I've attached the booking.com links to every property mentioned in this article to make life easier for you! Happy planning!
1. Youthvenicepalace San Marco, Venice, Italy
What I like:It is located near to San Marco Square. Budget friendly (for the standard within the island). The sense of security (You’ll have to pass 2 doors to get to the hostel). The Japanese lady at the reception was very friendly and helpful.
What I didn't like:
For first timers, the hostel is a little hard to find. I spent 1 hours walking around the same area before realizing that it shares the same building with other hostels. and even when I’ve found the property, I couldn’t figure out which floor it was on (first floor). The guests were not allowed to use the kitchen stoves. Extra charges: €5 to rent bed linen and €5 to leave my luggage on the day I checked out. (Good that I brought a sleeping bag )
View Youth Venice Palace on Booking.com>>
2. Hotel Giovannina, Mestre, Venice, Italy
What I like:VERY Budget-friendly, the train and bus station are located just around the corner. There is a Chinese restaurant right beside it and Asian groceries stores are 2 minutes walk away. A lot of cheap-eat options in the area.
What I didn't like:
There is only a microwave under the stairs. The Internet is only accessible in the lobby.
View Hotel Giovannina on Booking.com>>
3. La Controra Hostel, Naples, Italy
What I like:The building is a former monastery with a beautiful garden (You’ll have breakfast here! ) . The staffs are very dedicated in making your Naples experience as great as possible. On the first night, someone took my bed in the 8 person dorm room (to put her things on). Unable to find the girl in the hostel, the staff upgraded me to a 4 person room. The free breakfast was basic but really satisfying, I even took some packet jam for the road.
What I didn't like: --
View La Controra on Booking.com>>
4. Ulisse Delux Hostel, Sorrento, Italy
What I like:It looks more like a hotel than a hostel. Located just off the Main Street in Sorrento, I had a room with an ensuite/private bathroom complete with bathtub and some very comfortable beds. The delicious breakfast buffet in the morning only cost me 10 Euro.
What I didn't like:
The luggage store is actually a function hall, I felt like it was not secured enough.
View Ulisse Delux Hostel on Booking.com>>
5. Pisa Central B&B, Pisa, Italy.
What I like:First thing first, the owner is a very accommodating man. He allowed me to check in earlier, immediately made my bed without making me pay first because I was suffering from travel burnt-out. I only paid during check out. The beds they have here are by far the nicest biggest beds I’ve seen in a dorm room. Not only that, the beds come with curtains, so you get a lot of privacy.
What I didn't like: --
View Pisa Central B&B on Booking.com>>
6. Near Colosseum, Rome, Italy.
What I like:The Indian guy at the reception made the experience more like a home stay rather than a hostel stay. He rushed to the hostel past midnight (1am?) to check me in and made home-cooked mutton curry for dinner on my last night in Rome (My God! I missed Indian food like seriously). The free breakfast was basic but satisfying: stuffed chocolate, jam or custard croissants, orange juice and milk. Most importantly, it was the cheapest option on booking.com when I was searching for deals in Rome.
What I didn't like:
The first impression of this hostel. It was located underground, and so I was a little taken aback at first. However, once I spend a night here, I felt comfortable and welcomed.
View Near Colosseum on Booking.com>>
7. Hotel Mont Blanc, Chamonix, France.
What I like: Everything!Read my full review here.
View Hotel Mount Blanc on Booking.com>>
8. Hotel Boquier, Avignon, France.
What I like: Everything!Read my full review here.
View Hotel Boquier on Booking.com>>
9. Hotel St Christopher, Aix-En-Provence, France.
What I like:I like the spacious private bathroom in my room and that's it. To be fair, it is quite a nice hotel located in the city center, however, my whole experience was overshadowed by the negative experience I had with a hotel staff. The only thing that brightened up my stay was the cheerful waiter who went around painting French flag on everyone's arm (French vs Germany EuroCup in that evening ).
What I didn't like:
One of the staff was rude. He insisted on having my credit card even though I clearly told him the tourism of Aix-En-Provence had settled the bill. He realized the mistake only after charging my card and he still had the nerve to blame me for not saying anything. The check out process took 20 minutes which largely affected my breakfast experience in this hotel. The breakfast seemed great but we were left with only 5 minutes to enjoy it, I couldn't even finish my cereal bowl. I complained about this to the press relation of Aix on the very same day and I hope the hotel got a notice.
View Hotel St. Christopher on Booking.com>>
10. Hotel Mirabeau, Tours, France.
What I like: Everything!Read my full review here.
View Hotel Mirabeau on Booking.com>>
11. Galaxy Pod Hostel, Reykjavik, Iceland.
What I like: Everything!Read my full review here.
View Galaxy Pod Hostel on Booking.com>> accommodation
12. Urban City Center Hostel, Brussels, Belgium.
What I like:We arrived at 2am in the morning, dying from exhaustion (It was terribly noisy in the night bus, we couldn’t even rest). The receptionist was so kind by allowing us to sleep on the lobby’s sofa and he got our beds ready as soon as someone checked out at 5am, without extra charges. We managed to catch some sleep before exploring Brussels. The hostel is located in Stalingrad ( Same name as the place where I live in Russia!), close to the train station and a fun fair. There are a lot of cheap-eats and kebab stores around, it is a very happening area. The internet was strong in my room, I was able to upload tons of HD photos.
What I didn't like:
The part of the town is a little bit shady at night with homeless people lingering around on the street. We experienced some cat calling on the first night (while walking towards the hostel at 2 am). But I guess, just avoid arriving during the wee-hours and you’ll be okay. On a different note, I did see some pretty unique sight like people playing ping pong on the street at 2am!!
View Urban City Center Hostel on Booking.com>>
13. The Matterhorn Hostel Zermatt, Zermatt, Switzerland.
What I like:This is a budget hostel. $30 is considered "budget" in Switzerland.
What I didn't like:
I didn't feel too safe sleeping in the dorm room without a locked door. There is no stove in the kitchen.
View Matterhorn Hostel on Booking.com>>
14. Geneva Hostel, Geneva, Switzerland.
What I like:The hostel offers guests free city transportation cards, which allow us to get on metros and bus for free! We enjoyed the great view from our room overlooking the river, and we managed to watch the Independence Day Fireworks from the window. We all got our own big lockers with keys without extra charge.
What I didn't like:
Perhaps our timing was terrible. We arrived at the hostel in the evening on Independence Day. There was only 1 receptionist working despite having 4 counters. That was the only time I was mad due to the overly prolonged check-in process but I was back to my happy self again once I got my room key. The receptionist was really friendly and helpful, though!
View Geneva Hostel on Booking.com>>
15. Pegasus Hostel Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
What I like:A well-kept budget hostel near to the East Side Gallery (we walked there the next morning). The staff allowed us to stay in the communal area after check-out until 3 in the morning, even allowed us to shower before heading to the airport.
What I didn't like:
Check in took forever and when it was finally our turn, they did a mistake by charging the credit card twice (or 600 instead of 60 Euro?) Well, I forgot what exactly happened but it was something to do with the credit card. Although they did take quite some time to solve this issue, they showed effort, at least.
View Pegasus Hostel on Booking.com>>
16. Budget Hostel, Prague, Czech.
What I like:The location. The hostel (or should I say school?) was just a 1-minute walk away from Charles Bridge.
What I didn't like:
I didn't know what to expect when I clicked the reserve button on the booking.com. First of all, I did not realize that it was just a gym with mattresses all over the place. Although I have no problem sleeping like this (after so many tent-camping, airport, train station and bus stop-sleep experience), it did surprise me as I’ve paid 11 Euros for this. Next, the WiFi wasn't working at all and I was directed to the nearest McD. The experience started off so wrong when the receptionist was obviously annoyed with me when I knocked on the glass window (in her defense, maybe she was too into her paperwork…) but nevertheless, it did affect my experience (my heart is made of glass). Next, I was accused of putting away other people’s stuff and took a claimed bed for myself, oh my goodness, the receptionist should’ve known better since she walked me to the gym! But well, I am not the kind of timid girl who takes accusations and sulks at the corner, of course, I went face to face with the travelers who said that. On the next day, imagine my surprise when I found out that there were no doors in the shower!
View Budget Hostel on Booking.com>>
17. O&A Wien Hauptbahnhof, Vienna, Austria.
What I like:The hostel is located at the back of the main train station, so I was able to have an early start (at 4.30 am) for my day trip to Hallstatt. There was a private bathroom in my room and a lot of electric sockets. The hotel is a really popular budget choice. I saw a group of 40 Chinese primary school kids with their teachers staying here on a school trip. The kitchen is fully equipped too and there is 2 washing machines next to the kitchen for guest.
What I dislike: --
View O&A Wien Hauptbahnhof on Booking.com>>
18. Seagulls Garret Hostel, Riga, Latvia
What I like: Everything!Read my full review here.
View Seagulls Garret Hostel on Booking.com>>
19. Private Apartment Near The Sights, Budapest, Hungary.
What we like:Communication with the host was easy, Istvan was an awesome host. He let us in to put our bags first as he prepared the house. He recommended things to do in the city and left us some guidebooks and maps. The location is unbeatable, near to the attractions. The house is clean, comfortable and spacious. A free bowl of candies in the living room added to our experience!
What we didn't like: --
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Thank You for Reading! This post is based solely on my honest opinion or personal experience. If you have a different opinion, feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below!
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