When you’re traveling on budget hostels end up being a vital solution when it comes to saving for accommodation. In my case, I like staying in hostels not just because I get to save a lot of money, but also because it’s a great opportunity to make new friends. Of course, it’s just a matter of luck; I stayed at hostels where I made zero friends, but I also stayed at others where I made friends that I kept in touch with to this day.

Today, I’ll be telling you about my favorite hostel picks in Europe. I loved those because their overall atmosphere impressed me while still meeting my criteria. For each one, I’ll be rating their locations, pricing, friendliness of staff, cleanliness, facilities, and safety. I’ll also provide you with any useful information such as contact details, their websites, or if there are any branches for these hostels in other cities/countries.

Only to make things clear before I move on, the prices I paid are probably not the usual prices for those hostels. I remember booking only 10 days or two weeks in advance and I was traveling during the Christmas vacation which is a high season when normally prices go up. However, I’ll provide you with the current prices I find online so you’d have an idea of their range of prices. I’ve stayed at hostels as cheap as €9/night and what I concluded that the best options would usually cost 20-something Euro per night. However, this is again my own opinion based on my experiences and set of criteria. So it may vary from one person to another.

In addition to prices, please bear in mind that the highest score I’ll give to safety is a 9. There’s always a risk anywhere. No matter how secure it is, it’s always YOUR responsibility to avoid being mugged. For example, a friend of mine got robbed in one of the hostels I mentioned below even though I gave it a 9 on the scale. However, I believe that this was his mistake as he didn’t keep his money in the safe box provided by the hostel. So a piece of advice from me, always keep your belongings in a safe place, always carry a padlock, do not carry a lot of cash; only what’s enough for an emergency, and always keep an eye. You’re staying with complete strangers at the end of the day and there’s always a percentage of risk.

Let’s start?

#3 Madama Hostel & Bistrot – Milan

I remember arriving right after Christmas. One of the staff members was very sweet, she gave me a Christmas gift; it was a box with a muffin and this cute sticker, and she also recommended places for me to visit. After my arrival, they wrote the countries which the guests who arrived that day came from; myself included, on a large mirror they had in the entrance.

My room was clean and very spacious. It was a 6-bed ensuite dorm, but I shared it with 3 other girls only. The hostel is not located in the center, but it’s not far and it’s only a 3-minute walk from the metro station, Lodi T.I.B.B.

As obvious from the name, the hostel had a Bistrot which served free breakfast that I enjoyed very much! It also had a cozy common area where you can work or just chill, in addition to a common kitchen. I remember they had events every week and Karaoke night but I missed those, unfortunately. They also provided free locks, lockers, free luggage storage, and of course WIFI. I remember paying €26/night and for that service and time of reservation, I consider this a great deal. The overall atmosphere of the place was amazing; it was so artsy and creative and I loved it!

Cleanliness: 10/10

Staff: 10/10

Location: 8/10

Price: 10/10

Facilities: 10/10

Safety: 8/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Useful information:

Website: http://www.madamahostel.com/

E-mail: info@madamahostel.com

Phone number: +39 366 310 7485

Address: via Benaco 1, 20139 Milano

#2 The Yellow – Rome

This one definitely has to come on top of my list because despite everything, I had the time of my life at this place and made great memories. I loved the place’s atmosphere; the buildings were of old Italian architecture; which I love the most. I also stayed in a 6-bed ensuite dorm which was super clean. There were lockers under beds where you could keep your belongings, but you need your own padlock for safety. Additionally, there were small safe boxes for each guest where you could set your own password and keep your valuable items for extra security.

The room was very clean and I remember seeing something that I really loved. They had a bookshelf where guests could exchange old books. In other words, if you finished a book while traveling, you could leave it on the shelf for someone else to read and take another one which used to belong to another traveler like you. I couldn’t get myself to leave my book though, but I liked the initiative. There were lots of facilities and common areas in that hostel. There was also a bar where you could grab breakfast or lunch during the day (not included in price) and attend an event or watch a performance at night.

One of the most important factors for this one to be one of my favs is the location. It’s located in the center, only 5-minutes away from Roma Termini; where the train and bus stations are located. It’s also the same place where the main metro stop was located having both the red and blue lines. In addition to that, it was only a couple of minutes away from another metro station. Not to mention that it’s close to many restaurants and eat outs.

Staff members were super friendly and since it was new years eve, the receptionist provided me with a map and recommended places where I can go spend the night. As for the price, unfortunately, the whole city was fully booked and as I previously mentioned, I booked last minute for the highest season in town, so I paid a lot. I remember paying €49/night, however, if you book in advance you could get yourself a bed for as cheap as €22/night.

Cleanliness: 10/10

Staff: 10/10

Location: 10/10

Price: 7/10

Facilities: 10/10

Safety: 9/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Useful information:

Website: https://www.the-yellow.com/

E-mail: questions@the-yellow.com

Phone number: +39 06 446 3554

Address: Yellow Square, Via Palestro 51, Rome, Italy 00185

#1 Generator – Paris

Moving on to my final pick, Generator. This one’s a bit of a luxury hostel, however, it’s one of the best! The rooms are super clean and the entire place has slick designs and the overall atmosphere is very cool. It’s located right in front of a metro station and the staff is very friendly and very helpful. I remember when I got locked out of the rooms area, they helped me right away.

As for safety, it’s super safe; your key doesn’t just unlock your dorm, but you also need to unlock another door before getting to the hallway where your dorm is. Additionally, there’s a room where you could rent a locker to store your luggage if you need to leave them on the day of your check-out.

It also has really nice common areas and a restaurant where you could order international breakfast (not included in price). Back then, I paid €27/night and for such a luxurious stay that was great. Luckily, Generator is a chain. It has other branches in London, Rome, Venice, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Dublin, Copenhagen, Berlin, Hamburg, and Stockholm.

Cleanliness: 10/10

Staff: 10/10

Location: 10/10

Price: 10/10

Facilities: 10/10

Safety: 9/10

Atmosphere: 10/10

Useful information:

Website: https://generatorhostels.com/

E-mail: ask.paris@generatorhostels.com

Phone number: +33(0) 17 098 8400

Address: 9-11 Place du Colonel Fabien, Paris, 75010, France

 

I hope you found this useful for your hostel hunt! Make sure to let me know all about your experience if you took my advice and booked at one of those.

Happy Travels!