hostels

[georgemmj]

My girlfriend and I are going to Europe in January. January 3 to January 19. We are flying in and out of Amsterdam traveling to Bern, Switzerland, to Florence, Italy, to Barcelona, Spain, to Paris, France, and back to Amsterdam. I know sounds like a lot, but we need to do it now or never! Questions:

* What hostels do you reccomend in these cities and do we need to make online or telephone reservations NOW before we arrive in Europe?

*If the hostels have lockers, can we leave stuff in the lockers all day while the hostel is closed for cleaning and we are traveling the city?

*If we arrive early in the morning to a city, can we check in and put our stuff in lockers?

Thanks anyone for some advice!

[me]

the answer to your 2nd & 3rd questions is yes, that's what i've always done.

the 1st one: in Barcelona, i stayed at Kabul Youth Hostel. don't remember where i stayed in Bern. And ive never slept in Paris or anywhere in Italy.

you can make reservations, if you know where y'all will be and the dates you will be there. but, i would at least call the places to be sure that they are open in early January!

You might think about some flights between these cities. sometimes, if you reserve flights ahead, air tix are cheaper than train tix!

maybe train from amsterdam to paris, to bern, to florence and then fly to barcelona and fly back to amsterdam? think about it.

- d

[georgemmj]

Me~

Thanks for the quick reply. I tried looking for flights, but obviosly was looking in the wrong place because a flight from Florence to Barcelona was more than Minneapolis to Amsterdam. So could you please tell me where to book or search for cheap flights in Europe? When I looked at the train schedule and our itinerary, there is only one BAD day of traveling...from Florence to Barcelona, otherwise we pretty much have night trains scheduled (in our minds). Well thanks again for all of your advice!
Take Care!

;D

Georgie

[nitsansh]

Check flights on these sites:
www.aerfares.net/index.php
www.europebyair.com/English_us/default.asp
Barcelona to Amsterdam by Easyjet is much cheaper than train travel. You could fly on Jan. 16th for as cheap as 25 Euro!

[rookie]

I'm in the exact situation and I'm interested in the answers as well. I have some extra questions that georgemmj may also be interested in:

* In the summer, what areas generally require reservations, and how early in advance?

* Would unusual hostels(castles, lighthouses) and hostels in the countryside have lockers?

* I hear some hostels close for part of the day. Will someone be there whether I check in at 10:00 AM or 3:00 PM?

* Do all city/town hostels have laundry?

Thanks

[nitsansh]

There's no rule that apply to all hostels. Some have lockers, some have laundry, some have curfew or lock-out... and others don't have...
In some hostels that "lock out" there's no access to rooms but the reception is open. In others it may be the opposite...

[rookie]

A place like Cinque Terre in July, how far ahead would you have to call to reserve a spot in a hostel?

[Kim]

That hostel is exceptionally busy-they told me that people usually reserve 2 months ahead of time in the high season..

They are booked solid through the entire high season as it's the only official hostel there but I wouldn't think it would be that bad in the low season.

Kim

[LHR02]

Once again.....depends on your budget.....but I was in Italy last January/February and stayed in one/two star hotels.....all but one en suite and never paid more than 30 euros for a single, and that in Rome. That time of year your options tend to be wide open and you may find you can 'upgrade' to a clean, comfortable hotel for next to nothing more.

One final word, always, always ask for a better price!! Wherever you are trying to stay. I was quoted as high as 70 euros sometimes and ended up under 30! A simple 'is that the best you can do' works wonders....and if it doesn't, when you say never mind and start to walk, amazing how low the price can go in off season! ;D

ging

[georgemmj]

Thank you to everyone who has given advice on this link! It has been so much help throughout this planning period. Just have a couple more questions. This is what we have for an itinerary as of NOW: how does it look, I know that everyone thinks we are crazy...

Amsterdam 1/3 - 1/5
1/5 travel at 12 p.m. to Paris arrive 5:00 p.m.
Paris 1/5 - 1/8
1/8 travel at 4 p.m. to Bern arrive 9 p.m.
Bern 1/8 - 1/11
1/11 travel at 10 a.m. to Florence arrive 4 p.m.
Florence 1/11 - 1/14
1/14 travel all day to Barcelona
Barcelona 1/14 - 1/18
1/18 FLY from Barcelona to Amsterdam
1/18 Amsterdam
1/19 Amsterdam to United States

I have checked train times and flights. The only reasonable flight price I could find was Barcelona to Amsterdam. The only day of traveling on the train that I do not like is from Florence to Barcelona...I know Barcelona is way out of the way, but the RICH cousin lives there....gotta get there for some $$$ if you know what I mean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D Is there any easy way to make this travel?? I know there is a train from Florence to Nice, but I don't know if there is a train that afternoon from nice to barcelona? Does anyone know this???
So if we plan on this being our itinerary, do we need to make reservations in any of these cities for Hostels? Especially when we are arriving in the afternoon or evening? Thanks again.........talk to you soon!
Georgie

[nitsansh]

I'm curious what you plan to do in Bern for 3 days... one day is more than enough IMO... is there a friend or another rich relative there?

Best way to travel Firenze to Barcelona is to take the night train from Milano. You'll need 2 travel days if you use a rail pass for this trip. IIRC, this train only operates 3 days a week in winter - check the timetable and make reservation early.
It may be better to go to Firenze first on a night train from Paris, then to Bern, and catch the night train to Barcelona from there, or fly from Geneva by Easyjet. But if you buy point-to-point tickets I guess that will be more expensive.
Also, look out for flights out of Pisa or another nearby airport instead of Firenze.

[georgemmj]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I wish it was another rich relative in Bern. But actually I just found that my friend who will be working at a resort teaching snowboarding, will be closer to Geneva...but could you look at the website and tell me how the hell I am going to get to her.... www.viamonde.com

I am a little confused: Are you saying go to Amsterdam, Paris, night train to Firenze, Geneva, easy jet to Barcelona and fly back to Amsterdam? Would this work? Thanks!
Georgie

[nitsansh]

Well... It's a friend... it was a good guess after all...

There are 3 resorts listed on the site. All 3 are in the canton of Vallais in south-west Switzerland. Les Collons and Anzere are near the canton capital Sion, in the French-speaking region. Saas Grund is further east, in a German-speaking region, and higher in the mountains. The nearest mainline train stations are Visp or Brig. To get to any of the resorts you need a bus.
Brig is a major railway junction with frequent connections to Geneva, Bern and Milano. Sion and Visp are on Geneva-Brig line.
If you are looking for a hostel near these resorts, check Sion for Les Collons or Anzere, Saas Fee or Visp for Saas Grund.
You should find details at the Swiss Hostels Association website. www.youthhostel.ch/e/search.cfm
Check transportation details here:
www.sbb.ch/pv/index_e.htm

As for your itinerary... unless you are bound to visit certain places on certain dates, you better check all the options to find the cheaper or faster route.
As I understand, you fly in and out of Amsterdam and want to visit Paris, Barcelona, Firenze and that Swiss resort where your friend is working in between. Does it make a difference to you in which order you visit them?
It takes a thorough research of flights, trains and also buses to find the best itinerary. You still got plenty of time to do it...
Check flights first, as these should be booked early to get good price... but OTOH, travel on night trains could be the best time saver...
Now that I found where your destination in Switzerland is, it may be a good idea to get there from Milano...
Since we are no longer dealing with accomodation, it might be a good idea to continue this discussion at the appropriate forum...

[nitsansh]

georgemmj said:

how does it look, I know that everyone thinks we are crazy...

Amsterdam 1/3 - 1/5
1/5 travel at 12 p.m. to Paris arrive 5:00 p.m.
Paris 1/5 - 1/8
1/8 travel at 4 p.m. to Bern arrive 9 p.m.
Bern 1/8 - 1/11
1/11 travel at 10 a.m. to Florence arrive 4 p.m.
Florence 1/11 - 1/14
1/14 travel all day to Barcelona
Barcelona 1/14 - 1/18
1/18 FLY from Barcelona to Amsterdam
1/18 Amsterdam
1/19 Amsterdam to United States

One person, at least, doesn't think you are crazy...
I find it a reasonable time allocation, except that I would suggest another day in Paris... if you use flights or night trains, you could get that extra day...

[nitsansh]

Further info on hostels in Switzerland...
The SJH hostels at Visp and Saas Fee no longer exist... my map of hostels dates back to 1988, and the Swiss hostels Association has closed many hostels since then... there are 90 hostels on this map, but only 58 on the website...
The hostel in Sion is still alive, but closes in January...
So, the SJH has only 2 hostels available to you in Valais, one at Zermatt which is quite pricy (48CHF!) and another at Fiesch (30CHF). None of them is very close to those resorts.
There is also a private hostel at Zermatt, which is cheaper (29CHF for dorm bed, 78CHF for double room), but got very bad review on this site:
www.bugeurope.com/reviews/Switzerland/
This site lists a place in Saas Fee which is in no other source. The link leads to a page in German only...
I would suggest that you look for a Zimmer (room in private home) in this area rather than hostel. It would be a better deal than staying about an hour away. Contact the local or regional tourist office (see links on the ski-school website) and they would help you. Or kindly ask your friend to visit the local office and inquire. It's important to know the area you're going to. A distance of few KM on the map could be another valley over a 3000m mountain range (as in the case of Zermatt and Saas Fee). Try to avoid the weekends - this is skiing season and accomodation is in high demand on those days when people are free... (true for all places, but especially for resorts)