Essentials > Hostels

Hostels

Hostels are a great cheap accommodation option, however they have much more to offer than a cheap bed. A good backpackers' hostel is also a place to party, meet new friends from around the world and get information on other cool places to go.

Hostels provide dormitory accommodation, along with shared shower and kitchen facilities. Generally there are four to six people sharing a room and there is somewhere like a TV room or bar where you can meet other travellers. Often the people running the hostel are backpackers themselves, and are a mine of information about places to see, things to do and transport and accommodation options elsewhere in Europe.

Ireland and Scotland have some of Europe's best small hostels but hostels in Dublin, London, Paris and Rome aren't of such a high standard. However the backpacking industry in Europe is getting more competitive and the quality is improving all the time.

The best hostels are usually either small hostels in historic buildings that are full of character or newer purpose-built places with first-class facilities. Hostels in rural areas like the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye or in small Irish villages like Doolin are among the best, however hostels in bigger cities and less visited regional centres aren't as predictable.

A good hostel should provide a way for travellers to meet each other with common areas and a design that is conducive to meeting other people. This is one of the main features that distinguish hostels from hotels, which are designed to offer their guests privacy. For this reason, many hostels with self-contained facilities (usually those that are former hotels or apartment complexes) don't have as much atmosphere as your average backpackers hostel.

Hostels that are located above pubs are among the worst. In many of these places the bar downstairs is the main business and a lot less attention is paid to the accommodation.

The hostel review section of this website (www.bugeurope.com/reviews/) has detailed hostel reviews with around 4000 European hostels (including aroud 500 that have been reviewed and rated by representatives from BUG) and you can write your own hostel reviews and read reviews submitted by other travellers.

A lot of the hostels reviewed on our website also allow online booking; where this is possible there will be a 'Book this Hostel' button next to the address on the review.

Hostel Chains

There are several hostel groups in Europe but only Hostelling International (called AIG in Italy, An Óige in Ireland, FUAJ in France, HINI in Northern Ireland, YHA in England and Wales and SYHA in Scotland) offers its own discount/membership card that gives discounts on accommodation and transport although the VIP card also offers discounts in some hostels.

HOSTELLING INTERNATIONAL

Hostelling International hostels in Europe are more institutional catering more to school groups and families rather than young independent travellers. Despite the school groups, the average age of travellers staying at HI hostels is higher than that in independent hostels.

An Óige

An Óige (website www.anoige.ie) is the Irish branch of Hostelling International. An Óige is a relatively small organisation with only 32 hostels throughout the Republic of Ireland. There are hostels in the major towns and quite a few in the Wicklow Mountains although An Óige doesn't have hostels in many popular backpacker spots. In general An Óige hostels feel a little drab and lack the atmosphere that you find in a lot of independent hostels.

It costs €20 to become a member of An Óige for one calendar year.

HINI

Hostelling International Northern Ireland (HINI; website www.hini.org.uk) has six hostels in Northern Ireland and most of them are of a very high standard. HI members get a £1 discount off each night's accommodation. It costs £13 to join Hostelling International in Northern Ireland.

YHA

The Youth Hostel Association (YHA; website www.yha.org.uk) has 226 hostels throughout England and Wales. Most of the hostels are small rural properties that cater to families and older British hikers and there is a particularly high concentration of YHA hostels in areas with lots of walking tracks like the Lake District, the Peak District and the Pembrokeshire Coast. A lot of YHA hostels have a very old fashioned approach to hostelling with confusing opening times including lockouts and curfews and their focus on accommodating groups can make them feel unwelcoming to many independent travellers. The few YHA hostels in major cities, including flash new hostels in Bristol, London, Manchester and Oxford, are more geared toward independent travellers but are also much more expensive than most other YHA hostels.

HI members get a £2 discount off each night's accommodation. It costs £14 to join the YHA in England and Wales or you can become a member by collecting seven stamps (one each time you pay the non-member rate).

SYHA

The Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA; website www.syha.org.uk) operates over 70 hostels throughout Scotland. They range from small rustic places to opulent buildings like the Carbisdale Castle and Loch Lomond hostels.

HI members get a £1 discount off each night's accommodation. Scotland is the cheapest place to become a Hostelling International member, costing only £6 for a one year membership – less than half what it costs in England.

INDEPENDENT BACKPACKERS HOSTEL

Independent Backpackers Hostels Scotland

Independent Backpackers Hostels Scotland (IBHS; website www.hostel-scotland.co.uk) is a network of over 120 independently operated hostels. Hostels in IBHS are of a relatively high standard as each hostel is regularly inspected and must comply with a set of standards. Hostels in this network are listed in a blue brochure that is updated annually.

Independent Holiday Hostels of Ireland

Independent Holiday Hostels of Ireland (IHH; website www.hostels-ireland.com) is a group of over 100 hostels that comprises­ Ireland's largest hostelling organisation. There is no membership card required to stay in these hostels although some of them will give you a discount if you show a VIP card. The quality is pretty good, as all hostels in the group have to be approved by the Irish or Northern Irish Tourist Board.

Every year IHH publish a guide listing its hostels, which is available from information centres and IHH hostels.

Independent Hostel Owners of Ireland

Independent Hostel Owners (IHO; website www.holidayhound.com/ihi/) also has over 100 hostels throughout Ireland and publishes an annual guide that looks very much like the one IHH brings out. Although there is the odd outstanding hostel in the IHO, the average IHO hostel does not quite compare with the standard of the hostels in IHH.