Hostels in Florence, Rome and Assissi

It's always best to get a hotel in advance. You can always request a late check in. Do you really want to spend time out of your vacation looking for a hotel with vacancies?

Donna

The Internet has been a real game changer in this regard. Before the Internet, only a few people booked rooms in advance; now lots of them do. The best values in each accommodation category (whether hostel, pension, or five star luxury hotel) tend to go first, and those who haven't booked ahead get the leftovers. There will always be somewhere to stay, but it may cost more and/or not be as nice as you want.

Furthermore, you indicated you will be looking in the afternoon; if it's much after the checkout time, the hostel beds may be taken by people who were there waiting for the available rooms (in other words, the early bird gets the room). So, if you do want to travel without reservations, find out when checkout time is for the hostels you're interested in, and arrange to be there shortly afterward. You'll have first dibs on new vacancies.

I haven't stayed in hostels in Europe, but my sister has, and she uses Hostel World http://www.hostelworld.com/ and Hostel Bookers http://www.hostelbookers.com/ to do research. I'm also fond of EuroCheapo for finding less expensive beds, as well as other good money-saving tips: http://www.eurocheapo.com/. But that's my point; the listings on, for instance, Eurocheapo, are not secrets. Particularly if you're going at a busy time of year, you could be shut out of them, and have to move on to "lesser" choices.

Thanks for your help!