I've been to a hostel in Heidelberg a couple of years ago and did see some older people (60+), but mostly it was 20 somethings. Just make sure you have your own room!

Hi t,

On our last visit to Italy we were at a table next to two folks who were backpacking through Italy.

They were discussing whether it would be better to get married the next year, when they both turned 65, or to just continue living together.

Ahhh, young love. :)

((I))

Thank you one and all for your replies, they were informative and i appreciate your knowledge and reponses. thanks, tinman

Thank you for your kind comment LucieV.

Tinman, I've recently spent three weeks in Italy on a tight budget and before I went I did a lot of research into where would be cheapest to stay. Obviously it depends on which towns or cities you're staying in, but once I'd factored in the inconvenience of travelling to hostels, which in the places I went to were either in "less desirable" areas (e.g. around Termini in Rome) or outside the centre, and the premium you pay in hostels for a private room, I found staying in basic hotels to be only slightly more expensive and overall a much nicer experience. Again, different hostels have different standards, but in my experience having clean sheets and clean towels provided for you, not having to make up your own bed on arrival and having a decent breakfast included in the price more than merit the few extra euros involved in staying in a hotel or B and B.

(Awaits being slapped down with examples of hostels in major Italian cities which make the bed up for you, never give out stained sheets, provide a delicious breakfast, have optimal locations and cost 5 cents per night).

Italian convents on the other hand seemed to provide a really good deal in terms of providing clean, basic rooms in reasonably central locations at very good prices. The ones I tried to reserve were all fully booked, but next time I go to Italy I plan to book further in advance to try to get a place in one.

I guess it's fairly obvious here that my experience of hostels has not been great, in major cities at least. I suspect they might be very different in rural areas where they don't cater to the teenage party crowd. (No judgment here, the last time I stayed in a grotty mixed dorm for E6 per night was 2002, and we did have a great weekend overall. It's just not a holiday style I plan to repeat unless there's a good reason like a hen weekend).

As for taking a backpack, I bought one for my interrailing trip and found it unwieldy compared to a similar sized suitcase with wheels. But take whatever luggage you find most convenient, no-one else will notice.