Staying in a Hostel With a Baby or Toddler

Hostels abound in Europe and many other countries, and they serve as both an economical choice as well as a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture.  But what if you’re traveling with a child?

Hostels are as varied as the people who stay at them, and not all hostels are good for children - but many are just fine.   You may find that some of your child’s best travel memories (as well as your own) are thanks to staying at a hostel.

Hostels in Europe have been around for nearly 100 years.  They actually started out as a way for children on school trips to have a place to stay.  These days, you’re still likely to find plenty of young schoolchildren, traveling with their classmates and teachers, staying at a hostel.  These types of class trips are especially prevalent in Germany.

Most hostels offer double and triple accommodations which can be perfect for small families.  For those that don’t, or if they’ve all been booked, you may find that you can book all of the beds in a room (many rooms have four beds) for a decent price.

Of course, if your children are good sleepers and can be trusted not to be loud or disruptive in the middle of the night, you may choose to be adventurous and book a shared room.  My wife and I wanted to stay in a tiny town in the Swiss Alps a few months ago, and the only affordable accommodation was a hostel.  The hostel catered to a young adult crowd, and we knew that going in, but we were a bit surprised at the rooms.  They consisted of about 10 sets of bunkbeds pushed up against each other, so the only way to enter each bed was from the foot of the bed.

Since my family went to bed earlier than the rest of the people in our shared room, I’d be surprised if any of our 18 roommates even realized that they were sharing the room with a 19-month-old.  Our daughter loved hanging out in the common area of the hostel, and we made lots of new friends.  The trip was months ago, and Lucy still talks about some of the people we met while traveling.

In short, hostels can be a great way to experience Europe without spending a lot of money.  Though some hostels may not be the best place to stay with children, there are still plenty of hostels that are perfect for young families.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 19th, 2008 at 9:41 pm and is filed under Backpacking In Europe, Europe, Featured, Hostels, Kid-Friendly Accomodations, Traveling With a Baby, Where To Sleep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.