Help with Hostels!
 

Hello! This is my first trip to Europe and my friends and I are planning to stay at hostels so that we can save money. If you have any suggestions on which hostels to stay at in the following cities, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks again!
1) amsterdam
2) barcelona (or madrid? which one is more of a party city?)
3) london
4) rome
5) greek (not sure which city..any suggestions?)

If you haven't already also read (or post) on Lonely Planet's BB called The Thorn Tree. The majority of the travelers who post there are more in-tune with backpacking and hostel style travel that many of us on Fodors.

www.lonelyplanet.com

I would also check out allensguide.com/Student-Travel/Hostels/.
For my trip to Europe last summer, I booked all of my hostels from this website and you do not have to be a student to book on there. In Amsterdam, I liked the Flying Pig at Vondelpark, although the showers are a little iffy, but it's located in a GREAT area of the city. The Flying Pig Palace is okay too, but in a more sketchy area of Amsterdam right near Centraal Station.

I stayed in this hostel in Rome and found it to be in good location near Termini, clean, cheap and my room had a fridge. /www.hostelstarlight.com/index.htm

I'm also planning my first trip to Europe and have come across a great hostel site that I've been booking some of my accommodation through. It's at www.hostelworld.com - you can pop in the dates you're going to be in certain towns and it tells you what's available. Very convenient.

The Beehive in Rome is frequently recommended as a nice, clean hostel.

We stayed at the flying pig in Amsterdam while backpacking in college -Not only did people in our group ger bed bugs - (liteally bugs that crawled in their skin requiring medical attention) strange men kept parading in and out of our "private" "locked" room all night - Needless to say, I wouldnt recomend it - BUT - we did love Amsterdam!

For Rome: http://www.the-beehive.com/home.html

And: http://www.cross-pollinate.com/list....=RM&tipo=2

Hi. Last summer my friends and I went all through Europe. We attempted some hostels. However, on some of the hostel websites, some 1 and even 2 star hotels are listed. I would run a search on the websites listed below and book a 1 or 2 star hotel.

We used Student Universe (www.studentuniverse.com), STA Travel (www.sta.com) and Council Travel.

Let me warn you in advance about some hostels. One hostel that we booked in Amsterdam only had mattresses on the floor and web cameras over the bathroom toilets. We canceld in advance.

In Rome, we booked with Student Universe and it was a total mess. We arrived in Rome, went to check in, and they took us all over Rome looing for a place to put us in. They didn't speak English and we didn't know what was going on. Finally, they wound up putting us in an apartment with four other family members (total strangers). We packed and left immediately. We wound up finding our own hotel by walking around.

Another screw up was with hostel world. We arrived, again they couldn't find our reservation, and we attempted to contact them. They provide no phone number. They only deal by email. So we had to go to an Internet Cafe and send an email telling them what had happen.

So becareful when booking hostels over the Internet. You might not have a room when you arrive! Attempting to save money by booking a hostel can sometimes hurt you in the long run.

I would reconsider looking for really cheap hotel rooms. They are out there. Good luck!

For hostel reviews, the best site is www.bugeurope.com .

I always book directly with the hostel. They have better cancellation policies than places like hostelworld.com. Although studios92.com does have some very attractive prices, so I might consider using them.

Hey there - these guys are helpful:

http://www.eurotrip.com

I only stayed with YHA hostels, except at the MIJE in Paris. You can still save $$$ and go for the high ground with hostels. I found that I partied with new friends on the road, but I wanted a safe, clean place with lots of rules to come 'home' to at night . . .
Also check Rough Guide's First Time Europe if you haven't seen it yet! HTH : )