Shared room
A bed in a room of four, six or eight. Cheaper than anything else in the centre, and the price is per person: you do not pay for the empty bed next to you.
Ways to travel
Alone does not mean in silence.
People who set off alone are usually not looking for solitude: they are looking for company they do not have to organise. In a hostel the chances to talk to someone turn up by themselves, and when you would rather not, you go to your room and that is that.
Private room
Same building, same common areas, a door that closes. Many people choose it after one night in a shared room, or when the trip is for work.
Common areas
A lounge, big tables, and a restaurant where you eat without having to organise anything. That is where the social part happens, and it happens on its own: no compulsory activities, no entertainment staff.
The front desk
Not a counter for handing out keys. It is where you ask where to eat well, which train to take and whether it will rain tomorrow, and where somebody actually answers.
How to choose
If it is your first time, a shared room is worth trying: it costs less and commits you to nothing. The doubts are almost always about two things, sleep and your belongings. On the first there are no guarantees; on the second, all four hostels have lockable lockers.
If you are travelling for work, or you sleep badly, go straight for a private room: more than a shared bed, far less than a hotel, and the common areas are the same.
Availability and rates are on each hostel's own site. This portal helps you decide where to go, not to book.
Choose a destinationShared or private
The two options, side by side.
There is no right answer: it depends on how you sleep and how long you stay.
| Shared room | Private room | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Per bed, the lowest in the centre | Two to three times more, still under a hotel |
| Who sleeps there | Not your choice | Only you, or whoever comes with you |
| Noise | No guarantees | A door that closes |
| Bathroom | Almost always shared | Private in many rooms |
| Your things | Lockable locker | In the room |
| When it makes sense | First time, short trip | Work, light sleeper, long stay |
Where
The four destinations, for solo travellers.
All four have shared and private rooms. What changes is what surrounds them.
Ferrara
Small and flat: in three days you know it all, and a bicycle is all you need.
Discover this destination →Reggio Emilia
The hostel is inside the Chiostro della Ghiara, whose restaurant is open to the city: you meet locals on the floor below.
Discover this destination →Parma
A university city: lively even midweek, and you cross it on foot.
Discover this destination →Campiglia Marittima
Hills and sea. Days here are made of short journeys: better with transport, or with company.
Discover this destination →