/gb/northamerica/index.shtml

For hostels try HiHostels
https://www.hihostels.com/

Some have singles but as mentioned above you have to snag them before they are gone.
Also I have seen seniors staying in hostels.

I've stayed at plenty of hostels and was well into my 30s. I'm just not that impressed with the HI chain of hostels. I've stayed at a few that were nice. But most are just kind of bland and if you are unlucky, you find yourself surrounded with groups of school aged kids, families with really young children, or budget travelers in their 50s and up. There are plenty of hostels that are springing up that are purpose built to be more "flashpacker" places to stay - better amenities, WiFi, modern and colorful common areas. They may cost a little bit more for a bed than some of the cheaper, older hostels, but I found this type of hostel is usually where you find more people in your own age bracket (mid 20s to late 30s with more disposable income and who are safely past the hard partying phase of their lives. You just want to avoid anything that's too loud and geared towards those who like to party (you can do this through reading online reviews very carefully at hostelworld.com, hostelz and even sites like Booking.com or TripAdvisor often have reviews.

I don't think you should avoid hostels, and I agree that if you can afford it, always go for a smaller dorm room of 4 beds or less - especially if you are a light sleeper. I've stayed in a handful of dorm rooms that were 6, 8, 12 and even one that was up to 20 beds only because it was all that was available. It's worth the extra money to have fewer bunk mates flipping on lights in the middle of the night or very early in the morning, coughing, snoring, etc. Besides the ability to easily be able to interact with other travelers, some of the perks of staying in a hostel would include access to staff to ask questions or get recommendations, use of the communal kitchen or laundry facilities, free continental breakfast (in some hostels - not all), budget meals (again, not all, but some hostels will have certain nights when they offer guests a hot meal for dinner at a relatively cheap rate).

But you should also look into other options for budget lodging. As mentioned in an earlier post, the Accor chain has hotels throughout Europe. Ibis, Ibis Styles, Mercure, etc. I've stayed at an Ibis during the summer for as low as 60 Euro per night while many hostels charge about 30-40 Euro for a bed in a shared dorm. The Ibis will have A/C and a far more comfortable bed. Just don't expect a whole lot of European "charm" in the decor - think "Hampton Inn" or "Comfort Inn".

In addition to hotels, look into university lodging (many colleges and universities offer up empty private dorm rooms to the public once school is done for the summer). You could also look at renting a private room in some local's home on Airbnb instead of renting the whole apartment. And if you really want to save your money for sightseeing or food, you could sign up now for a profile on Couchsurfing.com and see if anyone is willing to give you a free place to stay for the places you are traveling to. Doesn't mean you will have to sleep on a sofa in the middle of someone's living room - some hosts offer up private bedrooms with a real mattress. And as someone else mentioned, convent and monastery stays could also be an option - just expect the place to be pretty basic, clean and very quiet.

Is it the case that when you took trips, you always reserved the most expensive room or bed you could afford? If you can afford a private room but you are traveling alone, why not reserve a place in shared room? Why should I give a budget, as if I need to spend a certain amount per night just because I can or just for the sake of spending money, if a cheaper hostel or loging place does the job ok? I am not trying to get the most amenities for the lowest cost and I am not trying to get the dirt cheapest place only to save money if the place has no air conditioning or if the place is a drug house or has bedbugs or is in a ghetto or shady neighborhood or is otherwise blatantly substandard.

I am not a foodie; my plan is to buy my own food at grocery stores or fruit markets.

You will not find air conditioning in hostels or in Air B&B places. Only the budget hotels like Ibis, etc. will have AC.

People ask what your budget is so that they don't recommend places that go over it. If you don't want to spend more than 50€ per night, then we won't tell you about places that cost 100€. I always have a budget in my head when I am looking for a place to stay. Of course I will go cheaper if possible, but I also don't want to pay more than I can afford.

Bedbugs can be in the nicest hotels, they aren't picky. Read up to date reviews about hotels and hostel over on Trip Advisor. If the place is dirty, noisy, or in a less than desirable neighborhood people will say so.

I don't mind staying in a hostel and I am 61, but it is also nicer to have your own bathroom and bed.

Mike, my goal is always the least expensive place I can find that meets my needs, so I can take a longer trip.

My needs most definitely include a private bathroom and a room of my own (no dorms). If I'm traveling in the summer I want a/c. Always Wi-Fi (so I can plan the trip on the go and have access to information about sightseeing options). And of course the place must be clean. Beyond that--when you get into things like location, elevator, and so on--I'm flexible and will give up something to get a cheaper place, within reason.

Most people who post here stay in nicer places, and they are more expensive. That's why I don't often respond to requests for recommendations: My spots are typically a bit too plain (often decorated like college-dorm rooms) to meet others' expectations. Now, if someone says his budget is $50 or $70, I may have something to offer.

If you're trying to stick to a budget and do not state your approximate top price, you are going to spend some unnecessary time fielding suggestions from folks who have very different standards from yours.

Hi,

Between the HI hostels and the private, independent ones, some difference do exist. No more age limit in HI hostels, in private hostels (some) there is an age limit, and these hostel advertise as such, ie from 18-35. In the HI hostel there is curfew, ie, lights out at midnight, no 24 hr check-in, and you can eat dinner there. The HI hostel serves a hot dinner, good, cheap food. In 2009 I had dinner at six different HI hostels, all under 7 Euro. Whether you're a guest at the HI hostel or not, anyone can buy a dinner ticket, no one will asks. The private hostels don't serve dinner but you can cook your own. In Vienna I've seen guests doing just that more than once. In HI hostels you'll run into school groups, whereas they don't stay in private hostels. In both types of hostels, HI and private, beer is available at the bar. The private hostels do have laundry facilities.

As has been pointed out, you will see all different ages and nationalities at hostels, obviously millenials but seniors as well. Unless you want total privacy and relative quiet, staying in a hostel is no big deal, unless it's a big deal to have AC, which isn't there. All the Pensionen or small hotels where I've stayed in Germany and Austria, none had AC. If you need that, that's bad news, I don't need it. I stayed at an Ibis once several years ago near Paris, where AC was available.

I travel mostly solo, whether I want a dorm room where 5 other roomies might be there too or a spartan private room depends on a few factors. In the private hostels some only offer doubles, which means you as a solo traveler occupying will pay for your own bed as well as the empty bed. That's their rule. Have you done this? Yes, didn't particularly like it but I knew that was the rule when I made the reservation on-line, other times I stay in dorm room w/o the privacy. Hostels do fill up. I have heard at the Reception too often calls coming in asking if it had a bed or private room for that night, only to be told that the hostel was all booked up. This was in Vienna.

It has happened that one might not be able to sleep if two or three people are snoring when you have room mates
Thats one reason not to stay in a hostel if u can afford not to.
But then again you can buy ear plugs.

I can't imagine traveling without earplugs. That lovely (private) room in a nice hotel may turn out to be next door to a church whose bell rings hourly all night long. Or the people in the room across the hall may come in, noisy and tipsy, at 2 AM and have an extended conversation right outside your door. You just never know.

In Florence, stay at the Archi Rossi! It's the only hostel I've stayed in but I heard people there saying it's one of the best ever. It has AC, it's clean, the food is cheap and edible. They also sell bottled drinks, fruit, frozen meals (microwave available), etc. cheaper than the nearby stores. They have a strict quiet rule from 11 pm to 7 am, so it's definitely not a "party" atmosphere. Most of the guests are in their 20's but families with kids, and older folks, even retirees stay there. They have a few single rooms (shared bathroom, but hardly anyone uses it because all the dorm rooms have private baths). They also offer a good walking tour, not expensive (used to be free). Free wifi and a good number of public computers. And it's a great location. Edit You need to book in advance - especially for a single room.

There's a hostel in Rome that people here have recommended in the past. It might be the Beehive that Wendy mentioned.

You can use a site like hostelworld.com to read up on hostels in Naples and Rome. There are descriptions and reviews. Also in Naples check out Sweet Sleep. It's a B&B that was recommended to me by Zoe. It's walking distance to the train station (for Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento).

Mike,

I haven't read all the replies, so hopefully I'm not repeating anything.

Even though I'm an "older" traveller (60+), I still stay in Hostels on occasion. I often use HI Hostels as I've always found them to be well run and fairly consistent from one property to another. Having an inexpensive membership provides cheaper rates. They do host school groups at times, I don't find that to be a problem. I also stay at independent Hostels in some cities, and at least one that I use has A/C.

In some cases, private rooms at Hostels will be close to the same cost as a budget hotel room. If you'd rather have more privacy and a break from "communal living", hotels can also be a good option. The RS guidebooks have listings for good hotels in various price ranges and various parts of each city.

Not all of the Hostels I've stayed at have had kitchen facilities, so if you buy your own groceries, I'm not sure where you'll prepare or cook food?

Just repeating for anyone who has not seen this:
Hostels in Paris and virtually all short-term rentals in Paris do not have air-conditioning.

For the 3 or 4 weeks out of the year when it's extremely hot, most residents just put up with it and go sit along the Seine.
If you require air-conditioning, you will need to find a hotel.

The chain hotels I mentioned above have a/c and do not have bugs.
Check their locations to find a neighborhood which suits you.

You apparently don't need a kitchen, but there will always be a mini-fridge.

In July 1973 on my first trip to Paris, I stayed at a HI hostel near the Metro station "Nation." Of course, it did not have AC but then it did not even occur to me either.

Chexbres, I have stayed three different apartments in Paris , all had air conditioning .

And I don't give a flying fig what anyone says , air conditioning is needed in Paris in summer , not always of course , but if one is not used to heat Paris can be awful, all that pavement just reflects heat all day , and at night keeping a window open is often not an option because of noises .

I orefer hotels myself for a few other reasons , but if one wants ac in an apartment it's not too hard to find

You stayed in only 3 rental apartments...
The vast majority of rental apartments do not have air-conditioning.
Sorry, just ask the people who really live in apartments all year long.

I paid $45 per night to stay at M Montreal Hostel, for 3 nights, in the Fall of 2015. So to me, $45 or less per night is reasonable, but I would go up to $60 per night if the extra cost makes enough difference noise level or other factors.

An acquaintance I met in college said he stayed in a hostel where somebody poured water on him, and he was bothered that a couple was fu--king in the middle of the night in his room. But he was in South Korea and he is more paranoid than anybody I know.

I grew up in a house that had no air conditioning. If I were in charge, it would not be legal to operate a loging place without air conditioning.

Edit: my room in M Montreal in Canada was a room for 4 people, had its own bathroom, 4 lockers; the place had a communal kitchen for the whole place, and a bar in the basement but the sounds from the bar didn't reach my room, the room was on the 3rd floor, if you count the floor on ground level as the first floor. the other hostel I stayed in ws in London, England. There was no communal kitchen or air-conditioning but the temperature in the room was fine, but look at a map and notice how much farther north London is from where I think I want to stay in Italy.

A great resource for inexpensive lodging, both hostels and hotels, is EuroCheapo: http://www.eurocheapo.com/

In addition to their reviews of individual places, be sure to read their tips about the cities in general, the neighborhoods, etc. - very helpful, even if you don't end up staying in a place you learned about on their site.

And yes, people are asking about what you want to or can spend on a hotel, not to be "nosy" or judgmental, but to not waste your time or their time. Everyone defines "inexpensive" or "moderate price" differently. Similarly when it comes to amenities, what is "acceptable" to one person may be "fancy" to another, and "a pit" to a third. So, we need to know what you're looking for.

A point of terminology: what in the US is called a "private bath" is called "ensuite" in Europe. A private bathroom may be down the hall, but you have the only key; an ensuite bathroom is actually inside your room.

Re the location of the WC: the private hostels are en suite. You just share that the toilet and shower with your roomies. I paid 27 Euro for a dorm room, which compared to other hostels is expensive, which Wombats does say about hostels costing a bit more. Don't expect AC to be found there either.

In the summer of 2009 in Vienna (Wombats Hostel) some of the five other roomies in the six person dorm room complained it was too hot, (I didn't), opening the main window wouldn't do because of the street noise, so they went to the Registration to ask for a fan. The Registration (surprisingly) obliged. A fan was soon brought in. The roomies soon turned it off since they couldn't sleep with it on. They had to choose which was more unbearable, the fan noise or the stuffy heat. Yes, it was hot, if the locals can put up with it, so can I. At one HI hostel in Germany, the dorm room reminded me of a hospital ward, 7-8 bunks in a row on both sides of the wall, a room completely occupied. . Including myself, there must have been 14-16 guys in that room. That was in Cologne.

Chexbres I meant Vacation rentals , as more and more are getting air conditioning . You are referring to residential rentals , two different creatures in most cases ( since we know most are illegal rentals , not just the legal residential ones that are only let for a few months a year and are primary residences of renters )

My relatives that live in Paris ( and have always lived there ) don't have ac either, but as they point out me why would they , they leave Paris in the summer and go to their country homes . I bet more and more year round residents will eventually get ac , however it's won't ever be widespread as it's hard to retro fit in some buildings and would ruin the look

Pat and Chexbres - the OP is going to Italy, not France.

If you can afford a private room but you are traveling alone, why not reserve a place in shared room?

I only stay at hostels when there are no other (equivalent) alternatives. When in remote areas with no other lodging available, or when there is no vacancy nearby, or when nearby hotels are way too expensive, etc. For hostels, I much prefer a private room. For privacy, security, and a quiet sleep.

In Spain, I was pleasantly surprised by hostals, with prices between hotels and hostels. The rooms and services are no different from those in hotels, with private bathrooms and meals. The ones I stayed in were actually better than 3 star hotels. Are there such lodging in other European countries?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostal

And then there are pensions, which seem to be more like B&Bs, often without private bathrooms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pension_(lodging)

Thanks chani,

All the more important then to get ac , staying in Rome in july without ac would be horrendus and i bet its easier to find ac there because of that !

I'm now 57 and have stayed in hostels, Air B&B, apartments, small hotels, big hotels since before I was "unfortunately" 33 years old (sounds pretty good to me now). My last hostel stays were in Paris September and October 2016. I also stayed in hostels in September in Cancale and Dinan (Brittany, France).

When looking for a place to stay. I'm perfectly good with hostels but I have a few cautions:

1. Some hostels are party central, others aren't. You can tell by reading reviews. If the reviews are all about partying, I pick another place.

2. Some hostels are nicer than others, read reviews and look at pictures so you know what to expect.

3. Hostels have a lot of petty theft, always keep your things either in view or locked up. I might be overstating it, but better safe than lose your smart phone because you "just" went to the bathroom.

4. Location is a big deal. Not every hostel is conveniently located. Some are worth taking a bus into town but generally I'd prefer something walking distance to the part of town I want to see. Don't assume it's convenient, look up the address on Google maps before you book.

5. Don't pack bedding - some of that advice is still floating around. Places will either include bedding or require you to rent theirs. I've found no reason, in the last two decades or so, to pack a sheet or bedliner with you.

6. Do pack some kind of towel. Some places still don't provide towels.

7. Joining (e.g. HI Hostels) isn't required. I normally figure out if I'm staying in enough of their places to offset the cost. An HI hostel membership doesn't mean anything to the hundreds of hostels who aren't part of their group.

I frequently stay at hostels. For reference I'm a 32 year old single woman who travels solo a lot. I have stayed at hostels here in the US, in Canada, and in a number of European countries- all with varying degrees of success. My biggest recommendation is to check a site like Hostelworld and read reviews. They will let you know what kind of atmosphere to expect and people will be candid about the amenities and neighborhood. Since making it a habit to do sufficient research about a hostel on similar websites I have not had a bad experience. I honestly cannot think of any reason you should avoid hostels as long as you choose wisely. I can afford to stay in hotels when I travel but, like you, I don't see the point in spending money I don't need to.

The people staying at hostels are ordinary, normal folks of various ages, ie from college kids to retired people, and various nationalities, just depends on the time, the particular hostel and the city. I look at a hostel's location, its security and cleanliness ratings. It's matter of what one is willing to cope with, do with or do without. in terms of amenities, privacy, cost, AC, cleanliness, etc.

My daughter and her friend spent two months in Europe last year, about 40 days in hostels ( they did get cheap hotel rooms in some places as it worked out about the same money, so don't assume hostels are always the cheapest best option)

The place she had her boots stolen was a hostel.. but the most expensive hostel they stayed in ( Amsterdam) . so do be aware that the price of a place has zero to do with how safe or clean it may be.

I will try and find out the name of the place they stayed in Rome.. I think it was either a private room in a hostel or a cheap hotel, I just recall the photos, I will ask her and get back to you.

And of course people want to know your budget limits.. its obvious that cheap means different things to different people , so why bother recommending a "budget" hotel that they stayed in if it cost 120 euros and you will only pay up to 60 euros.?

Mike, what is your ideal € amount per night per hostel or hotel that you'd like to pay in Europe? This is the only way people can give you specific recommendations. We have traveled up to 4 months at a time in Europe staying in hotels every night and there are some cities where you will be able able to be under budget and some where you may have to spend more. People can help you with those nuances too if you let us know which Italian cities you hope to visit on your 2 week trip.