Hostel life is different for sure, but it is also a lot of fun. The sleeping accomodations range anywhere from a private room to 14 beds in a single room! Depending on the hostel, there might be lockers to keep your bag in when you are out. Another popular option is to secure your bag under your bed with a bike lock. Always be aware of your surroundings and try to be discreet about your valuables. Most hostelers are young travelers such as yourself with the same worries and concerns.

Shared bathrooms range in quality depending on the hostel as well. It is kind of like a college dorm with the bathrooms down the hall. I have never seen a “gang” shower at a hostel where it is a big open shower, but I’ve been where there are separate shower stalls with no curtains. You will learn to be quick in/out of the shower as the conditions may not be as comfortable as home, and there might be other people waiting to use them. A trick I used was if you are in a hostel that is crowded with shared bathrooms (mornings are always the busies in the bathrooms), set your alarm early (4:30-6am) to go and take a shower when not many people are up. Then just hop back into bed when your done, and you dont have to worry as much about privacy and waiting to use them. Most reputable hostels have acceptable bathroom conditions.

Most city’s should have hostels. if not, two star hotels are usually very nice (more expensive), or you could maybe look into couchsurfing (cheap). I have never couchsurfed, so I would do some research on it if you were interested. Hostel prices in the summer do go up in price, especially for private rooms with baths….

thanks midgelson

another question that come up to my mind now…

I plan to go on june and july, should I book them in advance? or can I go and get a bed/room in the moment?
I mean… what are the chances that they get full occupied?

I guess it could be a risk, but probablly will be cheaper if I do it on the moment without booking, right?

what do you think over this?

Hi,
1) It is essential to read reviews for hostels before you book them

2) June/July/Aug: book in advance, esp the more popular ones. You only have to pay a deposit, so don’t stress about losing money if your plans change. I use hostelworld.com

3) As for security: it ranges, hence why you need to read reviews. Bring a lock, be smart/conscious of your presence in the room. Don’t let your roommates see your valuables (cameras, phone, ipod, etc). Leave passport w/ front desk. I have read stories about people getting robbed and all sorts of shady business in hostels, but myself never have encountered anything sinister. I choose hostels on specific criteria, and security/safety is one. The less people in your room, the less likely one of them will be shady. Avoid 20 people dorms. It is also REALLY important to get friendly with the people in your room; by creating connections, you are not “some random” guy/girl, so I think this helps in preventing theft/disrespect/etc.

4) AS for showers, I am an American female, and QUITE shy about nudity, so this was MY FIRST concern when I was a hostel newbie. Again, this is where READING THE REVIEWS is helpful.. I will not stay in a place where I would feel freaked by a shower. I did wind up (for one night) in one of these shady places, but not by choice… Long story. City Public Hostel in Copenhagen. One open shower! I was NOT happy… freak I am, took a shower when everyone was asleep and still wore my bathing suit. Haha.

5) AS for cities without hostels: 1) sometimes new hostels open, especially in summer, so don’t be too sure they don’t exist. Also, some hostels don’t have websites, hence WORD OF MOUTH while you are roaming around, 2) pensions are the next best option, 3) the more you meet people on your journey, the more opportunities you have to get a room/pension/apartment together. I have done this. Excellent way of making lasting friendships. ALSO consider COUCHSURFING and CAMPING.

6) What cities are you going to? I can help with some suggestions for hostels. I like clean, safe, friendly/social places, close to city center and/or transport hub places.

Don’t worry about these things, hostelling is an experience but it winds up being memorable and a way to make lasting connections. I LOVE hostels.
Happy planning.

thank you very much funkyj! I am shy too on the nudity, so I get your point and understand it perfectly!

the citys Ihave picked are in my trip plan: http://www.eurotrip….

ARggggggggHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I just spent like a half hour telling you about specific hostels/accommodations and hyperlinking them, and I accidentially hit the back button and LOST it all….. Be back in a little bit to repost.

OK, so I have not been to all of these cities and even some that I have been to I did not stay in hostels/accommodations, rather, I stayed with friends. So I will provide whatever details I can. Also note, some of the places I have not been in 5 or so years, so double check the locations and rates—and of course, STILL read CURRENT reviews because it is not uncommon that the conditions, amenities, and rates change.

London: I ALWAYS stay at St. Christopher’s Village on Borough High Street right near London Bridge. There are 3 of the St. Christopher’s hostels on this particular street and each one has a different atmosphere and varied rooms. The Village location is where the check in is, it also contains the Belushi’s Bar. The Village is a great hostel because 1) location, 2) social atmosphere/bar—bar is lots of fun and open LATE, 3) food to order, 4) breakfast, spacious but basic rooms 5) decent showers with HOT water, however, showers are super tight but each person gets a cubby area to change in. Note if you are not into a loud party hostel, then just stay at the one of the other St. Christopher’s on that street—you can still use the facilities of the Village one of course. Oh, and of course they are safe, each person gets a magnetic key card, plus there are lockers.

Berlin: The Circus hostel but there are two locations, I stayed at the social one with the bar and lounge area, the one at Weinbergsweg. I have stayed at both actually, but prefer the more social one. This place is totally secure with magnetic key card. It is IMMACULATE. One of the cleanest hostels I have ever experienced actually. Showers are nice too. Bar/lounge area is very welcoming and modern. Also, this is where the pub crawls and walking tours meet—I recommend the Absolute Walking Tours and Pub crawl.

Prague: I never stayed in a hostel, I usually stay at this Pension. The Pension is a nice alternative if you are traveling with someone and you need some rest and chill time. There are various rooms there, some nicer than others. They are mostly walk-ups, like 5 flights, but worth it. One of the times I stayed there I got a room at the top floor, so we had a balcony overlooking the rooftops., a kitchenette area with micro, sink, fridge, TV. They also deliver “breakfast” to your door (bread, jams, some meat spreads, tea/coffee, yogurt). Private shower/bath too. I like the location because it is on Revolucni close enough to the center but far enough to not listen to drunken stag parties tumbling outside your window.

Vienna: I have stayed at Wombats. It is clean, social, and secure. Apparently there is more than one now, I stayed at the Base one. It can be a little tricky to find so just ask some locals. They also have maps and all sorts of info for things to see and do.

Budapest: I was there in 2004 and stayed at Mellow Mood Hostel, it was BRAND NEW. So new that they were still building it. I stumbled upon it because some guy (owner/manager????) asked me on the train if I was looking for a place to stay—I was because I decided at the last minute to go to Budapest (met girls at Wombats in Vienna, decided to tag along), with no accommodations and it was the Grand Prix so EVERYTHING was booked. Anyway, this place was nice for what it was (unfinished). Huge spacious clean rooms, with air conditioning that you adjust (RARE), clean showers with endless hot water… Great location too. I am thinking either it changed its name, location, or both, or does not exist anymore.

Munich: I LOVE and ALWAYS stay (if I can) at Euro Youth Hostel. Location: perfect, clean rooms and linens, hot and clean showers, huge social area, internet, friendly and informative staff, awesome bar that is open VERY late (had some crazy nights there) so if it is raining and you don’t feel like going out, this is the place to hang and meet LOADS of people. Once I couldn’t get a room so I stayed at the (new at the time) Wombats a couple of doors down. Wombats hostels are excellent in general. The Wombats was VERY modern, huge, clean, of course secure too, bar area, plenty of lounging and social space, as well as QUIET space. GREAT place. Can’t go wrong with either hostel.

Florence: Oh geeze. We booked a hostel, MONTHS in advance for July, rocked up pretty late in the day, only to find out the place was condemned and they took the money and ran. We lost out deposit, and had nowhere to go. Florence in July is a terrible place to search for budget accommodations. FREAKED out, we went back to the train station where loads of people stand around trying to get you to stay in their pension, home, room, etc…. You can get nice deals but CHECK the place BEFORE you pay. We found some guy, who took us to a dorm-like room in a building… That is a story in itself, actually it is a story full of side stories, some comical as hell with Quazimotto and power outages while trapped in an elevator… I’ll save that for later. Anyway, we stayed there for one night, and then the next day searched high heaven for a “budget” place. We found a pension across from Hostel Archi Rossi (the hostel was fully booked, as per usual—and this hostel is highly rated) called the Gatto Negro or something of the like….It was clean and the manager was fantastic. I don’t know if it exists anymore, but the point is, in Florence in the summer, make sure you have a secure place.

Rome: We stayed at Allesandro Palace (the one with the bar—are you seeing a pattern here???). Good location, CLEAN, secure.. Some memorable stories involving puke came from there, but despite this, it was super duper clean. Free coffee/cocoa machine. Helpful staff.

Barcelona: There are TONS of hostels there, I stayed at Hello BCN. It was ok. There was a kitchen, which, oh, I forgot to mention, it is REALLY a good idea to stay at hostels with self-catering kitchens, helps you save money. It was CLEAN, with air conditioning, nice size lounge area, bar area, internet, lockers.

OK, I hope I helped ease your anxiety. I am telling you, hostels wind up ADDIng to your experience. They are fun, social, and lead you to new opportunities and experiences. If you have any more specific questions, ask!

Happy planning!

thank you very much funkyj!!
and I sorry your first post went away! and double thanks for rewriting it!

will analyze this tomorrow in further detail

No problem! Enjoy

In Amsterdam, I highly recommend the Stayokay Vondelpark. It’s very clean, has a bar downstairs (although I didn’t visit it much, we were on a limited time frame), individual lockers right next to your bed, beds are fairly comfy as dorm bunk beds go, in a good location (right around the corner from Museumplein where the Van Gogh museum and others are), and only about a 15 tram ride from Centraal station. In a nice area so you can walk places as well, it’s pretty close to Leidseplein which is a hoppin party spot.
Bathrooms are in-room, but they only had two shower stalls and two toilets (and four sinks) for our whole room which was like 20-25 beds. They were clean bathrooms though, except that there was no soap by the sinks… I just used some Purell/Germ-x stuff instead. Key cards to get in EVERYWHERE too (in the lobby, in the stairwell/elevator area, AND in the rooms), very secure.

If you are into ALOT of partying, stay in the Flying Pig downtown, which has a bar and a pot smoking lounge on site. But I liked that our dorm at the Stayokay was QUIET so you could get a good sleep, there was no-smoking (cigarettes or pot), and we could choose to go out and party or not.

I’d second funkyj’s choice of Wombat for Vienna. I stayed at both hostels, (The Base & The Lounge) but i did prefer The Lounge. It’s newer, easier to find and closer to the train station/grocery/etc. It’s a big hostel, but each room are reasonably small (i’ve always stayed in a 4-beds ensuite). Great bar in the basement.

For Prague, my recommendation would be Sir Toby’s. It’s not in the center per se, but it’s really easy to get in and out with the metro or tramway. As i recall the beds are comfortable, the rooms are big and clean, there’s a nice outside area in the back, and also a bar downstair where you can meet with the other guests.

Enjoy your trip !

Hey all!! i have a question! this will be my first time in hostel too!! i have been looking at them on this site(eurotrip.com) and some of them have a red “x” on the bed linens… does that mean there are no sheets?

thank you all again!

one more question… do you have any website that will actually show me the price per a single private room?
what I mean for example, it is annoying seeing “private for $20” and then going and it is a private for two people, and so it double ups the prize

If you want a private room, then also check hotel aggregators. Private rooms in hostels can cost more than a 1 or 2 star hotel in some cases. Remember with hotels that you don’t get the social aspects that you would in hostels. BookingBuddy has a good hotel search, which includes Venere, Booking, GTA, LateRooms, and others in it’s search.