Eurotravel Planner

Section: Lodging

Safety & Health

Lodging. Hotels, Hostels, campsites, B&Bs, Apartments. All can be the right option, but how do you know which one?

• How much do I have to spend?
• Do I need to make reservations in advance?
• How do we go off the beaten track?

My first tip: If you really want to spend time in a nice hotel, don't go to Europe. If you compare Europe to U.S. hotels, you'll be disappointed. If you appreciate the differences, you'll love your stays overseas.

Lodging Options
Don't just think about the common freeway-side hotels that are the closest Europe has to the Holiday Inn or Motel 6. Consider also that Europe has a sophisticated network of small, individually-owned lodging options which really bring Europe alive for travelers.

Look at Bed & Breakfast's (B&Bs), Hostels, individually-owned hotels, Ostellos, and other options for staying put for a week or two such as villas and homes you can rent.

Pricing
Europe can be expensive if you start considering higher-end business hotels. I also think you'll be surprised to find that you don't get the same level of accommodation for the price. European hotels are smaller, and the bathrooms can sometimes leave something to be desired

Realize that there's little difference between a 2, 3 and 4 star hotel in Europe -- these designations often signify only amenities, and do not necessarily mean that the 4-star is much "nicer" than the 2-star. Look at location to where you want to be, try to find a picture of the place, ask for recommendations from friends, and then consider which hotel or other lodging to reserve. DO remember to check if bathrooms are "en suite" which means in the room versus, say, down the hall...

In general, pricing ranges from $15-$30 for hostels and group lodging, $30-$70/night for small, quaint 2-star lodging, and $60-$150/night for business hotels.

Early and late-season travel gives you more freedom to stay longer in places that you find along the way and fall in love with. Because you aren't rushed to get to your next destination, you can take an extra day in whatever wonderful place you find yourself!

Rick Steves' series of guidebooks is good for putting together room reservations that are decent and not overly expensive. Also, they tend to NOT be the the big, ugly, cold corporate hotels you probably want to avoid on vacation. The only issue is that he's selective in cities he covers and may not include yours.

For more complete coverage, I've also been very pleased with the Lonely Planet France, Italy, and Western Europe guides. They do a good job of giving low-end and moderate-end places to stay in pretty much all cities you'll hit along the way, with very broad coverage that allows you to roam off the well-trodden tourist trails.

As for budget accommodations, stick with hostels (ostellos in Italy, some pensions act as hostels as well). They are not only very cheap, they really are THE place to meet international travelers, and to have other people to do things with or get perspectives on other cultures. I especially recommend Hostels for individual travelers!

Hotel, Hostel, and B&B systems in Europe are extremely advanced and there are no problems with safety there. Again, there is petty crime at times, so keep valuables with you -- or just don't bring much to Europe, it'll be less to worry about.

I usually schedule my first few days of hotel reservations in advance, just to feel a little on the safer side as I arrive in Europe – especially during high season. From there, buy phonecards from magazine/tobacco kiosks and use them to call ahead a few days before to reserve a room.

Look at the left-hand navigation bar for more hotel reservation choices.

Discover quaint, unique lodging options
For the most local flavor, stay away from the dry hotels. Hit the Bed & Breakfasts (B&B's) and hostels. You get to meet a lot of people; it's less expensive, and more local. I love hostels. I love the smell, the unwashed and raw culture, the lack of toilet paper in the shi... suffice it to say I appreciate the social ambience of the Independent Youth Hostel System in Europe. Even better, it's not just for young punks anymore! Plenty of young families and empty-nesters are finding the charm of the Hostel system.

I remember a hostel on the Italian Riviera that was in an old castle with a view of the sunset and ocean. Fantastico! These beat the Motel 6 every time.

As for finding places to stay, the web has a lot of places you can get in touch with. For example, here are a few options for Italy.

Tuscany is a great region, so this seems like a good place to start! In a Frommer's article from December 2002, they recommend a few agencies in to consider contacting for villas to stay in:
1. Vacanze in Italia (22 Railroad St. Great Barrington, MA
01230, ph: (800) 533-5405 www.homeabroad.com)
2. (European Agency in Florence) Communicart
(Viale Machiavelli 5, 50125, Firenze, Italy,
ph: 011-39-055-233-6920, www.communicart.it).
3. travel-italy.com
4. www.italianvillas.com

For the rest of Italia, and higher-end cozy places, I’d recommend www.slh.com/slh/europe.html as I’ve seen many of these hotels and they are consistently nice.

For a wide range of places (thousands of them) try www.utell.com, a site I’ve successfully used several times with good results for several countries in Europe (listed by star rating, for the various amenities they have, i.e. 3 star hotel). Again, my opinion is that 2, 3 and 4 stars are basically the same for Europe, so don't bother with a 4 just for the number, only choose it for location, amenities, etc.

Safety & Health