Book Europe's Best Hostels

Europe's hostel business has been booming over the last couple of decades, and this is great news for budget travelers and those who like to use their travel funds more on experiencing the culture than on a luxurious room sheltering them from the city they came to see in the first place. Facilities with dorm rooms full of beds can be found in virtually every European city of any size, but today Europe hostels are also frequently offering private rooms for a great mix of privacy and value.

The youth hostel movement started in Germany in the early part of the 20^th Century and it has transformed quite a bit since then. Age limits are mostly a thing of the past, although quite a few places do limit their dorm rooms to people 30, or sometimes 40, and under. Daytime lock-outs and nighttime curfews are also quite rare these days in European hostels. And the days when visitors were required to do certain chores as part of their stay are also gone, but many hostels will trade room and board for a certain number of hours working in the facility, so inquire about it if you are interested.

Dorm beds in European hostels are generally the least expensive public accommodation in any given city, and as you'd expect, the prices of these dorm beds generally reflect relative prices of hotels around the continent. In Spain or Greece you might be able to find a bed for €10 per night or so, while in London or Stockholm you'd be doing well to find anything as low as €25 per night. People traveling in pairs can often get a great deal by choosing a twin private or a double private room in a European hostel, as this combines hotel-style privacy with the social aspects of hostel life, all for a price quite a bit lower than in a hotel in the same neighborhood.

Speaking of the social aspects, if you've not stayed in a hostel yet you are probably in for a nice surprise. Almost all hostels in Europe have common social areas (like TV rooms or game rooms) as well as communal kitchen facilities where guests can store and prepare their own food if they'd like. It's extremely easy to meet new people and make new friends while using these facilities, and the experience of shopping in a local market and preparing a unique dish can be a memorable cultural adventure in addition to a money-saving one.

Privacy and security can be issues, especially with first-time hostel visitors. Most hostels provide lockers or lockable drawers for each guest, so bring your own padlock and security should be taken care of. As far as privacy is concerned, yes, it is odd at first sleeping in a room of 3 or 7 or 15 strangers, but it's not as traumatic as most people expect it to be, and it's another great way to make friends (or in some cases, enemies). If you'll be touring around Europe for a while you might consider mixing hostel dorm rooms in the most expensive cities with private rooms or even budget hotels in less expensive places.