Hostels in Italy

About Italy

The "holy trinity" of Venice, Florence and Rome might get the lion's share of the visitors, but that doesn't mean there aren't cheap accommodations in Italy all over the country. The word "hostel," however, isn't as common in Italy as it is elsewhere - budget accommodations are often called hotels instead. Cheap beds might also be listed with the name "bed and breakfast," "guesthouse" or "agriturismo," the latter being a rented room on a working farm, so when you're searching for Italian accommodations keep an eye out for those words as well. Often, those budget stays don't even have dorm-style rooms like most hostels - but they're cheap just the same. You'll also find that in some cities, camping is the cheapest way to go - but don't worry about bringing your own tent. Most of these campgrounds have every hotel-like service you could ask for, including beds and all their linens, they're just in tent-style buildings.

As you might expect, the further you get from the central and touristy area of a city, the cheaper the accommodations are going to be. Likewise, if you get off the beaten track you'll find even more inexpensive beds in interesting towns. What's most important to remember here is that budget accommodations - whether they're called hostels, bed and breakfast, camping, guesthouses or agriturismo - are certainly not just for the young or the backpacker crowd. They're for anyone who prefers spending less money on where they sleep in return for a closer look at the culture of the place and also the chance to meet up with other travelers with a similar mindset.

You can choose from the lengthy list of Italian cities on this page to search in a particular destination for Italy hostels, or you can plug in your travel information into the search box at the top to let it do the work for you. To find more specific information about hostels in Italy's most visited cities, see the Florence hostels, Rome hostels, Venice hostels and Milan hostels pages as well.

Italy is one of the world's most visited countries - and most people still only visit three of the cities in Italy. Wherever you go throughout this boot-shaped country, you'll find plenty to see and do. In the north, Italy can offer you the one-of-a-kind canal city of Venice, one of the world's most romantic cities. Nearby Verona is home to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and in the northwest of the country you'll find Milan, the country's financial and fashion capital. Italy's midsection includes the picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre perched on the cliffs along the Ligurian coast, the Tuscan meccas of Siena and Florence (birthplace of the Renaissance) and the capital city - the Eternal City of Rome. In the southern part of the boot you'll find more Italian culture and fewer tourists, even with Naples (where pizza was born) and the Puglia region along the Adriatic Sea. These destinations contain some of the world's most famous and most visited museums, art galleries and cathedrals.

And if you're still in the planning process for your Italy vacation, you can search right here for cheap airfare to Italy. You can also read all about what to do and see in Italy with both our Italy Travel Guide and our Italy Travel Logue.

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