“Shared” is a dorm room. So you just pay for the bed and there will be other people in the room with you. The size of the dorm room can vary by hostel. Some “shared” rooms have as few as 3-4 beds and others have more than 20. Generally, the cost of the bed decreases the larger the room is.

“Private” is a private room. Typically private rooms sleep 1 to 4 people (so, singles, doubles, triples, and suites). If you book a private room, you have to book EACH bed in the room. Prices shown are still per person. So if there is a private double room, and the cost is 25 euro, the total cost of the room is 50 euro (because there is room to sleep 2 people). Beds will be twin or double depending on the hostel, or you may have a choice (for example, for a double room you can choose either one double bed, or two twin beds). They generally restrict the number of people that can stay in a private room based on how many beds. Thus, you can’t really get 3 people into a double room.

If you’re traveling solo, dorm rooms will generally be cheaper. If you’re traveling with others, private rooms may be comparable in price and does offer more privacy and quiet. This summer I am traveling with 2 friends, and we booked several private triple rooms instead of staying exclusively in dorms.

Finally, if you are looking to private rooms, look into budget hotels as well, as they may be cheaper- of course you would lose out on the social atmosphere that many hostels provide. I booked a couple of these this summer so we would get some quiet and a good night’s sleep.