Hostels in Prague and the Czech Republic

Hostelling 101

Why should you stay at a hostel at least once? - You become more independent. You learn to entertain and amuse yourself. You learn to co-exist with all sorts of people.

Notes - The first hostel was started in Germany, offering a cheap place for young people who did not have a lot to spend. Nowadays, hostels are opened to everybody from all ages, although many impose an under-26 restriction. Hostels are great sources for information ranging from maps, booklets, flyers to wisdom from hostelmates.

Safety - I've never had any problem while staying at a hostel or any other type of accommodation. However, it doesn't hurt to take extra caution.  If you have valuable items, keep it in a locker which you can rent from the hostel. Some hostels have extra-security safes for your money, passport and other important documents. Hostelling culture should be a nice experience as most hostel staff and hostellers are cool and friendly, but you MUST watch out for a rotten few. If you lose your items at a hostel, the chance you will get them back is slim to none unless you plan to stick around for a long time to pursue justice.  Don’t flaunt your cameras, watches, laptops or other electronic gadgets. In many Eastern European countries, they are worth more than the national average monthly salary.

Food - Don't expect room-service quality here. Hostel meals are simple continental breakfasts with cereal, bread, butter, jam, some fruits, cookies and pitchers of coffee and tea. Some hostels have kitchens, and if you're staying for more than one day, please USE it. You can eat far healthier meals and save a lot of money by preparing and packing your own food. I usually ate sandwich, ham and instant noodles (okay no healthy here) because they were cheap and easy to make. I also ate a lot of sweet fruits like banana and apples to maintain a healthy dose of vitamins. I do recommend that you keep a small supply of candies and cookies in your food compartment as you might run into situation where you miss a meal and all nearby restaurants are either closed or just too expensive.

Stuffs to bring - Remember, you share the bathroom and shower with strangers, so bring your own soap, a pair of waterproof slippers and a towel which dry quickly. Some hostels will give free bed sheets and pillow while some charge for them. If you don't want to bring your own (who wants to carry extra bed sheets and pillows in their backpacks anyway) nor spare anymore money, use your jacket and towel for sleeping comfort. Don't forget to bring a travel alarm watch, especially when you have an early flight or train ride in the morning. I missed my flight from London to the US because I did not hear the sound from my tiny pocket alarm clock. Plus, I stayed in a nice, isolated room in a garden, where nobody disturbed me. Quite ironic, isn't it? Also Bring a pack of zip lock bags to store food, personal items and delicate clothing.

Book in advance - Although you can pretty much show up at a hostel reception desk and ask for a room, you don't want to take this risk. During peak seasons, decent and affordable rooms disappear quick. If you forget to book in advance, at least call ahead of time telling them to put your name down. Some hostels do take reservation like this without demanding a deposit.

Book a Hostel

Find and book your hostel in Prague or the Czech Republic right here!

Feeling lazy, simply enter the name of the city for a list of hostels.

Stingy Travelers

Hmm, so you want to stay for free or almost free ? Try these sites.

• GlobalFreeLoaders - Free accommodation all over the world.
• Place2Stay - Free accommodation all over the world from generous travel enthusiasts. I asked for a free accommodation once and got superb fast responses, 2 offers for free stay.
• Stay4Free - An organization funded by a group of world travelers.
• Student dormitories - A lot of universities in Europe (I know for sure Poland, Croatia, and Montenegro do. Germany is the next best guess.) provide cheap rooms in their dormitories over the summer, from June to August. Usually, these activities are run by student organizations. Contact local AIESEC and IAESTE committees of the cities you want to travel to and ask them to hook you up with a cheap room. You might be surprised at how cheap these rooms can be. AIESEC and IAESTE are two largest international student organizations which exchange university students abroad for job internship, so you can expect to find a lot cool, travel-minded people there.
• Holi-Swaps - Exchange rentals
• Home Free - Trade home with other people.