1 Backpacking Euro Info 3

Backpacking Europe info #3 of 4 – 84 pages long (covers most of western Europe). The following is some info that I have compiled as answers to the many e-mails that I have received lately. I simply put it all together into a few documents and I am sending this to you. I hope that it gives you more information. I have compiled four documents. The first two are background information and give some tips and general information about backpacking. The third and fourth documents give you some detail about specific cities and lodging options. Just because I have information about a specific city, that does not mean that it is a great city to visit. You should decide which cities you would like to see and then use the information that I list to supplement your guidebook. The following couple of websites should be at the top of you list if you are looking for hostels in specific locations: If you want to find a list of hostels for a specific city, I suggest visiting http://www.hostels.com/ or http://www.budgettravel.com/hosteleu.htm and just scrolling down, or http://www.europeanhostels.com/, www.eurocheapo.com. Another web site that has many reviews of different hostels is available at http://www.eurotrip.com/hostels/ Also, you can book hostels online at such websites as http://www.hostels.com/europe.html, or http://www.hosteleurope.com/ or http://www.hostelworld.com or http://www.guideforeurope.com/bookeurohostels.html Also check www.inyourpocket.com for hostel listings in many cities and general info for the cities (such as weather and places to eat). You should not have a single problem finding a hostel if you use all of the resources provided: your travel book, the above websites, and the information contained in this document. There are a bunch of websites that have hostel reviews and other info. For example, BUG http://www.bugforums.com/ contains information on every backpackers hostel and youth hostel in Germany. That's over 630 hostels. If you make reservations through the Internet for a hostel, have your reference number handy when you arrive at the hostel for a faster check-in. Be aware that it is possible that a hostel that you hear about in a Let’s Go type of book (or from the Internet or a fellow traveler) may no longer be in existence by the time that you arrive in that city. Some of the info listed in the books or internet is not verified each year and even if it is, some of the hostels go out of business. So, keep that in mind if you are using old books from a library and copying down phone numbers, or reading old Internet postings. I have tried to verify all the information in this document, but I am not paid for this, so I only do what I can. So expect that some phone numbers or prices might have changed since I last checked. All prices that are stated in U.S. Dollars in this document can be converted to Euros. The conversion rate changes daily but is about

1.00 Dollar =.77 Euro (€) 1.00 Euro = 1.29 Dollar Visit the following website to convert any currency http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi and you should double check shortly before your trip to have the most up-to-date conversion rates (but still keep in mind that the rates change daily). You can find almost all train timetables in Europe at http://bahn.hafas.de/ (click on English at the top right side). This is a nice asset because there is also a book sold by Thomas Cook Publications that lists all of the times, but that is not free. Personally, I have never purchased a train time table book (even in the days before the Internet) because the small train timetable book that comes free with your Eurail pass contains most of the trains that you will need. If you want to stay in hotels (as opposed to hostels) then check out the cheap deals that are listed at http://www.eurocheapo.com/ they have a bunch of options for the major cities in Europe (about 40 in Paris). I suggest that you check this website out before you go if cheap hotels are what you want. About Boarders – Nowadays when you travel by train in Europe there is almost no way to tell that you are going across the boarder sometimes. The conductor and sometimes a few police officers will walk around the train and check passports as you cross the boarder between 2 countries. Some countries are more lax than other countries. Nowadays, if you want your passport stamped, you have to ask them to stamp it (and even then, they usually will not stamp it). Euro cities / countries London – London is the second most expensive city in the world (Tokyo is the most expensive). While you are in London, you will use the metro (they call it the TUBE http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/ ) on a pay as you use it method and that means that your Eurail doesn't get used when you travel on the Tube. However, in London they do have plenty of different TUBE plans (unlimited , one week, etc) so when you are there, figure out how often you will travel via the tube, and buy accordingly. There are 287 Tube stations. Here is a tip for first-timers: the most popular Tube route for tourists is Leicester Square to Covent Garden (on the Piccadilly line) but it is quicker to walk this distance (200 meters) than travel on the tube! The price of your Tube ticket depends on how many zones you travel through. The city center is in Zone 1, where many of the attractions of London are found. The busiest times to ride the Tube are between 08.00 and 09.30 and 17.00 to 18.30, Mondays to Fridays. The Underground runs until approximately 00.30. After this time you can use the Night Buses. Here is a link to the website for the London pass

http://www.londonpass.com/ You can buy a Pass for 1 day (£27), 2 days (£47), 3 days (£60) or 6 consecutive days (£94). This pass allows you free entrance into over 60 attractions, but most of them you would never plan on going to anyway. However, using the transport feature of this pass might be worth the price of the pass because all your journeys on public transport within Zones 1-6 are free with the pass. Make sure that when you buy the pass, you get the one that is “with transport.” However, if you are only travelling within Zone 1 (as many tourists do), it may not be worth it. But if you have lodging in, say, Zone 3, and you plan on a 3-day stay, then figure out how much you will use the public transport and see if it is worth the cost (visit http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/ and compare the normal costs of transportation and make the determination). Regardless, remember that most of the national museums and galleries in London are free entry now (including the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Science Musem, Natural History Museum, Victoria & Albert, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Observatory, and others). So be sure that you are not getting ripped off by buying the London Pass. London is very much like New York City (the British will argue that New York is like London because London is an older city) and if you are an American and this is your first time traveling abroad, London is a good place to get your footing (if this is your first destination) because there is no language barrier. However, because the Eurail pass does not include the U.K., you will have to pay extra for any travel on trains in the U.K., so if you want to save money maybe visit the U.K next time since it is not covered on the Eurail pass, or fly from the continent. If you must decide whether to spend your £10 on the London Eye (the world's highest observation wheel) or the Tower of London (which is adjacent to the famous Tower Bridge) , I suggest the latter. If you can afford to do both, and it is a clear day, spend the money on the London Eye. Keep in mind that in the summer there can be a 45-90 minute line for the London Eye, but you can book the London Eye in advance, and skip the long wait. The wait really fluctuates and can be as short as 15 minutes. In general, weekends and holidays have longer waits. I probably would not suggest booking in advance due to London’s crappy weather. If you go, I suggest going for sunset – a great way to see the city. In addition to the Tube (or possibly in place of the Tube) you can take the London Big Bus tour. It costs about £17 per person for a ticket which is valid for 24 hours. (www.bigbus.co.uk ). You can save £2 if you book your tour online. Just like in NYC, this bus tour will visit all of the main tourist sites in London. Obviously if it is cold, this will not be as much fun. If you plan on going to an attraction that has a long line, then you can skip the line and just buy the FastEntry ticket from the Big Bus company. Alternatively, the Tube day-pass costs about £4 (off-peak) or £6 (peak and weekend) but it is only valid on the date on the ticket (http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/) Another idea is for a £1 coin (US$1.75) you can take the central London double decker bus and see the city. If you take the #11 bus, you will go down

King’s Road (Chelsea), Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. There is a section of town called Brick Lane (in the East End) where you should go to get cheap curries and observe Bangladeshi culture. Regarding lodging. Many people have friends in London and I suggest that you try to get some free lodging if at all possible because this is an expensive city (just like Paris) As for other lodging, I found that the Chelsea Hotel was an okay hostel and that the Euro Tower was a dump. I also hear that the Grenada Hostel is a dump – no hot water, some lights not working, toilet paper not replaced, and smells pretty bad. There is a new 600 bed hostel located in the heart of Piccadilly (London’s liveliest area) called the Piccadilly Hotel http://www.piccadillyhotel.net/ Tel: +44 (0) 207 942 0555; fax +44 (0) 207 942 0565 email: [email protected] They have a common room, high speed internet access (£1 for 1 hour), no curfew. This place gets really hot in the summer and you have to climb about 4 flights of stairs to get to the hostel. Expect to pay £12 in an 8-10 bed dorm, £16-17 in a 6 bed dorm, £18 in a 4 bed dorm, or £25 in a twin/double and £36 for a single. Add an extra £3 to the price per night for Friday and Saturday nights. The price includes a basic contenental breakfast and linens. None of the rooms have en suite facilities but all have washbasins. To get to this hostel, take the Tube to Piccadilly Circus and exit the station at Exit #1 onto Glasshouse Street Cross the road onto Sherewood Street and walk for 30 seconds until you see #12 Sherewood Street. Also consider the Hyde Park Inn at 48-50 Inverness Terrace - good location (the nearest tube stations are Bayswater and Queensway), fairly new, and a reasonable price (4-bed dorm room costs 16.50 pounds each). Recently there have been reports of it being dirty (wear your flip flops here) and problems with the showers. It has a bar, friendly staff and a tourist office next door. Try and get a room in the basement (quieter and away from the foot traffic and has its own shower). If you want to party, go to St. Christopher’s http://www.st-christophers.co.uk/ It is a famous hostel and has many locations. The largest of the St. Christopher’s hostels is called St. Christopher’s Village and this is the party hostel and is located at 161-165 Borough High Street. The Tube is a 3 minute walk from the Village hostel. All of the St. Christopher’s hostels offer a free continental breakfast, free linen & bedding, BBQs, karaoke DJs, electronic swipe card access, CCTV, in room lockers and 24 hour reception. Th eVillage also offers a luggage storeroom, rooftop sauna and hot tub. The St.Christopher's Inn is the original of the multiple St. Christopher’s hostels and is one half a block away (at 121 Borough High Street) from St. Christopher’s

Village and the Inn offers a pool table, big screen TV, and has it's own bar in it and the bass thumps late into the night. If you are looking for a quieter or more intimate stay because of the noise and atmosphere consider the Orient Espresso which is has a coffee shop and internet café just down the street at 59-61 Borough High Street. The Orient Expresso has smaller rooms but guests can still use the other St. Chrisopher’s facilities such as the Roof Top Hot Tub, laundry facilities, bar and pub. Expect to pay from £12 - £25 per night (dorms 8-12 beds – £12-15, 4-6 beds – £16-18, or £25 per person in a private twin. Tel: 44.(0)207.407 1856 Fax: 44.(0)207.403 7715 Astor hostels have 4 hostels in different parts of London, and they can be as cheap as from £11. Check out http://www.astorhostels.com/ for the details, but keep in mind that I have heard some bad things about the Astor Hyde Park Hostel (2-6 Inverness Terrace, Bayswater (London) and the Astor museum hostel. The Ashlee House http://www.ashleehouse.co.uk/ costs the following prices during the high season: £15 for a dorm, £17-19 for a 4-10 person room, £24 for a double, £22 for a triple, £36 for a single (price includes breakfast). They have 24-hour reception, no curfew, and a kitchen. It is located in an OK area (it’s well lit and plenty of people around). The contact information is: address: 261-265 Gray's Inn Road; Tel; 44 (0) 20 7833 9400; Fax: +44 (0)20 7833 9677 Email: [email protected] It is close to Bloomsbury and Russell Square, and near the British Museum. It’s about 300 steps from Kings Cross tube (which is serviced by 6 different tube lines). In 2002 the Ashlee House was clean, comfortable and OK, but the shower controls were bad (hard to get hot water). I have heard that they have since renovated and fixed the showers. If you choose this hostel, make sure you get a dorm facing away from the street, the traffic is noisy there starting at 7:00a.m. From Victoria train station take the underground (Victoria Line) direct to King’s Cross (four stops). Trains depart every 5 minutes and tickets cost £1.20 single. This is a nice hostel that makes you feel good about being a budget traveler. A huge party place is the Generator http://www.the-generator.co.uk or http://www.generatorhostels.com/ (near Russell Sq.) Tel: 0044(0)20-7388 7666 Fax: 0044(0)20-7388 7644. It is a huge hostel (It used to be a police barracks and now houses 800 beds) with a bar that stays open until 2am. Only go here if you want to party. This place used to be listed as one of the top 5 hostels in Europe, but it has been taken off the list. It can be quite dirty and loud. Hostel dorm room rates from as little as £10 a night, but if you can afford it, consider paying the 35 Euro for a single. If you can’t afford that but you want less than average noise, get in a room with less people (try for a 4 bed instead of 10 bed room). The bar is open from 6pm-2am and it is happy hour from 6-9 pm. To get there, go straight out of the Russell Square tube station, walk up Marchmont 2 blocks (past the Internet café) ahead to Tavistock Place street, turn right and its

just ahead on your left. There is a new hostel (started in summer of 2001) in an old building called the Eurotrip Inn http://www.eurotripinn.com/ which is actually student lodging during the rest of the year. Even though it opened as a hostel in the summer of 2001, during the summer of 2003 it was closed. Their website indicates that it will be open in 2005. This place is located in the center of London. Email [email protected] Rooms are limited and only available from July 15 September 12. Reserve and pay online by May 31st and you can get a private room for $39.00 US. If you are not calling in July, Augist or Sept, then the reservation office London is closed and the only way to reserve is by email, or calling a number in the USA (tel: 617.916.5229). This place has a full-service restaurant and bar. There are cheaper places in London to sleep if you are on a tight budget, but this Eurotrip Inn is a good place if you can afford it and you want a single. The Tube less than 5 minute walk away. To get to the Eurotrip Inn, take the Tube to the Barbican stop. When you get out of the station, you will see small cafe on you right side. Cross the street and through the underpass. You will see an Italian restaurant and the Eurotrip Courtyard is on your left. FYI from the EurotripInn, expect that a taxi to Waterloo will cost £10. Another option is the Holland House Youth Hostel http://www.hollhse.btinternet.co.uk/. tel +44 (0)20 7937 0748; Fax +44 (0)20 7376 0667; email: [email protected] It was clean, safe and centrally located. It's about 15 pounds (about $24USD) per night. This place is actually located in Holland Park which is west of Notting Hill and off High Street Kensington. They have internet access, and will give you a meal for only £5.00. There is a hostel called the Barmy Badger. It is located in Earl's Court (good location) Just go to Earls Court station, turn left into Earls Court Rd and the hostel is the 4th street on the left (#17 Logridge Road). It is cheap for London (about 15 –17 pounds/night). But, it has very small rooms but owner is very enthusiastic, and they have clean bathrooms. TIP - You can pay 17 Euro for a 2 person room and hope that it is not filled with another (the 2 person rooms have a shower). Tel: +44 (0)20 370 5213 ; Fax: +44 (0)20 370 5213 email: [email protected] Many guests at this hostel work in London and stay there for a long period of time, and thus it may not be the best place to meet other travelers. Also consider Trek Inn Hostel http://62.73.162.187/trek_inn_london/ Or http://www.trekinnhostel.co.uk which is located at 59 Mount Pleasant (10 min walk from Covent Garden). Email: [email protected] Phone: +44 (020) 813 2326; Fax: +44 (020) 813 5237. They have 24-hour reception and email availability. Expect to pay £20 per person in a double room, and £12.50 per person in a dorm (they also offer female only dorms). Also consider the London House Hotel, located at 81-83 Kensington Garden Road. It is a 6-min bus ride to Oxford Street, (2 minutes from two major train lines). Expect to pay £10-12 pounds per night for a dorm room. The singles and double prices jump to £40. This place used to have bad service, but it is now under new management and this is a cheap place that serves free

breakfast. The offer a special for free high speed internet Sun-Thurs (9-5). This place is a 3-minute walk from Bayswater tube station. When you exit the station, turn left and walk towards the shopping center. At the traffic lights turn left and the hotel is on the second road on the right. There is a new hostel in London called The Lodge http://www.thelondonlodge.com/ which is located at 44 Norfolk Square in Paddington. It is run by South Africans and is located a 2 minute walk from Paddington Station, and a 5 minute walk from Hyde Park. It is recently renovated, non-smoking and has decent sized rooms. No curfew, it has a kitchen and a tv lounge, and all rooms have refrigerators. Tel/fax: 0207 2624406; Email: [email protected] Expect to pay £17.50 per night in a 4-6 bed dorm, or £20 per person in a double room. Some rooms have tvs, so ask about that when checking in. For an inexpensive hotel, try the Alhambra Hotel http://www.alhambrahotel.com/ is located about 100 meters from either the Kings Cross underground or the St. Pancras train station. The address is #17-19 Argyle Street. Tel: (+44) 020 7 837 9575; fax: (+44) 020 7 916 2476; email: [email protected] All rooms come with a color tv and the price includes breakfast. Expect to pay £32-55 for a single room, if you want either a twin or a double, expect to pay £45-60, triples are £65-80, and quads (2 double beds) are £90. Another option is the Barbican YMCA located on Fann Street. Tel: +44 (0) 207 628 0697; Fax: +44(0) 207 638 2420; email: [email protected]. Web: http://www.barbicanymca.com/. Expect to pay £24 in a room with two beds (twin) or pay £28 in a single. I have heard about another new hostel called the Millenium hostel. This place is cheap because it is a long way from the center, but that is not a big deal because it is close to a tube station. Most hostels in London don’t have good views, and this one is adjacent to a cemetary. For £5 (£3.50 students) you can retrace Jack the Ripper’s killing spree. A company called Mystery Walks provides a two-hour walking tour. Meet at Aldgate Tube station (Circle and Metropolitan lines) Web Site: www.mysterywalks.co.uk (was not running when I checked it last) but their phone number is 020 8558 9446 They like to do the tour when it is dark, so it takes place at 8 p.m. on Sundays and Wednesdays, and 7 p.m. on Fridays. A nice day trip from London is visiting Stonehenge. Don’t expect to actually touch any of the stones unless you get on a special access tour, such as one offered by Astral travels http://www.astraltravels.co.uk/index.htm . If you are lazy and have too much money and can afford the £42 (GBP) that the tours charge (the special access fee costs an additional £15, making the total cost a whopping £57), it might be worth avoiding the hassles.

But you can save a lot of money by taking the train from London’s Waterloo station to Salisbury (about 1 1/2 hours) and then catch a bus out to Stonehenge (40 minute ride on the Wilts and Dorset bus #3). FYI - For the same price as a Salisbury-Stonehenge return bus, you can buy an Explorer ticket (which allows you all-day travel on any bus (including those stopping by Avebury). The buses run regularly from the Salisbury station. I think that a return train ticket from London to Salisbury costs about £20, and a return ticket on bus from Salisbury to Stonehenge costs £5.25, and admission to Stonehenge £5. To be honest, I don’t know if touching the stones is worth the extra money that a tour would cost. Besides, you can get quite close to the stones just by paying the normal entrance fee of £5 (and you can touch the stones by walking over a rope and risk getting yelled at). So, by doing it my way you will spend £30 instead of £57. (If you prefer to not do this as a day trip, the only hostel in Salisbury is the YHA, which is located just outside the city center, which costs about £14) Anyway, when you are at Stonehenge you are given informational phones, which tell you the history and geography as you walk up towards the stones and you listen to these phones as you walk around. Depending on the particular month, Stonehenge opens at either 9 or 9:30 a.m. and closes at 6 or 7 p.m. in the summer (but closes at 4 or 5 p.m. in the winter). I suggest going as early as possible, since seeing the stones really doesn’t take too long, you can also see another city nearby (such as Bath or Avebury) Avebury is 24 miles (40-minute ride) from Stonehenge and is similar to Stonhenge but on a much larger scale than Stonehenge and at Avebury you can walk around and touch the stones. This place has unrestricted access and is free. The stones at Avebury make up the largest stone circle in the world (covering an area of 28 acres). This place had a great ring of 98 rocks enclosing two smaller circles of 30 stones each, but today you will only see 27 stones in place because many of the stones were broken up hundreds of years ago by the locals so that they could use the rocks to construct the present village. The missing stones are marked by concrete posts. Today a village, with an inn and some shops, is completely enclosed by the stones. It takes about ten minutes to walk from one side of the stone ring to the other (without stopping). Some of the stones within the circle are over 40 tons (almost twice as heavy as those at Stonehenge), although the stones at Avebury are rough and not shaped (unlike the stones at Stonehenge). Another nice day tip from London is the town of Bath. Consider going to Stonehenge as early as possible in the morning (before its gets crowded). After an hour or so, head to Bath for lunch and maybe take one of the City Tours on the double decker bus. Also, the tourist office in Bath sponsors pretty good free walking tours.

If you need lodging in Bath, consider Bath Backpackers http://www.hostels.co.uk/index.htm Expect to pay £12-13 for a dorm, or £17 per person in a double or triple. Email: [email protected] Tel: 44(0) 1225-446787 There is also a nice B&B at the edge of town called The Old Schoolhouse. Leeds Castle is in the city of Kent. Some visitors get confused and go to the city of Leeds and expect to see this castle, but Kent is 200 miles from Leeds city. This medieval castle was built on two small islands in a lake. Opening hours from March to October 10am to 5pm (last admission) for the park and gardens, and 11 – 5:30 for the Castle. For information, send an email: [email protected] Leeds Castle is located 4 miles east of Maidstone (midway between London and the Channel ports), and is 3 miles southwest of Canterbury. You can reach Leeds Castle from London by taking a train from London Victoria (60 minutes) to Bearsted and then take a shuttlebus to the castle (£3.20) – when you arrive by train in Bearsted, pick up a brochure from the tourist information to figure out which bus you need. Expect to pay about £11 if you are a student for admission to the castle and grounds. Another good daytrip from London is to the town of Windsor, which is home to the Windsor Castle. The castle is open during the summer from 09:45 -17:15 (last admission 16:00). Expect to pay £12.00, or £10.00 for students. Tel: (+44) (0) 20 7766 7304; Fax: (+44) (0) 20 7930 9625 E-mail: [email protected] The Changing of the Guard takes place on alternate days at 11:00. You can reach Windsor castle by using a train from London via either Paddington Station or via Waterloo station. The quickest way (22 minutes) is from London’s Paddington Station, take the Thames train line to Slough and change at Slough (platform 1) for the Windsor shuttle service which arrives at Windsor and Eton Central Station. The second option takes longer (50 minutes) and is from London’s Waterloo station, where you take the Southwest train line direct to Windsor and Eton Riverside. Windsor and Eton Riverside Station is only a five minute walk from the Castle, BUT, the walk from the Riverside Station is steeper than from the Central Station (Paddington line). If you take the bus from London to Windsor, the most convenient stop in central Windsor is at the Parish Church (which is right by the castle). This is the GREENLINE bus service and departs from Victoria. There are two places in Victoria from where buses leave. The Colonnades is a shopping center in Victoria. It is opposite Victoria Coach Station, on Buckingham Palace Rd. GREENLINE has stops BOTH in front and behind the Colonnades building, so make sure that you are waiting at the correct place. Arundel – This is a pretty English town, located about 80 mins from London (take the train from Victoria). The Castle here feels more real than the Leed’s Castle, which seems Disney-like. The castle is about a 10-minute walk from the train station (you can see the castle and cathedral from the train station).

Canterbury - Take the train from London’s Victoria Station. Dover – I would skip this destination. Ireland – you can visit Ireland for free with your Eurail pass by taking the ferry from France (Le Havre) to Rosslare, Ireland. Then take a train up to Dublin and have some Guinness at one of Dublin’s thousand pubs or at the Guinness brewery. Go see the Trinity College and the famous Book of Kells. I remember a pretty cool metal sculpture outside the college buildings that kind of resembled a globe that was disintegrating. While walking on O’Connel Street, stop in at the post office to read about the uprising. Regarding lodging in Dublin, avoid the Chelsea House (also known as Backpackers CitiHostel) – it is a dump. Consider the Four Courts Hostel for good security, price and location http://www.fourcourtshostel.com/ located at #15-17 Merchants Quay, Tel: 353 1 672 5839; Fax: 353 1 672 5862; Email: [email protected] During high season, expect to pay 17.50-25 Euro in a dorm, 30-33 Euro in a twin, 29 Euro in a triple, 25 Euro in a quad and 27 Euro ina family room. These prices include linen and a continental breakfast, but there is € 2.00 supplement charge on Friday /Saturday. This place is a 2-minute walk from the popular nightspot, Temple Bar. From the bus or train stations just take the # 90 bus and it will drop you off right in front of the hostel. It will cost just 1 Euro from the bus station. The Avalon House www.avalon-house.ie is nice - big, cheap, clean and safe (near Grafton Street) and has security (it has lockers and keycard access). They also have internet access. Great free breakfast, too. It is located at 55 Aungier Street; Tel: 353-1-4750001, Fax: 353-1-4750303, which is a long 10minute walk from the Temple Bar areas/center of town. This is generally NOT a party place. It does have a full kitchen. From March – October, expect to pay 15-17 Euro for a dorm; 32-37 Euro for a single; 30-35 Euro for a double; 25-30 Euro for a quad; or 28-30 Euro for a six bed room. Barnacles (or the Temple Bar Hostel) http://www.barnacles.ie/templebar/accommodation.htm is right in the middle of Temple Bar, where few Irish go to get drunk (there will be tons of tourists here). Barnacles (Temple Bar House) is located at 19 Temple Lane. From May – October, expect to pay the following: 17.50 – 22 Euro for a dorm (depending on how many people in the room), 39 Euro for a double, and 78 Euro for a single. Email [email protected] Tel: +353 1 6716277; fax +353 1 6716591 They have excellent kitchen facilities if you plan on cooking. There is no drinking in the hostel, but plenty of pubs nearby. There is no lockout or curfew.

Isaacs Hostel http://www.isaacs.ie/isaacs_hostel/index.htm have 12-16 bed dorms for 17.50 Euro, 6-10 bed dorms for 20 Euro, quads for 25 euro, triples for 30 euro, double for 33 Euro, and a single for 37 Euro. They are located at 2-5 Frenchmans Lane (near Busarus bus station). Tel:+353 1 8556215; Fax: +353 1 8556574; Email: [email protected] They allow alcohol and it is lively and has a jukebox. Another lodging option is the Litton Lane hostel http://www.irishhostel.com/litton_hostel/index.htm (located at 2-4 Litton Lane; tel: Tel: +353+1+8728389; fax: (01) 8720039; email: [email protected] This hostel actually used to be a recording studio for bands such as U2 and Van Morrison! Clean co-ed rooms, but the bathrooms were not so clean. It has a great location about 1/2 block from the river and Temple Bar is on the other side. During the high season, expect to pay 22-23.50 Euro for a dorm room or 65-70 Euro for a double. Breakfast is included in the price. They have internet access. If you need your laundry done for you, they will do it around the corner at the Abbey Lane Hostel. There is a medium size hostel called the Brewery Hostel which is located near (100 meters) the Guinness Brewary & Storehouse which is a 2 min. walk from Heuston train station, but along (20 min.) walk from the city center/Temple Bar Area. It is located at #22-23 Thomas Street, Phone: +353 1 453 8616 or 353 1 483 8600; Fax: +353 1 453 8616 web: http://www.irish-hostel.com/home.htm Email: [email protected] All rooms are ensuite with free hot showers and bed linen supplied. They have twin/doubles, and 4, 8 and 10 bed dorms. Expect to pay 18-20 Euro for a 10-bed dorm, 20-22 Euro in an 8-bed dorm, 22-25 Euro in a quad, and 75-78 Euro in a twin/double. Breakfast is included in the price. One of the best options is Globetrotters Tourist Hostel, which is located at #46/48 Lower Gardiner Street (This places is located right beside busaras bus station and is only a 2-minute walk by foot). They have a kitchen, internet access, no lock-out. Tel: (01) 8735893; fax: +353 01 878 8787 Web: http://www.globetrottersdublin.com/ Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Expect to pay 19 Euro per night in a 12-bed dorm which includes a HUGE breakfast (a full Irish breakfast: bacon, sausage, eggs, hash brown, tomatoes, baked beans, cereals, fruit salad, a selection of breads and tea/ coffee and a selection of juice) Consider doing the Backpacker’s Pubcrawl. It leaves every night from the front gates of Trinity College at 8pm, ask for details at your hostel. During the peak season you can expect 20-80 backpackers from different hostels to show up. Expect to visit between 6-8 different pubs. Consider Paddy’s Palace http://www.paddyspalace.com/dublinhostel.php or http://www.paddywagontours.com/ppalace.html where you can get a dorm from £10. (Private rooms available). It is located on the corner of Lr. Gardiner

Street and Beresford Row. Officially 5 Beresford Place, Dublin 1, it is a 2 minute walk from Busaras (Dublin’s primary bus station). Telephone 01 8881756 (inside Ireland) 00 353 1 8881756 (outside Ireland). Fax 01 8881684 Email [email protected] If your goal is to be near the bus station, this is a good choice. Although there are cheaper nearby hostels (on the same street) they are a worse choice than this one. If you are up for it, head north to Northern Ireland. It was not my thing, so I headed south and saw the Killarney and Cork and the Blarney Castle. It is funny because tourists bend over backwards and kiss the Blarney stone, but the locals get drunk and piss on that stone at night! If you have a week or less, stick to Dublin and then head west such as Galway city. Galway – Consider the Barnacles Hostel http://www.barnacles.ie/quaystreet/accommodation.htm It is situated on the main street in Galway (full of pubs and restaurants) at #10 Quay Street. Tel: +353 91 568644; email: [email protected]. In fact, directly across from the hostel, there is a pub called “The Quays” that plays Irish Music and can become very noisy. As for hearing pub noise while you are in the hostel, the worst time is at 8 a.m. when the kegs of beer are delivered to the pub. If you can deal with that, the hostel is clean and safe. From May- October, expect to pay 16-20.50 Euro for a dorm, 22.50 Euro in a quad, 27 Euro for a double and 54 Euro for a single. There is another hostel called the Galway hostel that is right next to the train/bus station at Eyre Square. Tel: 353 91 566959. They have a kitchen, common room and probably the cleanest hostel in town and this place has a friendlier staff than the staff at Barnacles. It is small and only has 6 rooms, so call ahead. Another hostel is called Sleep Zone http://www.sleepzone.ie/ e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +353-91-566999 Fax: +353-91-566996 Expect to pay 18-20 Euro in a 8-10 bed dorm, 20 Euro in a 6-bed dorm, 22 Euro in a quad, 25 Euro in a triple, 30 Euro in a double, and 50 Euro in a single. The train/bus station is located at Eyre Square. When you exit the station go to the opposite end of the Square and turn right. You should see Cuba Bar on your left. Take the next turn left (Bothar na mBan) and you will see Sleepzone about 80 metres down on the left hand side. This place caters to youbng foreigners living and working in Galway (so you might not find fellow short-term backpackers here). In Cork City there are a couple of budget hostels. Sheila's hostel is a 5minute walk from the bus and train stations (where there is a regular bus service to Blarney). http://www.sheilashostel.ie/ Tel: 353 21 4505562 (Outside Ireland); Tel: 021 4505562 (Within Ireland); Fax: 353 21 4500940 (Outside Ireland) / Fax: 021 4500940 (Within Ireland). Email: [email protected]

Expect to pay 22-25 Euro for a double, 14.50-15.50 Euro for a quad, or 14-15 Euro for a 6-8 bed dorm. Although this place is not the cleanest in the world, it is a good hostel and is close to the pubs and a good pizza place. Another lodging option in Cork City is Kinlay house (in the city center (10minute walk to the bus station)). http://www.kinlayhouse.ie/ tel: 021-4508966 Email: [email protected] Expect to pay the following 16-19.50 Euro for a dorm, 20-21 Euro for a quad, 22.50-24 Euro in a triple, 24.50-26 Euro per person for double, and 45 Euro for a single. They have free breakfast and have internet access. If you come down to deciding between Dingle and Blarney – choose Dingle. Edinburgh, Scotland Haggis is a national food and it is usually made from sheep stomach, lungs, liver and heart. If eating haggis is not your thing, a great Chinese restaurant is in the center of town and is called China China and has all-you-caneat buffet menu which costs £4.99 noon-5pm; £7.99 5pm-7pm and £9.99 7pmmidnight. It is located at #10 Antigua Street (five minutes from East Princes Street) Tel: 0131-556 9791. As for lodging, consider staying at the Castle Rock hostel – right at the foot of the Edinburgh Castle. Located at 15 Johnston Terrace,Tel: 44.(0)131.225 9666 Email: [email protected] Expect to pay £13.50. Another option which is run by the same people as Castle Rock is the High Street hostel (Except Castle Rock is newer). The High Street hostel is located at 8 Blackfriars Street Tel:+44 131 557 3984 email: [email protected] (They play a movie each night). It is located right on the Royal mile. Expect to pay pay £13.50. I remember the showers being in poor condition. Another few ideas are the Royal Mile Backpackers located at 105 High Street, tel: +44 131 557 6120; email: [email protected] Expect to pay pay £13.50. Or try Brodies hostel http://www.brodieshostels.co.uk/ They have 2 locations. Brodies One is at #12 High Street - Tel:556 6770) this is a very social place. Brodies Two is new and only opened in July 2003 (tel: 0131 – 5562-223). They have a self-catering kitchen buit breakfast is not included in the price, they have electronic access so you can come and go as you please. In general, Brodies Two, Broadies One and the Royal Mile hostel are your best located hostels. Brodies One and Royal Mile are the most social, but Brodies Two is the newest. Expect to pay the following: at Brodies One: £17-19 for an 8-bed dorm, and £16- £18 for a 16-bed dorm. At Brodies Two: £20-22 in a 4 bed dorm, £18- £20 for a 6-bed dorm, £17 for an 8-10 bed dorm, £69-85 for a triple, £65-77 for a double en-suite, and £84-88 for a quad. Therefore, if you want the cheapest, go to Brodies One because they have more dorm space. A new hostel opened in 2004 called "Budget Backpackers" located at # 15 Cowgatehead. Their website calls it "Edinburgh's Premier 4 star new hostel." It only gets so-so reviews – I would stick with Brodies.

Another option is called Argyle backpackers (good option if you do not want to stay in the center of town). It is located on Argyle terrace, across the meadows from the old town. I would avoid St. Christopher's which is right across the street from Waverly Station (not too clean). Amsterdam – you will find that if you speak English you will do just fine here. This is because the Dutch all learn several languages in school (because nobody in the world, except for me, learns Dutch!). Anyway, when you are in this city, make sure to visit the Red Light District (even if you don’t want to solicit a prostitute) because it is really an experience to see it. Don’t worry, I have even seen tour groups go through it! My advice is to go through it during the daytime first if possible, as the night is not as safe (there is a police presence, but there is plenty of crime in that area). You can get decent cheap food in the chinese district, which is located near the red light district. Also good and cheap are schwarmas, or croketts, or french fries (pomme frites) with peanut sauce. If you want to buy drugs (pot and hash are sold in most coffee shops) you can do so in Amsterdam. Drug dealers walk all over the place (especially in and near the Red Light District) and offer any type of drug you can imagine. If you do some drugs, make sure to finish them all up in Holland because most other countries in Europe have some pretty tough penalties (also big trouble if you are caught on a train exiting the country with drugs). The boarder police often scrutinize backpackers and even look through packs of cigarettes to look for drugs. I have even seen some drug-sniffing dogs on the trains a few times. Rembrandt Square is filled with small bars. The cheap foods to look for in Amsterdam are kroketje (meat croquette) and shawarma (similar to a gyro). FYI – all coffee shops and other hash/pot bars also sell other stuff (like coffee or beer) so you don’t have to smoke if you don’t want to. One of the most famous places to go for a smoke or a beer is called the Bulldog. Another very famous place is called the Grasshopper. There are several Bulldog and Grasshopper locations scattered around Amsterdam. These are nice places to hang out, but they are more expensive than other coffeshops in town. I spoke to some ladies that had decided to skip Amsterdam because they had heard that it was unsafe. That was a shame because Amsterdam is a capital city and is no more unsafe than Paris or Rome (in fact, I would argue that the latter two capitals are less safe than Amsterdam). Granted, the Red Light District (a section of Amsterdam) has prostitutes and drugs, and that tends to encourage certain types of crime. However, keep in mind that common sense will keep you safe. Any lone tourist (especiailly a lone female) walking around at night in the wrong area is not a good idea in any large city! Amsterdam also has some cool art museums (Rijksmuseum and the Van GoghMuseum) and even a sex museum (on Damrak (the main street that runs between the Dam and Central Station) and a hash/marijuana/hemp museum. Although some guidebooks suggest the Heineken brewery tour (a whopping 10

Euro, but at least you get some free beer included in the price!) www.heinekenexperience.nl Tel. +31 (0)20-5239666 Email: [email protected] If you do that, please understand that Amsterdam is the location for the OLD brewery and the real brewery (the 2nd largest in the world and the largest in Europe) is not in Amsterdam, but rather it is just outside of Leiden. Anyway, if you go on the Heineken brewery tour in Amsterdam, get tickets early in the morning and return later in day (after the tickets are sold out) for your tour, or just take your tour in the morning. Don’t plan on showing up in the late afternoon and think that you will be touring the brewary that same day. Plan on a minimum of 75 minutes for the tour. From Central Station take trams, 16, 24 or 25 and get off the tram at Heinekenplein. Keep in mind that they are closed on Mondays. Heineken is a premium beer which is like Budweiser in America. If you want a more authentic Dutch experience, consider touring the brewery called “IJ.” The brewary is called Brouwerij 't IJ and is located at Funenkade 7 in Amsterdam. Tel: 020-6228325; E-mail: [email protected] IJ is open for tastings Wed-Sun from 4 to 8 pm (but the bar actually opens at 3:00). That’s right, it has very limited hours because it is technically a tasting café as opoosed to a full-blown bar. Therefore, I suggest that you arrive as close to 3pm as you can. You will find it at the far end of Sarphatistraat (near a windmill on the eastern edge of town). It is a good place to meet real Dutch people and taste some nice beer. If possible, go to one of the diamond cutting places and see the amazing stones. Although most backpackers will not care, if you are in the market for diamonds, this is one of the best places in the world to get some. Very near the Costor (sp?) diamond factory is the Rijksmuseum, which has great Dutch art and is small enough to enjoy. Many visit the Van Gogh museum – 3 floors of Van Gogh, but it was not as interesting as the Rijksmuseum to me. There is a new (2004) museum called the Hermitage Amsterdam http://www.hermitage.nl/ which is a satellite of the famous St. Petersburg museum, and it has a display of Greek gold (more than 2,000 years old) on loan from the Russian museum. This new museum is open 10-5 daily and costs 6 Euro, and is located on Nieuwe Herengracht 14. You can reach the museum from Central Station: tram 4 (Rembrandtplein), 9 (Waterlooplein) and subway (Waterlooplein). Another new museum in A’dam is called FOAM, which is dedicated to photography. It is open from 10-5 and is located at Keizersgracht 609 Tel: 31 (0)20 551 6500 email [email protected] and costs 5 Euro. If you visit the Oude Kerk (Old Church) there is a hidden self-portrait under the great oak-encased organ. The organ stands on marble pillars, but the panels between the pillars are made of wood that is painted to resemble marble. When

the marble was cleaned in 1978, the restorer Henk Dogger snuck in his selfportrait into the marble. Look to the left of the organ just above the floor. I once took a boat tour of the canals of Amsterdam and learned that the city has 1,281 bridged. On the boat tour, there is a place where you can see 15 bridges. I later found out that you can also see this exact same view from land (well, one of the bridges) for free. This special bridge is located just a few blocks from Rembrandtplein at Reguliersgracht at the corner of Herengracht on the oddnumbered side. Stand with your back to the Thorbeckeplein, and you will see six arched bridges in a row. Turn to the left and six more will appear over the Herengracht. Look to the right to see two more. And the 15th bridge is the one that you are standing on. That was the most memorable part of the boat tour, so I saved you about 15 Euro. Some of the tourist guidebooks on Amsterdam call this the “Bridge of 15 bridges.” While you walk around Amsterdam, pay attention to how some of the buildings are tilted or leaning. This is because they were built on soft peat ground and over the years the buiding sank. Usually the buildings that are leaning are very old. Three great examples of narrow houses can be found at 1) Singel #7, 2) Oude Hoogstraat #22, 3) Kloveniersburgwal #26. On the Singel #7. You will see the front of a house that is only one meter wide (barely wider than the front door). Behind this facade the house broadens out to more normal dimensions. When you go to Oude Hoogstraat 22 (between the Dam and the Nieuwmarkt (New Market) you will see a tiny house, complete with a typical Amsterdam bellgable is 2 meters wide and 6 meters deep. This is the narrowest house in Europe. The third free house is located nearby on the Kloveniersburgwal 26: less than 2.5 meters wide, known as “The Small Trippenhouse” (Kleine Trippenhuis) or (Mr Trip’s Coachman’s House). This is located directly opposite the impressive Trippenhouse, #29 which at about 22 meters wide is the widest house in Amsterdam. There is a free ferry that few tourists know about. This ferry crosses the River Ij from the back of Centraal Station to North Amsterdam. A ride on this ferry will give you a feeling of houseboat living. When the ferry passes houseboats you can see the houseboat’s hidden gardens and onboard trees. Catch this “Buikersloterwegveer” ferry by landing stage #7 behind Centraal Station. The longest that you will have to wait at any point during the day is 15 minutes for the ferry. There is a smaller similar ferry the “IJ-Veer”, which leaves from landing stage #8. Some of the current clubs in Amsterdam are “More” (especially on Thursday) or “Marcanti” (on Saturday). When I lived in Holland, and visited Amsterdam, the good clubs were Melkweg melkweg.nl , Paradiso paradiso.nl or Arena Hotel for live music. Paradiso has lots of live concerts, dance and 80's. Melkweg is usually R&B and house. Clubs with DJs are Club More, Mazzo, Escape It, Jimmy Woo, and Sinners in Heaven.

You can get free internet access at any of the 30 public libraries in Amsterdam. The Central Library is located at Prinsengracht #587. Although it is open from 09.00 - 18.00 hrs, I suggest that you get there early in the morning to avoid the wait. Another good tip is that you can rent a bike. I would not suggest renting a bike if you will only be in town for a couple of days. Maybe rent one if you want to bike into the countryside (easy because everything is flat). Keep in mind that bikes are stolen all the time in A’dam. Anyway, there are several locations to rent bikes. 1) Bulldog on Oudezijds Voorburgwal (in the Red Light District). About 6 Euro per day. 2) MacBike which has 5 locations in the center of Amsterdam http://www.macbike.nl/ email: info@macbike Tel: +31 20 620 09 85. Unless you will never get off your bike, I suggest renting the traditional “city bike” instead of a mountain bike because it is less likely to be stolen. The city bike can be rented for about 7 Euro per day, whereas the mountain bike is about 14 Euro. Tel: +31 20 625 50 29. 3) Rent-a-bike Damstraat located at Pieterjacobszdwarsstraat 11 (in a little alley off Dam Square), also € 7 per day. If you want to buy something really fragile (who wants to do that?) then buy some delft pottery – make sure the bottom says hand-made. Amsterdam sells the real stuff but it originates in a small town in Holland called Delft. www.delfttourisme.nl If you do buy some of this – make sure to do it immediately prior to leaving Europe or else you should mail it back home because it will break in your backpack. One of the most famous hostels in Europe is located in Amsterdam and is called the Flying pig. There are 3 locations (the Downtown and Palace Hostels are in Amsterdam and the Beach hostel is 20 miles outside Amsterdam in Noordwijk (but it is also much cheaper). The downtown location is 500 meters from the train station at Nieuwendijk 100, 1012 MR Amsterdam, Tel: 31.(0)20.420 68 22 – email – [email protected] Web – www.flyingpig.nl From Central Station walk towards Damrak. Pass the Victoria Hotel and take your first alleyway on the right and go all the way to the end. The Palace location is also called the Park location and it is located near the the Leidse Plein (square) and the Vondel Park, which is close to the museums. The address is Vossiusstraat 46-47, and the contact number is tel: 020-400-4187 email: [email protected] Take tram #1, 2, or 5 from Centraal Station and get off at the stop for Leidse Plein For the Beach location, they offer a shuttle bus from either of the Amsterdam locations to get you there. Otherwise, take a train south to the university town of Leiden, then take bus 40 or 42 to Noordwijk, stop at “Vuurtorenplein,” face south and 100m on your left side you'll find the Beach Hostel. As for prices, singles/twins cost 76 Euro at the Downtown hostel, and 62 Euro at the Palace location, and 42 Euro at the Beach location. Small shared rooms (4-6 people) are 28.40 Euro at the Downtown location, 27 Euro at the

Palace location. Medium dorm rooms (8-10 beds) cost 25.40 Euro at the Downtown location, and 25 Euro at the Palace location. Lareg dorm rooms (1826 beds) cost 22.40 Euro at the Downtown location and 22 Euro at the Palace location. The Beach location also has rooms that hold 6-8 beds for 17 Euro per person. TIP - I suggest the location at Voldelpark (Palace location), which is still in the center of Amsterdam, over the one near Central Station (Downtown location). The Palace location is more relaxed whereas the downtown location has a smoky, loud music atmosphere. Since the Flying Pig is so popular, I have given you a lot of information. In general, you should make a reservation if you want to sleep here, but they do have a few extra beds set aside for walk-ins. So if you call from the train station (or show up at the hostel) at 8 am or at 10:30 (checkout time) you will still have a chance to get in the hostel on the day of arrival. Also the Bulldog has a pretty good reputation and is centrally located near the RLD at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 220, Amsterdam 1012 GJ, tel – 020 620 3822, email – [email protected] Web – www.bulldog.nl Expect to pay 26 (Euro) for a dorm bed if it is available, 85 Euro in a double, 108 Euro in a triple, and 125 Euro in a quad. This price includes breakfast. The rooms are smokefree. You may also want to consider staying at Bob’s Youth Hostel (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 92, tel: 020-623-0063) – caution – lots of smoking goes on here. A newer option is Budget Hotel Clemens which is located at Raadhuisstraat 39, 1016 DC AMSTERDAM, Tel.: ++31(0)20-624 60 89, Fax: ++31(0)20-626 96 58, E-mail: [email protected] http://www.clemenshotel.nl/ This place is not that much of a budget (55 euro's to 125 euro's per night per room), but if all of your other options are booked, this may be good to know about. I have heard good things about Hostel Cosmos. http://www.hostelcosmos.com/. Tel. +31206252438; email: [email protected] (minimum 2-night stay on weekends), no curfew or lockout. It is located at Nieuwe nieuwstraat 17-1. Expect to pay 40 Euro for a private room and dorms range from 27.50 Euro to 35 Euro. The hostel is a 5-minute walk from the train station. Just walk down Damrak (main street) and turn right when you cross the 5th alley (just look for USA Pizza). Follow this alley until the end and turn left. If you want a quiet hostel in Amsterdam, consider NJHC City Hostel Vondelpark. It is kind of institutional, but it is clean, well run and safe and has a good breakfast. It is located at #5 Zandpad (take tram: 1, 2, 12) tel: (020) 589 89 96; fax: (020) 589 89 55 You can also try the Globe Hostel http://www.hotel-theglobe.nl/ - located at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 3, which is right across from the main train station on a

canal near the Red Light district. When you exit Centraal Station, turn left and walk down Nieuwe Brugsteeg for three blocks and turn right on Oudezijds Voorburgwal (which is right after the canal). It has a 24-hour bar, and clean rooms. If a bed and breakfast is your thing, try Mama Doma. This is not a place to meet otherbackpackers, as it can only accommodate 2 people. The shower and the toilet are located in the hall , both of which you share with the owners. But if the hostel scene is not for you, this is a cheaper alternative than most hotels. Expect to spend 60 Euro for 2 people at this B&B. This place offers free internet access. To get to the B&B make your way to the train station (Lelylaan) in Amsterdam West (just a 12 minute train ride from Centraal station).The B&B is located 5 minutes walking distance from the Lelylaan train station. Tel: 020 6158467. The last time I checked, their website was not running. Two other ideas are the Last Watering Hole (they even have live music) and The Meeting Point, which are both in the RLD. Check out http://www.noord-holland-tourist.nl/nl/amsterdam/content.htm It’s the Dutch tourist bureau’s list of 400 hotels. Although it is in Dutch, you might still be able to figure it out. There’s quite a few 1 star hotels that are less than US $30. Postal codes in the 1013 to 1017 range are in Central or canal zone Amsterdam. Also if you go to www.ignatzmice.com and click on accommodation and then red light district hotels you’ll get a list of 40 hotels in the RLD. If you want to stay in a hotel in the RLD, consider Durty Nelly’s. Email them at [email protected] Consider the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel http://www.hans-brinker.com/. It is located at Kerkstraat 136-138. Tel: +31 (0)20 622 06 87; Fax: +31 (0)20 638 20 60. Dorms cost 21-24 Euro, which includes breakfast and linen. No curfew. They have a new MP3 jukebox which allows you to download your favorite music and play it in their disco. From Centraal station, take tram 1, 2 or 5, Get off at the Keizersgracht (5th stop). Walk in the direction of the tram to the Kerkstraat (on your left).The hotel is on #136. Another way to get there is to take tram 16, 24 or 25. Get off at the Prinsengracht (5th stop). Walk back to the Kerkstraat (on your left). The hotel is on #136. It has a nice bar, but can be a loud place. Some people consider staying in the Amstel Botel (cross between a boat and hostel). Don’t expect too much, and expect evrything to be very cramped. You might get stuck in a room with a view of the land (as opposed to the water) and you might hear people walking above your small room. The botel is located about 100 meters from Centraal station on your left as you exit the station (walk through a bus parking lot to the botel). If you are determined to go, try and get a room on the top floor to eliminate the walking sounds. It is located at 2-4 Oosterdokskd. Prices are very expensive as this is considered a 3 star place, and it is only reasonable if you are traveling with 2 other people (114 Euro for a single, 117 Euro for a double, 132 Euro for a triple). Oh yeah, expect to be able to view porn for free on the tv in your room.

If you use an old travel book, it might suggest the Arena Hostel. That place is located just outside the center, but it was renovated in 2001 and they made it into a real hotel now (with hotel prices (150 Euro for a double. http://www.hotelarena.nl/ There is a Christian hostel http://www.shelter.nl/ called the Shelter. Actually there are two. One is called Shelter City and the other is called Shelter Jordan. Do not expect to party at either of these places. In the high season, expect to pay 18 euro per person but that includes breakfast and linens. Regarding the Shelter City, it is located at #21 Barndesteeg, Tel: +31 (0) 20 - 625 32 30; fax: +31 (0) 20 - 623 22 82. Regarding the Shelter Jordaan, it is located at #179 Bloemstraat, Tel: +31 (0) 20 - 62 44 717; fax: +31 (0) 20 - 62 76 137. It is about a 10-minute walk to Dam Square. The hostel is located in the quiet Jordaan (western part of city) on the street opposite the Anne Frank house (on the other side of the canal). From the train station, take the tram (13 or 20) for 8 minutes to Westerkerk, it is only a short walk from there. They have free email access. Both of these Shelter hostels have a strict curfew – Shelter City is midnight curfew (1am on weekends) and Shelter Jordan is 2am. Both of the locations enforce a strict no drug/alcohol policy (so you cannot smoke pot or drink beer in these hostels). Expect to be invited to bible study, but you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Sometimes they even offer you a free dinner if you watch a bible play. Expect small showers with no dressing area. Also, the free breakfast is pretty good (pancakes, French toast or fried eggs and toast). TIP - Shelter City is located right in the middle of the Red Light District so it is noisier than Shelter Jordaan. If camping is your thing, consider Camping Zeeburg www.campingzeeburg.nl. (they even offer cabins). To get there from Centraal Station, take bus 22, which leaves, from platform ‘C’ in front of the station. Take the bus till the “Kramatweg”’ (ask the driver), get out and walk in the direction of the Shell-gasoline-station. From there you follow the signs, cross the bridge and immediately you’ll see the campground on your right side. In total, it takes about 30 minutes to arrive from the station to the campground. If you are having trouble finding lodging, you will have a better chance of getting a room if you sleep in Haarlem (another Dutch city), and it is not as crazy Amsterdam. Outside Amsterdam – If you are into flowers, then you may want to visit the Keukenhof, which is a flower park (the world’s largest flower garden (32 hectares) that is in bloom in from mid-March to mid-May each year. This park is located south west of Amsterdam in the town of Lisse. Specifically, it is is located between the two towns of Hillegom and Lisse south of Haarlem. Kinderdijk http://www.kinderdijk.nl/ is probably the best place to see windmills. This is a village that I slocated 20 km outside Rotterdam so if you are based in

Amsterdam, it is too far to ride a bike, but a nice day trip from A’dam. Other than the transportation costs, it is free to see the windmills. From Amsterdam take the train to either Rotterdam or Utrecht. From Rotterdam take the subway to Rotterdam Zuidplein station and then the bus to Kinderdijk, and get off at the busstop called Molenkade. OR, from Utrecht take the bus to Kinderdijk, bus stop Molenkade. Zaanse Schans http://www.zaanseschans.nl/ is another good place to see windmills and it is closer to Amsterdam. In fact, it is located in the town of Zaandam, which is just north or Amsterdam. By train, buy a ticket to railwaystation “Koog Zaandijk” which is only 4 stops from A’dam’s Centraal station. Then you have to walk 15 minutes to the “Zaanse Schans.” Entrance to the Zaanse Schans is free, but they charge for some of the attractions. Tel: +31 (0)75 6168218. Email: [email protected] If you prefer to ride a bike, you can either rent a bike in Amsterdam and bike the 10 miles, or you can rent a bike at the train station of Zaandam, after which it is about 10 - 15 minute cycling. If you rent a bike at the train station in Amsterdam you follow the signs Zaandam, Koog Zaandijk, Zaanse Schans. From Amsterdam it is about 30 - 40 minutes cycling. Den Haag (The Hague) offers a neat tourist trap called Madurodam. It is a miniature version of Holland (really neat, you walk around and see these 2 foot high buildings and trains and oil barges with fires and everything). The address is: George Maduroplein 1 2584 RZ Den Haag (The Hague). Phone (+31) 704162400. From The Hague central station take tram 1 or 9. Madurodam’s website is: http://www.madurodam.nl/ The following link is a map with the public transportation: http://www.htm.net/smartsite.dws?id=23 it is located between the Den Haag (The Hague) and the seaside resort of Scheveningen. Belgium – although many people visit Brussels, I suggest visiting a smaller town named Brugge 90 minute train ride from the center of Brussels). If you go to Brussels, after you see the Mannequin Pis (small statue of boy taking a leak) you will realize that something is wrong when this is arguably the most famous thing about the city! In fact, I even suggest seeing Antwerp over Brussels. If you must visit Brussels, then consider staying at a hostel called the Center Van Gogh (CHAB) – the rooms are nice and the people friendly. Decent location too (near Gare du Nord and the Botanical Gardens and a metro stop). The contact numbers of the hostels are: 1) Center "Vincent Van Gogh"(tel:0032/2/217.01.58) http://www.chab.be/ email: [email protected] (you must be between 17 and 35 years old to stay at this YOUTH hostel). It is located at #8 rue Traversiere. Tel: 32 2 217 01 58. Email: CHAB.ping.be Expect to pay 12 Euro for a dorm, 26.50 Euro for a single and 20 Euro for a double.

2) Jeugdherberg "Bruegel" (HI) (tel:0032/2/511.04.36) (Expect to pay 13.75 Euro for a dorm, 18 Euro for a double, 23 Euro for a single (all prices include breakfast and sheets) (300 meters from the Gare Centrale train station) http://www.vjh.be/ email: [email protected] or [email protected] It is located at #2 Heilige Geeststraat (It is easier to get to this hostel than it is to get to the Van Gogh hostel) 3) Jacques Brel (HI) (tel:0032/2/218.01.87) - very clean and it has a bar and terrace. It is located at Rue de la Sablonnière #30. Expect to pay 14.75 Euro for a dorm, 20 Euro for a double, and 25 for a single. http://www.laj.be/html/en/hostels/brel/aubergesbrel_en01.htm email [email protected] 4) "Sleep Well" (tel:0032/2/218.50.50) (located at Rue du Damier #23, which is a 10-minute walk from Gare du Nord) http://www.sleepwell.be/index.html email: [email protected] Expect to pay 16-18 Euro for the first night in a dorm, and 1214 Euro for each additional night. Also a double is 23.75 for the first night and 20 each additional night. A single costs 26.50 Euro per night. Breakfast is included in the price. This place is more expensive than other options (such as Van Gogh). (Sleep well/Van Gogh/J. Brel are not far from each other) 5) Generation Europe Youth Hostel http://www.laj.be/html/en/hostels/europe/aubergeseurope_en01.htm (tel: 0032/2/410.38.58) (This hostel used to be called the Jean Nihon Youth Hostel (in case you are looking in an older book).YHI - Email: [email protected] or [email protected] and website: www.laj.be Tel: 410 38 58. This is located at Rue de l’Éléphant #4. Expect to pay 14.75 Euro for a dorm, 16.75 in a quad, 20 Euro in a double, and 25 Euro in a single. FYI – The Mannekin Pis is kind of hard to find (it is a small statute down some alley). It is 3 blocks behind the Town Hall on the corner of Rue de l’Euve and Rue du Chene. I have read some reports in the last few years about a bunch of guys (from Muslim countries) in the city center (especially around La Grand Place (one of the most tourist spots)) that yell at and grab women. So be very careful if you are a solo female traveler in Brussels. However, I have never witnessed this myself on any of my visits into this city. Cheap places to eat in Brussels are around the Grand-Palace. I suggest Leon (located at Rue des Bouchers #18 (very large amounts of mussels and fries for 15 Euro) and Sole d’Italia (located at Rue Gentry #67 (large portions of spaghetti and bread for 5 Euro.

If you like beer, check out the Cantillon brewery in Brussels http://www.cantillon.be/br/en/Cantillon-13001.html They charge 3.50 Euro but you only get one glass of beer included in the price. If you like chocolate, then you might want to visit the museum of cocoa and chocolate www.mucc.be This museum is located in the center of Brussels in the Grand-Place (the building is called the House of the Dukes of Brabant, and is #13 Grand-Place). Tel: 0032 (0) 514 20 48. Email: [email protected]. From JulyAugust the museum is open every day. Otherwise Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Closed on Monday. The price for students is 4 Euro. As for Brugge, it is really a cool town. The downtown area of Brugge is really neat and has a big square with amazing architecture (in the wintertime they make the square into an ice-skating rink). On Saturdays there is a market on Langestraat and they sell vegetables, lace, and also some stuff that you would expect to find at a flea market. Although the big tourist thing to buy is lace (such as doilies) the prices are not that much better than you would find in the Caribbean or even in the USA. There are some cool windmills on the outskirts of the town and provide backgrounds for really nice pictures. I once stayed at the Europa International Youth Hostel (20 minute walk from the town) because the Bauhaus was full. Even then, I distinctly remember hanging out at the Bauhaus hostel (has a bar) and some place called the Fire Mill or Red Mill (Moelen in Belgian). Also try the Brugges Beertje for a quaint pub. The 't Brugges Beertje has over 200 types of Belgian beers and is located on the same block of Kemelstraat as the t' Dreupelhuisje, which has dozens of kinds of genever (Belgian gin) served cold, in shots. While in Brugge, try the Belgian waffles and the Pomme frites (FrenchFries). Although many Belgians eat their fries with mayonnaise, try some pinda saus (peanut sauce) as it is excellent. The most popular hostel in Brugge is called the Bauhaus (no curfew or lockout) http://www.bauhaus.be/youthhostel.html – Langestraat 133-137, Tel.: +32(0)50.341093. Right inside the train station there is a special telephone that has a direct line to this hostel and you just pick up the phone and you are automatically connected to the hostel for free! Take bus 6 or 16 from the train station (direction “center”). The bus driver will point out the Bauhaus stop. Expect to pay 11-12 Euro for a dorm, 13 Euro for each in a quad, 13.5 Euro for each in a triple, and 15 Euro for each in a double. There is a coin operated laundromat next door to the Bauhaus. Even if this place is full, you can always go there for dinner (from 6.80 Euro) or to drink at their bar. There is a new hostel in Brugge called Charlie Rockets. http://www.charlierockets.com/ Expect to pay 14 Euro for a dorm, or 42 Euro for a double room and 3 Euro for breakfast. Email [email protected] or [email protected] Tel: 0032-50/33.06.60; fax: +32 - 50 / 343 630. it is located at 19 Hoogstraat. Just take any bus from the train station to the market square and walk to the hostel from there. The hostel also has a bar and even sells tex-mex meals.

A cheap hotel is ‘t Keizershof. That place is very close to (100 meters) the train station, but a longer walk into town. It is located at Oosmeers #126 (Tel: 32,(0)50 33 87 28); email: [email protected] Expect to pay 40 Euro for a double room (includes breakfast) Some other hostels in this town are listed at http://www.brugge.be/Verblijf/en/heeme.htm If you have more money, consider Hotel Nicolas, located 100 meters from Markt (town center) at Niklaas Desparstraat #9. Expect to pay 55 Euro for a double or 40-45 Euro for a single. As for a B&B in Brugge, go to the one run by Lut and Bruno Setola. http://www.bedandbreakfast-bruges.com/ It is located at # 12 SintWalburgastraat, which is on a quiet street just around the corner from the Markt. TEL. +32 50 33 49 77; FAX +32 50 33 25 51; E-MAIL [email protected] Expect to pay the following: 55 Euro for a single, 60 Euro for a double, 80 Euro for a triple, 100 for a quad. They charge an extra 10 Euro if you only stay one night. These prices include breakfast (obviously). Another hotel is Hotel Gulden Vlies located at Kon. Elisabethlaan 40; Tel: 0032/50.34.12.70 – Fax: 0032/50.34.73.00. Email: [email protected] Web: www.guldenvlies.be Expect to pay 50-65 Euro for a single, 65-90 Euro for a double, 80-110 Euro for a triple, and 110-120 Euro for a quad. The hotel is 10 minutes walking from the marketsquare. From the train station, take a bus (nr. 3 or 13) up to busstop Ezelpoort. From there you can see the hotel on the other side of the street. In Brugges, you can take a canal ride for only about 5 Euro. Also, you can rent a bike next door to Bauhaus and you can get a guide with 5 bike paths. Antwerp – if you have a short layover you might want to visit the zoo as it is near the train station. This city has a hostel called the New International Youth Hotel www.niyhotel.com www.youthhotel.be Although the hostel’s location is not the best, there is a tram service 200 meters away. Take tram #11 at the Rolwagenstraat (or you can go to the metro station “Plantin” and take tram #2). Tel: 230 05 22; email: [email protected]. Expect to pay 25 Euro for a single, 38 Euro for a double, or 63 Euro for a quad. Another option is Jeugdherberg Op-Sinjoorke (HI), located at Eric Sasselaan #2. Te; 238 02 73; fax: +32 0 3 248 19 32. Expect to pay 10.50 -13 Euro for a dorm but this hostel is located in a park in the south part of Antwerp near the Antwerp ring road (4 km from the city center).

Another place to sleep is called the Scoutel. I would rather stay at the International Youth Hotel, but it is a good second choice. It is located near the train station (not too far from the International Youth Hotel). Leuven . This town does have some amazing architecture that was not destroyed in WWII. It is 20min from Brussels. Ask anyone (=student) where to go for a quality bite and drink; you’ll have a cheap, time in a swell Belgian town. This is the hometown of the beer known as Stella Artois. Visit Leuven’s Oude Markt (Old Market Place) for more than 20 bars/pubs within 100 yards or so. This is sometimes referred to the largest bar in Europe. There is a student hostel located in the center of Leuven next to the Aula De Somer. Ghent – this city is located between Brussels and Brugges. During July 20-29 the city has the famous Ghent Festival (Gentse Feesten) which is 10 days of partying, big free open-air parties on medieval squares. But otherthan this 10 day period, Antwerp has much more night-life than Ghent. One lodging option for Ghent is at the International Youth Hostel “De Draecke (which means Dragon), http://www.ghent-hostel.com/ . This new hostel is located on StWidostraat 11, right in the heart of the city centre; only 100 meters away from the well known "Castle of the counts of Flanders". They have 24-hour reception, Expect to pay 15.75 Euro in a dorm, 19 Euro per person in a double (breakfast and sheets included), 15 Euro per person in a triple or quad. A dinner costs 8.75 Euro, and lunch costs 6.10 Euro. The hostel is 3 km from the Gent St. Pieters train Station. You can take tram numbers 1, 10, or 11 to the Gravensteen stop (which is 300m from the hostel). Located at St. Widostraat #11; Tel: +32 (0) 9 / 233 70 50 - Fax: 09 / 233 80 01 e-mail: [email protected] The VJH hostel in Antwerp is OK but about 5 km out of town in the middle of a high rise housing estate Another lodging option is through the university renting student rooms http://www.rug.ac.be Luxembourg – this is another country that you can visit to add another country under your belt, but there is very little to see in Luxembourg city. I wouldn’t spend more than a day there, as you can easily see the “sights” in one day. The tourist information in the center of town will give you a map with an excellent walking tour, but make sure to follow it in the direction they suggest, or else you will end up doing a lot of climbing. Just outside Luxembourg City is a forest called the Ardennes, which was the site of pivotal WWI and WWII battles, and is now a popular weekend getaway. There is a HI in lux City which was about a 10-minute bus ride from the center & the hostel itself is okay. Expect large dorm facilities (no doubles, triples or quad rooms), and a decent meal for fairly cheap. Expect the shower stalls to

be open (you cannot be seen when showering – only when drying off and dressing) but they do have very strong water pressure. More hostels can be found at http://www.cajl.lu/e/auberges/auberges.html Some cheap hotels are as follows: in the city : Airfield hotel, 6 routes de Treves, 43 19 34; E-mail: [email protected] URL: http://fly.to/eaa1231 Also consider In the ardennes:Star Hotel, Diekirich,2-4 avenue de la gare, 80 36 36 0; Hotel Bissen, Heiderscheidergrund, 1 route de Bastogne, 26 88 92 91; also there is camping available in Diekirch, Camping de La lure, near the river. France – Paris – Anticipate that France will be pretty expensive. Generally, Paris will kill your budget if you are not careful. Drinking and hitting the clubs (discos) in Paris gets expensive. If you are a solo traveler, a hostel is the best priced. If you are traveling with others then you will probably do better in a 2 star hotel. If you are on a very tight budget, Paris may be a good place to party at the hostel (as opposed to the bars/clubs) or just rest for the night. There is so much to see in Paris, you really should dedicate about 4 days to see it all and it is very hard to do if you are drinking all night. However, sometimes 4 days is not possible and what I is suggest is to look in your Let’s Go type book and pick out the things that look interesting to you and just try to see as much of that as possible. I once took my brother there for 15 hours and we actually saw quite a bit (obviously not any time insude the museums). It is hard to suggest what is the best thing to see, because if you hate art, then the world-famous Louvre museum will not be that interesting to you, but may be the most interesting thing in Paris for another. Regardless, if you have no clue and maybe only one or two days, I suggest trying to see the following: Eiffel Tower (you can pay and go up to different levels), Notre Dame (church) it is free to enter and you can pay to go to the roof, Arc de Triumphe (free to walk around and under and you can pay to get on the top – 284 stairs to climb), a white church that is called the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur (free to enter and authentic painters nearby – in an area of Paris known as Montmarte), the Louvre, Sainte Chappelle (church near the Notre Dame and has the best stained glass in Europe – small fee), stroll down the Champs-Elysees (big shopping street). This is a very expensive street and I suggest visiting rue d'Alesia if you are looking for prices (which are severely reduced) for designer clothes. If you are careful, you should be able to do all of the above in one full, fast-paced day. Keep in mind that Paris has 6 train stations (each one handles trains that go to a certain area of Europe), so keep that in mind when making plans. This is important because when you arrive from Amsterdam, you will arrive at one train station, but if your next destination after Paris is Spain or Italy for example, then you will NOT be returning to that same train station for your departure. So, if you obtain lodging close to the train station at which you arrive, that does not mean that you can leave your lodging right before your departure, because chances are that you will have to cross the whole city to get to your departure station.

Expect to pay for a reservation (and a supplement if you take the TVG) for most trains out of Paris. About the metro – as is true in many places in Europe, a single-fare ticket is valid for an entire continuous trip (including connections) make sure you keep your ticket until you leave the system at your destination. The reason is because if you are caught without your ticket, you will be fined €35 which you must pay in cash on the spot. When buying metro tickets, unless you buy one of the passes (most backpackers should buy a pass), you should probably ask for a carnet (10 metro tickets). The carnet costs 10.50 Euro (but if you buy the tickets separately, you will pay 1.40 Euro for a single ticket). Also the Carte mobilis allows unlimited travel on the metro all day for 5 Euro in zones one and two (the central area of Paris), so this is even cheaper than a book of carnets. However, the Carte mobilis costs 5.20 Euro per day. The locals use monthly passes (Carte Orange) or weekly passes (coupon hebdominaire), which are good deals for tourists too. Most backpackers who will be in paris 4 or more days should consider the weekly pass (coupon hebdominaire), which is valid for unlimited travel on metro and RER, for seven days—Monday to Sunday—so it’s a great deal, even if you’re not there an entire week. This is a week pass, and you can get it at the machines in most stations, using a credit card or cash, as well as at the customer service window. (the machine accommodates multiple languages) The monthly pass (Carte Orange) begins on the first day of the month and can be purchased starting on the 20th of the prior month. You must have a passport photo to place on the pass, so make sure to bring extras from home or purchase one for about €4 from machines in the main stations if you will be in Paris long enough to use the month-long pass. There are also passes offered to toutists called Paris Visites, ranging from 1-5 days’ unlimited use for métro travel alone (within Paris city limits). In general, these are not as cheap as the coupon hebdominaire, but they are flexible because they can begin on any day of the week (rather than just Monday to Sunday). TIP – Most backpackers should purchase either a “coupon hebdominaire” or a “Paris Visites” to save money on the metro in Paris. In Paris there are three types of trains: 1) trains that will take you to other cities; 2) the RER, and 3) the Metro. I want to make clear that the metro and the RER are not the same thing. However, there is some useful information about the two that most travelers do not realize. If you stay within Zone 1 (basically, central Paris, within the Peripherique), you can use your regular Metro tickets on the RER. However, for destinations outside the central zone, you will either need a regular train ticket purchased in advance or a rail pass. FYI - the RER is a good way to travel across Paris in a hurry; the RER makes fewer stops and travels more quickly than the regular Metro. Regardless of whether you use the RER or

the Metro, make sure to hold on to your ticket as inspectors can ask you for them up until you exit the station. Consider the Paris Visite card (one-day pass ranges from 8.35-16.75 Euro depending on how many zones you need; 2 day pass for 14-34 Euro; 3 day pass for 18-43 Euro; 5day pass for 27-53 Euro). This card allows you unlimited rides on all the public transport services. Make sure to ask about the “Ticket Jeunes” if you are under age 26, you can use the Metro and buslines on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at a reduced rate. Zones 1-3 cost 3.20 Euros for the day. Paris’ public transportation system in runs 24 hours but, the underground subway system shuts down about 12am and reopens at about 5:00 am. Some of the buses run all night, but their frequency is significantly reduced. For specific lines, review http://www.citefutee.com/informer/horaires_premier_dernier.php It gives the first and the last daily departures per line. If you are just in Paris for a few hours, leave your big backpack at the train station (don’t forget that there are 6 stations) and I suggest that you head to the metro stop for Place du Traocadero. This is a neat place to get great pictures of the Eiffel Tower (especially at sunrise). If you arrive via an overnight train, you may arrive very early (such as 7a.m.) and this should be taken into account because most tourist sites will not be open (such as the Notre Dame) so you should take advantage of the time and obtain a croissant and take in the view of the Eiffel Tower. FYI – in June 2003 they placed 20,000 twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower (the lights are expected to only remain on the tower for 10 years). So now the lights will twinkle for 10 minutes every hour from sunset until 1:10 am. In December 2004 they installed an ice skating rink on the first level of the Eiffel Tower and you can skate for free (well, after you pay the price to go to that level of the tower). The ice rink is only scheduled to be there until january 10, 2005. 9:30am to 9pm. Paris offers a museum pass (carte Musee) which is probably worth buying if you plan on seeing museums and other major sites (Louvre, Versailles, Orsay, Rodin, Invalides, Arc de Triomphe climb, Notre Dame tower climb, etc.) With the pass, you can step to the front of most ticket lines rather than having to wait (which can save a lot of time). The pass can be purchased at most major sights in Paris, and they have a one, two and three day pass, but expect to pay about 15 Euro per day. If you are a student you can get into most museums for half price, so the pass might be a waste except for cutting through the wait. Paris has a great metro system (you will note how quiet many of the trains are because they use rubber tires instead of metal wheels). However, make sure that you keep in mind that the metro stops running around midnight. A neat idea to do some cheap sightseeing without walking is to take the city bus (I think it is #69) that runs from Place de la Bastille to the Eiffel Tower. It provides a nice tour along the Rue de Rivoli, past the Louvre, thru the Left Bank,

then to the D'Orsay and on to the Eiffel. Tip – do not take the bus during rush hour (or else you will not see anything). Maybe try Saturday around 9 a.m. If you are in Paris on July 13 or 14, expect the city to be packed. July 14 is Bastille day and there is a parade down the Champs Elysees and also a party at the location of the former Bastille. There are fireworks at the Trocadero in front of the Eiffel tower (The left bank is the best location to see it.) Obviously plan to be at both the parade and the fireworks early to get a good spot. If you want to lay on the sand and get some sun in the center of Paris, you can do that during July - August 2005. It is something called Paris Plage, which began in 2002 and is a 2-mile-long beach that runs along the Seine from the Tuileries to the Pont de Sully. They close off the road inbetween the Seine and the beach and they have palm trees, deck chairs and parasols and showers set up. It is divided into 3 sections – beach, picnic, and siesta. A great place to eat fondue dirt cheap in Paris is located in between the Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge. It is called “Au Refuge des Fondues.” Tel: 01 42 55 22 65 It is located on Rue des Trois Freres #17 (a few blocks from the Abbesses metro stop - from the metro stop entrance you kind of walked (up hill) directly towards the Sacre Coeur as the bird flies (which is not exactly the same way that you would go if you actually wanted to get to the Sacre Coeur). I remember it was a pretty small restaurant and I remember climbing over the tables (kind of like a long row of pick-nick tables all packed next to each other). They only offer meat fondue or cheese fondue and all-you-can-drink wine (from baby bottles) for 14 Euro. I have heard that they have recently changed the drink policy to just one free drink (yes, wine in baby bottles), a starter and a dessert. I think this place is only open for dinner. About safety in this area of Paris, Pigalle (the red light district) is pretty safe, but I would avoid walking through Porte de la Chapelle if you are alone at night. You probably have figured out that the Champs Elysees area is the most expensive place to eat. The cheapest food is from a grocery store or street vendor. If you have more than the bare bones budget, then you will want a cheap sit-down meal. In general some of the cheapest (though not the tastiest) sit-down meals in Paris can be found in the area around Place St Michele (across the Seine from the Notre Dame). There are 3 streets (Rue de la Huchette, Rue de la Harpe and Rue St Severin) and this area has a lot of inexpensive restaurants which have two and three course prix fixed meals for under 15 Euro. Most of these places even have a really cheap (8 Euro) option which is only good before 7pm. If you like falafel there is a small place called MAOZ falafel, which is located in the pedestrian area just south of the Seine from the isle de la cite (where the Notre Dame is situated). I suggest heading here for lunch. Everyone should experience at least one nice meal in Paris. Even if you are on a tight budget you can eat a decent sit-down meal in this expensive city at least once. I have come across a list of great cheap restaurants. I am not taking

credit for this list because these places are also on a list by Frommers. (why reinvent the wheel?). For most of the following places you better dress up a little: •

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Chartier, Located at #7 Faubourg-Montmarte. Tel: 01-47-70-86-29. MÉTRO: GRAND BOULEVARDS or RUE MONTMARTRE (in the 9th arrondissement). Two courses from 8.75 Euro, two courses with wine from 11 Euro. Examples of the food are: steak with béarnaise sauce (9.70 Euro), grilled salmon (9 Euro), pommes frites (2.25 Euro). Appetizers average 2.25 Euro and main dishes going for between 7-10 Euro. Chartier, is a funky place that is worth a visit. Expect to be seated at a large table with strangers, and watch the waiters zip around. In general, expect to pay about 10-14 Euro for a filling meal (includes wine). Restaurant Lescure, located at #7 Rue Mondovi, (near the Louvre or the Tuileries in the 1st arrondissement). Tel: 01-42-60-18-91. MÉTRO: CONCORDE. They have two courses from 11.50 Euro. Closed Sundays. Expect large portions. Sample prices are: stuffed chicken (9 Euro) or chicken with a piquant tomato sauce (8 Euro); the classic boeuf bourguignon (11 Euro). Le Petit Keller, located at #13 Bis Rue Keller. Tel: 01-47-00-12-97. MÉTRO: BASTILLE Three courses for 14 Euro, dinner only. (closed Sunday). Le Colimacon, located at #44 Rue Vielle Du Temple. Tel: 01-48-87-12-01. MÉTRO: PLACE DU VILLE. Appetizer and entrée or entrée and dessert for 14.50 Euro. Closed Tuesdays, dinner only. Le Reconforte, 37 rue de Poitou (Métro: Filles du Calvaire) 12 Euro prix fixe (two courses) for lunch. Restaurant La Peccadille, located at #12 Rue Pecquay (near the Centre Pompidou), 01-44-59-86-72. MÉTRO: RAMBUTEAU. Two courses from 12.50 Euro. Samples are pork Provençal for 9.50 Euro, beef forestière 10 Euro) Le Pied De Fouet, located at #45 Rue De Babylone. Tel: 01-47-05-12-27. MÉTRO: VANEAU OR ST. FRANÇOIS-XAVIER (7th arrondissement bistro) Two courses from 8.90 Euro. Closed Sundays. Sample prices are fondant au chocolat (2.75 Euro), the fillet of bass (10 Euro), or the sausage plate (9.50 Euro). Creperie Josselin, located at #67 Rue De Montparnasse. Tel: 01-43-20-9350. MÉTRO: MONTPARNASSE-BIENVENUE. Two courses from 10.85 Euro. Closed Mondays. Expect oversize crepes, ranging in price from 8-9 Euro. Le Petit Prince de Paris, located at #12 Rue De Lanneau. You better call first for reservations (01-43-54-77-26). MÉTRO: MAUBERT-MUTUALITÉ Two courses for 17 Euro. Dinner only

There is another list that is a few years old called “The Top 10 Places to Eat” which lists restaurants in sevral categories (Inexpensive)/Very Expensive/

Romantic/ With a View) and that list is available at the following website http://www.top10guides.com/samples/Top_10_Guide_to_Paris.html TIP- You might want to try and eat a nice sit-down meal as a lunch late in the day so you can still get lunch prices. Here are a few more good places to try: A good place to eat in the 4th arrondissement is called Le Petit Picard, 42 rue Ste Croix de la Bretonniere. The restaurant is 100 meters from the Hotel de Ville metro stop. Take the metro to “Hotel de Ville.” Exit the metro station by going out by the exit named “Rue du Temple.” Walk north on the street called “Rue du Temple.” The rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie is the second street on the right. This place is great for lunch, but it is closed Saturday for lunch, Sunday for lunch and Monday. Expect an excellent menu at lunch for 10.50 Euro. A choice of 7 entrees, 5 main dishes , 5 desserts and wine included Either arrive before the lunch crowd (12:15pm) or after the lunch crowd (around 1:30 pm), but they will usually turn you away if you arrive after 1:45. In the 10th arrondissement there is Restaurant de Bourgogne, 26 rue des Vinaigriers tel 0146070791. (Closed Saturday night and Sunday). They have family cuisine. Expect lunch menus to cost 8.50-9.25 Euro and evening dinners for 9.25-10.25 Euro. Le Trumilou, Which is located at #84 Quai d'Hotel de Ville (4th arrondissement) Tel: 42.77.63.98 The nearest metro is Pont Marie. On the Right bank, just past Hotel de Ville (the restaurant has red-checkered tablecloths and a lot of local students). Come here to eat bistro cuisine, such as leg of lamb and apple tarts. The location is facing the Seine and the Ile St-Louis but if you sit outside the traffic is very close. In the 13th arrondissement there is La Chaumine Normande, rue du Moulin-des-Pres 22, 13th arr. tel 0145807923 Closed Sunday. Expect a lunch menu for 10.75 Euro (except on weekends) and a dinner menu for 15.50 Euro. Le Suffren, at the east end of the Champs de Mars opposite Ecole Militaire. Moderately priced bistro popular with the locals. Large portions Also there are 4 locations for Chez Papa, which has very large portions of southwestern French specialties. They even have large salads (and one of their most popular ones is called La Super Boyarde which is served on a base of roasted potatoes (and only costs 6 Euro). Be warned – avoid the rush times or expect to wait. In the 6th arrondissement try Cremerie Restaurant Polidor, located at #41 rue Monsieur-le-Prince. Tel: 011-33-1-43-26-95-34. Order the plate of the day and make sure to visit the “loo.” To save money when eating out in Paris, order a “caraf d’eau” which is free water. If you just ask for “water” you will receive bottled water, which will usually cost more than soda or wine! If you have a higher budget, eat one meal at “La Table d’Aligre restaurant.” It costs 23 Euro fixed price for dinner and the food and service is excellent. It is

located at #11 Plailce d'Aligre (75012 Paris), Tel: 01 43 07 84 88. I suggest making a reservation. You can reach it by the Metro Ledru Rollin. The restaurant is located about 3 or 4 blocks behind the Bastille Opera. Some backpackers are Doors fans and want to see the Lizard King (Jim Morrison)’s grave. If this appeals to you, go to the Père LaChaise cemetery (on the east side of town near the Place de la Bastille). It has its own metro stop so it is easy to find. This cemetery also is the final resting place for Chopin, Molière, Oscar Wilde, Max Ernst, Georges Seurat, De Balzac and Marcel Proust. Unless you go at the peak of summer, I suggest that you buy a map of the cemetery (from the man selling them near the entrance or a nearby cafe) for about 1-2 Euro. If you like cemeteries but want to avoid the crowds, visit the one on Montmartre's hillside. The Montmartre Cemetery contains the tomb of Degas. Take the Metro to Blanche and walk to 20 avenue Rachel (accessible by stairs from rue Caulaincourt). The cemetery is open daily 9-5 If you would like to see a museum on the history of Paris, there is a free museum that is called Musee Carnavalet, located at # 23 rue Sevigné, which is in the 3rd arrondissement in the Marais. Some other not so typical things to do in Paris are visiting the sewer system or the Catacombs. The Paris Catacombs are where several of the cemeteries moved their “guests” during the 1700’s and are now underground in old limestone quarries. To get here, take the Métro to the Denfert-Rochereau station in Montparnasse. Cross the Boulevard Raspail and you will see the entrance to the catacombs of Paris (behind the green doors next to a small park). Facing the front entrance of the Catacombs, McDonalds is on your right about 1/4 block. There is also a supermarket and local food stands located across from McDonalds (for a cheap lunch). Expect to pay 4.50 Euro, afterwhich you can see the bones of 6 million Parisians. The first 15 minutes undergroud will be spent walking and you will not see any bones until after that. The catacomb workers actually search your bags on your exit to make sure that you didn’t steal any souvenirs. Make sure to bring your flashlight with you because with it you will be able to see more than everyone else. When you are finished with this attraction you do not leave the catacombes at the same location atr which you entered them, so when you exit you will need to turn right to get back to Boulevard St Jacques, then take another right to head back to the metrostop. Paris’ Sewer museum (Musee des Egouts). Expect to pay 3.80 Euro or 3 Euro for students. This is located in the Place de la Resistance (the entrance is by the Pont (bridge) d'Alma on the left bank in the seventh arrondissement). Obviously the museum is underground, and part of the actual sewer system,

which you walk through for 500 meters. At one point during the tour you actually see a river of sewage. Surprisingly, the smell was not that bad and even when it did smell, it was only on certain parts of the tour. There are usually intern students during the summer who provide free tours in several languages. Expect to spend 90 minutes. They actually have a “sewer-venir” store at the end where you can buy postcards. If you like this kind of museum, Brussels and Vienna also have similar sewer museums. If you want a free view of the city without paying to go up the Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, go to the eighth floor of the department store called Samaritaine (rue de Rivoli) which gives access to the rooftop for a 360 degree view. They close the roof access in the winter but open it back up again in mid March. The most famous hostel to stay at in Paris is called the Three Ducks http://www.3ducks.fr/ , has its own bar and is located at #6 Place Etienne Pernet, Tel: 33.(0)1.48 42 04 05 Fax: 33.(0)1.48 42 99 99. Email [email protected] Expect to pay 26 Euro per person in a double, 25 Euro per person in a triple, or 23 Euro in a dorm. This place is located just 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. Take the Metro to Felix Faure and walk against the traffic (and on the left side of the church – so the church is on your right as you walk) The hostel is located across from the church (on your left) Keep in mind, if 3 ducks is already full, you can always sleep at a different hostel and visit 3 ducks to party. Another hostel worth trying in Paris is Le Village Hostel http://www.villagehostel.fr/ in the shadow of Montmartre (great view of the Sacre Coeur) – it is clean, small hostel and has a nice staff. tél : 00 33 1 42 64 22 02; Email [email protected] Expect to pay 23 Euro for a dorm, 27 Euro per person in a double and 25 Euro per person in a triple. These prices include breakfast. The hostel is a block from the metro and there is a supermarket nearby. Another option is “Auberge Internationale des Jeunes” or “AIJ” http://www.aijparis.com/ (10 rue Trousseau ) Tel : 01.47.00.62.00 E-mail [email protected]. The prices here are cheap for a decent hostel. Expect to pay a minimum of 14 Euro per person (breakfast & linens included). This is located in the Bastille district. Take the subway to the metro station Ledru Rollin (line 8). The building was rebuilt in 1994, but the luggage storage in the basement retains an authentic atmosphere. Another option is the Lucky Youth hostel www.luckyyouth.com which is located in either Montmartre or in the Latin area, there is no curfew, and a hostess comes and pick you up free at the Gare du Nord at 1:00, 3:30 or 6 pm. You must be between 18-27 years old, and expect to share the place with backpackers of the opposite sex. Email: [email protected] Open from April 1 – September 1. Expect to pay 29 Euro per night to sleep in a room with 4 beds. This is not really a hostel as much as backpackers sharing an apartment. There is a 2 night

minimum. This place is small and usually fills up months in advance. Tel +(33) (0)1 42.23.02.51 / Fax +(33) (0)1 53.28.19.07 Another option is the Aloha Hostel. http://www.aloha.fr/ Tél.01 42 73 03 03 - fax 01 42 73 14 14 Email: [email protected] They have a foozball table, drink machine, bar, kitchen, phone and internet access. You can see the Eiffel tower from the street on which the hostel is located and from some windows in the hostel. They do not have any lockers. Expect to pay 22 Euro for a bed in a dorm, or 25 Euro per bed in a double. Breakfast is included in this price. The hostel has a fully equipped kitchen. Unfortunately it also has a 2 a.m. curfew. There are nearby supermarkets, laundromat, fruit store, pharmacy, bakery, post office, and bank. It is located near the Volontaires Metro stop. The hostel has some trouble with scalding hot water, so I suggest using the second floor showers. If you are on a tight budget, think about getting a cot on the floor (they are cheaper and just as good as a normal bed). Another option is the Blue Planet hostel http://www.hostelblueplanet.com/ expect to pay about 21 Euro (breakfast included). It is located near the Gare de Lyon (5-minute walk) and it is a 10-minute walk to the Bastille, and a 15-minute walk from the Gare D’Austerlitz. No curfew, no lockout. Some rooms have toilets and showers at no extra charge. Email: [email protected]. Address: Metro Gare de Lyon. # 5 Rue Hector Malot. Tel: =33 1 43 42 06 18. It has a blue awning and a bunch of flags around the front door. Keep in mind that this hostel is 5 floors and there is no elevator. I have heard some bad things about this hostel, so don’t make this place your first choice. Another option is the Woodstock hostel www.woodstock.fr This hostel is located in the Montmartre neighborhood (by the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur) it has Internet access (not free), bar until 2 am, a so-so kitchen, commission-free currency exchange. The bar is not really a typical bar, but rather just a counter with a refrigerator behind it that holds a limited quantity of only 2 types of beer. This is a small area, so if the crowd is rowdy that night, expect to hear a lot of noise from the bar downstairs. Otherwise, walk to a nearby bar (down the road by the Young and Happy hostel. During peak season (they open June 1) expect to pay 20 Euro for a dorm, and 23 Euro per person in a double (prices includes breakfast but not sheets (2.5 Euro to rent sheets)). Email: [email protected]. There is only one toilet & shower on each floor (approx 30 people use it), but there is a sink in every room. There is a supermarket just 2mins walk and a minimarket just 100m down the street. They have a lockout between 11-4 and a 2am curfew. Hotel Perfect, is located across the street from the Woodstock hostel and the Hotel Perfect’s rates are about the same as the hostel. Also the Young and Happy hostel www.youngandhappy.fr (80 rue Mouffetard near the Latin Quarter) has gotten some good reviews. It is a small hostel but has a great location. You probably should assume that you will need to reserve ahead for this place. Also assume that this place might get loud. Expect to pay 22 Euro for a dorm and 25 Euro for a double. Breakfast is included in these prices.

A cheap (non-hostel) place to stay is at the Stella hotel http://site.voila.fr/hotel-stella in the 6th Arrondissement, Latin quarter at #41 rue Monsieur le Prince (about 45 Euro includes shower & toilet in a single room) doubles are 55-60 Euro. Tel: 33 1 40 51 00 25 or 33 6 07 03 19 71 or 33 01 43 26 43 49 E-Mail [email protected] To get to this hotel, take the Metro to Odeon - Line # 4. All rooms have bathroom (shower and toilet in the room). There is no TV, no elevator, and the breakfast is not included. Currently no credit cards accepted. Another good hotel is Hotel D'Argenson http://www.france-hotelguide.com/h75008argenson2.htm located at #15 Rue d'Argenson, in the 8th Arrondissement (the financial district), which is about a 10 min walk north of the Champs-Elysees, Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, etc. (Tel 011 33 01 42 65 16 87). The Metro stop is Miromesnil. Expect to pay 63-82 euros for a large single, (2 persons=76-88 euros; 3 persons = 103-109 Euro). The price includes a continental breakfast served in the room. This place has old furniture, molded ceilings, and skillful flower arrangements to add to the charm. Another option is the one star hotel Sainte Marie http://www.hotelsaintemarie.com/ which is located on a quiet street at #6 rue de la Ville-Neuve (near the Bonne-Nouvelle Metro), Tel: +33 1 42 33 21 61; Fax: +33 1 42 33 29 24; Email: [email protected] Expect to pay 40 or 48 Euro for a single, 56 Euro for a double or twin, 74 Euro for a triple. A great bargain hotel option is Hotel de Nevers. If you are solo or traveling with one other person, the rooms in this category cost 34 –52 Euro total. Triples cost 65-77 Euro for the room. Breakfast is 4.5 Euro and a shower is 4 Euro. Tel: +33 1 47 00 56 18; Web: www.hoteldenevers.com email: [email protected] or [email protected] This place is located just off the place de la republique at #53 rue de Malte (in the 4th Arrondissement near the Centre Culture Georges-Pompidou). Another great hotel deal is Hotel du Mont Blanc http://www.france-hotelguide.com/h75005montblanc.htm , 5th arrondisement in the Latin Quarter between the place Saint Michel and the cathedral Notre Dame, located at # 28 rue de la Huchette; Tel: +33(0)1 43 54 22 29; Fax: +33(0)1 46 34 14 56. Expect to pay 55 Euro for a single with bath en suite, telephone, cable tv with remote. Doubles are 72-80 euros, triples are 99 Euro and quads are 110 Euro. The rooms are clean, the towels are new and monogrammed. The closest RER is St. Michel. Breakfast costs 6 Euro. Two cheap basic hotels owned by the same people are the Telemaque and the Floridor. They are both in the 14th arrondisment and located near the Denfert Rochereau metro. The service is not that great at the hotel, but the price and location are wonderful. This area is not touristy and has a street market (great location). The Telemaque (located at #64 Rue Daguerre) is about 42 Euro for a double with an en suite bathroom. Tel : (33-1) 43 22 60 08; Fax : (33-1) 43 20 72 92. The hotel is walking distance (less than a block) to McDonalds, Metro

(Denfert), three restaurants, chess market, wine store, bread/pastry store, chocolate store, large cheap grocery store, cigar store, three flower stores, one meat market, one fish market, the post office (with 24 hour ATM machine). I suggest that you make reservations in advance because there are only 38 rooms. FYI - there is no elevator . The Hotel Floridor costs 55 euros for a double room with en suite bathroom (or a single for 51 Euro), but the cheaper Telemaque is nicer. It is located at #28 place Denfert Rochereau; Tel : (33-1) 43 21 35 53; Fax : (33-1) 43 27 65 81 Hotel Saint Andre Des Arts in the 5th Arrondissement has singles for 64 Euro, doubles for 82 Euro, twins for 87 Euro, triples for 102 Euro, and quads for 112 Euro, including breakfast. Very clean, large rooms, large bath, shower & tub. No elevator, no tv but great location, great restaurants. The hotel Le Regent Montmartre is a two star hotel and is located in Montmarte (near the Sacre Coeur) at #37 bld Rocheschouart. Tel: 00 33 1 48 78 24 00; fax: 00 33 1 48 78 25 24. The hotel is 20 meters from the Metro station ANVERS (line 2). Their website is: www.hotelregent-montmartre.com Email: [email protected] Expect to pay the following during the summer: 33-53 Euro for a single, 69-89 Euro for a double, 109 for a triple, and 6 Euro for breakfast. A two star hotel is the Hotel du Palais Bourbon http://www.hotel-palaisbourbon.com/ which is s located near the Invalides museum at #49, rue de Bourgogne; Tel. +33 1 44 11 30 70; Fax: + 33 1 45 55 20 21; Expect to pay 98 Euro for a single, 120 Euro for a double, 145 for a triple, and 155 Euro for a quad. This price includes breakfast served in your room. Another good deal is the Ibis hotel (there are about 50, but the Ibis porte de clichy (tel: +33)1/40252000), this particular Ibis ALWAYS has last minute discounts on their website. www.accorhotels.com FYI - accorhotels own Ibis, f1hotels, mercure, suitehotel and many more. If you don’t know, Ibis are 2 or 3 star hotels. If you book it about a month before you want to go you can get it at the last minute price of 59 euro a night. It even has a pool. A great way to save money is to stay at Hotel Etap located at #57-63 Avenue Jean Jaurès; Tel : (+33)892680891 For about 30 euros you get a double bed and a single bunk, standard in every room, your own bathroom, tv, and a/c. If you split the cost with another person, you will only pay 15 euros each. Add a thrid person and the cost drops to 10 euros each! Another cheap hotel is Mr. Bed City (which is located outside of the center but very close to a metro stop (100 m from Galliéni station, (last stop on line 3). This place can be as cheap as 41 Euro and the hotel even has air conditioning! http://www.lsfhotels.com/lsf/lsfinstit/5-mb-city/508-bagnolet/508f1-bagnolet.html Located at # 2 av. Général de Gaulle, BAGNOLET (Just outside Paris) Tel. +33 (0)149 72 63 00; Fax + 33 (0)149 72 63 63; Email: [email protected]

A funky one-star hotel in the Latin Quarter with a nice close view of the Notre Dame is Hotel Esmeralda, located at #4 rue St-Julien-le-Pauvre, Tel: 01 43 54 19 20; Fax: 01 40 51 00 68; Metro: Maubert-Mutualite. Expect to pay 30 Euro for a single, 60-85 Euro for a double, 95 Euro for a triple, and 105 Euro for a quad. They suggest that you try and book 3 months in advance. Some websites indicate that the prices are more expensive, so call ahead. In the 18th Arrondissement is the Hotel Style (Metro: Place de Clichy), which is not far from Montmartre and Pigalle. This hotel was renovated in 2001. Expect that singles and doubles cost 49-130 Euro. Also in the same area is the Eldorado Hotel where a double room with WC and shower was about 60 Euro. Another option is the 2 star Hotel Exposition http://www.hotelexposition.com/ Located at # 4 boulevard de Magenta, tel: +33 1 42 40 13 15 / fax: +33 1 42 40 75 50 [email protected] Expect to pay 56-62 Euro for a single, 66-72 Euro for a double, 73-79 in a twin, 82-88 Euro for a triple, and 94 Euro for a quad. For people with a high budget, try Hotel du Lys in the 6th Arrondissement www.hoteldulys.com Expect to pay 95 Euro for a single, or 110 Euro for a double or 125 for a triple (continental breakfast is included in all prices). No elevator. DAYTRIPS FROM PARIS Consider going to Versailles. It is 50 minutes from Paris by RER (line C) or by train (Station: St Lazare). The RER runs from M: Invalides or any stop on RER Line C5 to the Versailles Rive Gauche station. The RER trains depart every 15min and cost 5 Euro round-trip. When you take the RER to Versilles remember to buy the proper ticket (the standard ticket for the metro & busses is not good for the outskirts/suburbs of Paris). Château de Fontainbleu is about 45 minutes from Paris’ Gare de Lyon train station. Then take a city bus which will drop you off at the front gate of the chateau. The interior of the Chateau is much more impressive than the outside. FYI - Napoleon lived there. This place is less crowded than Versailles. Rouen is about 45 minutes from Paris. Chartre. This is where there is a beautiful church called Notre Dame which makes the church by the same name in Paris seem tiny and boring. This town is the place to go if you like stained glass. Trains for Chartres leave from Paris’ Montparnasse station. Mt. St. Michel – you can take a train from Paris to Rennes and then take a bus to Mt. St. Michel. In Rennes, the bus station is right outside the train station. If you have a Eurail pass you will only have to pay a reservation fee of 3 Euro each

way and the bus http://www.lescourriersbretons.fr/accueil.htm (click regular routes) from Rennes to Mt. St. Michel is 22 Euro round trip. As with many daytrips, make sure to eat before you go. The main reason is that the food on Mt. St. Michel is expensive. You should budget about 2 hours for the train to Rennes, 1 ½ hours for the bus from Rennes to Mt. St. Michel and maybe 4 hours to explore the whole island. As you can see, it can be done as a day trip from Paris, but get an early start because it will be a long day. Normandy – this is a nice area for WWII buffs. You can do a day trip from Paris but it will be a complete day because it is about 4 hours travel each way. From Paris, take a train to St. Malo. Then head to the beaches. I think that there is a travel agency from St. Malo called Westcapades http://www.westcapades.com/ that you might want to look into. If you try and do this as a day trip from Paris, make sure to get on an early morning train to St. Malo. If you have more time, then consider using Bayeux as a central base but realized that the bus system they have is very inconvenient. They only run every 45 minutes - 1 hour or so and the sites really don't take too long to see. There is a new tour company called Battlebus based in Bayeux which gets good reviews. Expect to pay them about 75 Euro for a full day tour of the landing sites (you chose whether you want to see the British/Canadian or the American landing sites.. The travel is by minibus (can go on smaller roads than larger coach buses). The website is www.battlebus.fr and I would consider this one if you want to do a day-trip from Paris. There are a few websites that you should look at if you are thinking about visiting this area: www.Normandywebguide.com http://www.normandybattlefields.com/ http://www.ww2tours.com/ Carnac Ruins in Brittany. There are hundreds of menhirs and dolmens that are located here but they are much smaller than the rocks at Stonehenge. To get there from Paris, take the TGV from Gare Montparnasse to to Auray. It is a 3 1/4 hour trip. Then you catch a bus from there to Carnac. The menhirs and dolmens are located about a mile from the bus station and they are just to the north of the old town (not the beach part). There is a visitors centre in Carnac at which you can arrange for a guided tour. In addition to the dolmens, you can also see burial mounds which are called tumuli. Keep in mind that about 10 years ago they stopped visitors from climbing over the menhirs for pictures, so if you go, you will just be getting pictures of rocks and if you want to be in the picture, you will not be too close to any rocks. the Pont du Gard – you can see the big 3-tiered Roman aqueduct that is featured in the VW beetle commercial. This place is located 30 minutes from the town of Nimes, so it might also be a good day trip if you are located in the south of France.

Provence region (Avignon, Aix-en-Provence) (and even Nice) – these towns offer great Southern French food and culture (the band called the Gypsy Kings are actually from the South of France, as opposed to Spain as many people think) Aix-en-Provence – There is not much to do here besides exploring the small streets, fountains and market, so you might find Avignon more interesting. Anyway, for lodging in Aix-en-Provence, visit http://www.aix-en-provence.com/ (for example, see one star hotel (Hotel Paul) Tél: 04.42.23.23.89 email: [email protected] which costs 35 Euro for a double and 55 Euro for a triple). One hostel is Auberge le jas de Bouffan, Tel: 04-42-20-15-99. Expect to pay about 13 Euro. This place is kind of far from town, has a midnight curfew, and an unfriendly staff. If you get stuck here, at least it is clean and breakfast is included in the price. Oh yeah, you can play tennis for free at the hostel. Nice – make sure to see the Musée National Message Biblique Marc Chagall (a.k.a. the Chagall Museum). There is a hotel information desk right outside the train station and can hook you up in a cheap hotel. The more people you have, the cheaper the rates can be. Antares Backpackers Hostel in Nice (Tel: 04 93 88 22 87 Fax: 04 93 16 11 22) has 6 person dorms for about $16 US a night, or as much as 42 Euros for a small, private room. Not really a bargain unless you are in the dorm. It is located one block from the train station (adjacent to Hotel Baccarat), which is about a 20 minute walk from the beach. Located at 5 ave Thiers, in central Nice. No lockout and 3 am curfew. Another option is Hotel Baccarat Tel: 04 93 88 35 73; email: [email protected] (one block from the train station and is about a 15 minute walk to the beach) #39 Rue d'Angleterre tel: 33 (0) 4.93.88.35.73 Fax 33 (0)4.93.16.14.25. dorm = 18 Euro, single = 29-36 Euro, double = 36-44 Euro, triple = 44 Euro, quad = 56 Euro, 5 persons = 66 Euro. No a/c. I just heard that this place just got new management and they have increased the prices, so all of these above prices might have changed Another option is Hotel La Belle Meuniere. It is located at 21 Avenue Durante, just down the street from the train station (towards the water). Tel: 04 93 88 66 15 fax #:04 93 82 51 76. A dorm without bathroom will cost 13-13.50 Euro /night plus 2 Euro for a shower. A dorm w/full bath is 18 Euro /night. All prices include breakfast. There is no lockout or curfew, the staff is friendly, and every night the courtyard fills up with guests conversing and drinking (until 10p when they all move on to either the beach or a pub in old town). Laundry service is available for 5.50-9.50 Euro /load. Also there is a fridge for your use. Try and reserve because it is popular. Another option is Chez Patrick Backpackers (near the station), tel: (04) 93 80 30 72; Mobile: + 33 (0) 6 13 25 29 31; email [email protected] low season 18 Euro, high season 20 Euro http://www.backpackerschezpatrick.com/ To walk to this hostel from the train station, exit the station and turn left, walk up to Jean-

Medecin Avenue and then turn right and continue walking on the left side of the avenue to the second street crossing which is the Rue Pertinax. On the corner of Rue Pertinax you will find a pharmacy, to the opposite of which are the McDonald’s and Multary cafe. Turn left into Rue Pertinax and the first apartment building is Backpacker’s Chez Patrick hostel, Door number 32, press button “Backpacker’s Chez Patrick” to open the door and go up one flight of stairs to the first floor. Remember, in Europe, the first floor is NOT the ground floor. And yet another option is the Comfort Hotel Azur Riviera, 19, rue Assalit (56 Euro with AAA for single; or 3 beds 71 Euro), 0033 4 93 62 94 36. Beware that this place has received a lot of complaints. Another option is Hotel Etap, located at #232 Rte de Grenoble, which is a little ways out of town. Expect to pay 35.5-39 Euro for a single. You can take either the bus or the train from Nice to Monaco - fantastic views and it only costs 3 Euro. In the Nice train station keep your eyes open for the beautiful stained glass window with a Gubelin clock. The beaches in Nice suck. They are very rocky. Most people lay on chairs if they go to the beach. However, you do not HAVE to lay on a chair – even in front of a resort or hotel. All beaches in France are owned by the government so as long as you stay off the chairs, there's not a lot the hotels can do. That doesn't mean, however, that they will be nice to you. I've heard (but not experienced) that Juan les pins and Antibes are better places to party than Nice. They are about a 40 minute train ride from Nice. You can even see a Picasso museum in a 12th century castle (expect to pay 2.30 Euro if you are a student), and a 16th century fort where Napoleon was once a reluctant resident. In Juan les pins the discos cost about 15 Euro for a cover charge, but that includes one drink. A hostel to try is Youth Hostel (RIJ) Caravelle, 60 boulevard de la Garoupe - Cap d'Antibes - 06600 Antibes Juan les Pins, tel: 04 93 61 34 40 Lyon – There are 2,000 year-old ruins of a Coliseum here, from the days that the Romans conquered this area. They actually use the Coliseum for modern-day concerts. There is a youth hostel (Auberge de jeunesse) http://www.fuaj.org/fra/auberges/aj_fiche.php?aj_id=115 Tel : 0478150550; Fax : 0478150551; email: [email protected] It is well situated near Vieux Lyon on the Fourvière Hill. The hostel has a good kitchen and a great view (which also means that you must climb up a steep hill to get there. Chamonix and Annecy – two nice places to visit if you have extra time in France.

Avignon – there is a cheap place to stay called the Squash Club Hostel, 32 Boulevard Limbert , 04-90-85-27-78, no e-mail, 10$US, not that great of a place to stay at all, but it is cheap.Another hostel to try is called Chateau de la Barbiere (holiday center for children), ave du Roi Soleil. Tel 33 4 90 87 18 06; fax: 04 90 89 77 05 There are 4 campgrounds in Avignon. 1) Le Pont D'Avignon www.camping-avignon.com 2) Bagatelle, 3) Les Deux Rhone, and 4) Parc Des Libertes. Visit the following link for cheap hotels http://www.avignon-etprovence.com/ The hotels are listed by the number of stars, so you can just click on the one star and you will get info on all of the one star hotels. For $30, you can get a room in a 1-2 star Avignon hotel (150-250F) ($20.50 – $34.25), such as the Innova and Mignon hotels—See www.hotel-mignon.com (rooms quoted at 150-300F ($20.50 - $41.00),. For a list of 1-2 star hotels, go to www.avignon-et-provence.com, accommodations section. Here is a good URL for general travel info for France and cheap places to stay, this is the section on Avignon which mentions those two hotels:http://www.jacktravel.com/Provence/Html/avignon_Hotel_recomm.htm Another option may be the Etap hotel (this brand of hotels are usually located in the suburbs, but this one is right at the entry of the old town). The price is about 150F.($20.50) I have also heard that there is a pretty cheap campground on the other side of the river in Avignon. ITALY – If you plan on staying at a hotel in Italy (as opposed to a hostel) then there is something that you should know. Many hotels in this country have these little ropes that hang down from the ceiling (usually near the shower). Do not pull that rope. I have warned my travel companions to not pull the strings, but on two separate occasions, people with whom I was traveling felt the need to pull the string. One guy thought it was the way to flush the toilet. Regardless, both times the owner of the hotel rushed to our door and asked whether we were ok because he received the “emergency signal”. Do not pull the string unless you are having a heart attack or something. For cheap flights in and out of Italy, look at http://www.volareweb.com/ If you plan on going to Florence, you can leave you big backpack in the hostel in Florence and take a quick day trip to many places such as San Gimignano, Siena, Lucca, or Pisa. If you are considering such a day trip, look into http://www.fs-on-line.com because it lists the train schedules you'll need.

San Gimignano is 24 miles northwest of Siena, and 35 miles (57 km) from Florence. San Gimignano does not have a railway station – so you have to reach it by bus, but there are no direct regular buses from Florence to San Gimignano. The best way to travel from Florence to San Gimignano is to take a train from Florence to Poggibonsi/San Gimignano railway station (75 minute ride). From Poggibonsi/San Gimignano railway station take a bus 25 minutes to San Gimignano. In San Gimignani check out the torture museum. Also check out the chapel at the top of the square (it has some amazing frescos including a depiction of the seven deadly sins). You can spend the night in Siena and do a day trip to San Gimiano from Siena. I think that one day is the max that should be spent in San Gimigano. Combine it with another city. Maybe 2-3 days in Siena with a day-trip to San Gimigano. In Pisa the luggage storage is on platform # 1. If you are facing the station from the tracks it is on your right. They have large lockers and baggage storage. Also there is a new McDonalds in the Pisa train station (good for you to be aware of in case you run out of time) but you should try to grab local food (pizza a few blocks from the leaning tower). You can walk from the train station about 30 minutes and see the leaning tower (or else take bus # 1 which you can board just opposite the train station (across the street) – remember to buy your bus tickets (before boarding) from the station newspaper kiosk or bar for about 69 cents or .77 Euro). If you walk to the leaning tower, there are signs that have a picture of the tower and an arrow. Just follow the signs and you will end up at the tower (remember how to walk back to the station!). To walk there, you will exit the station and kind of go to the left and straight. Here is an option for brave souls: Take the commuter train that runs from Florence, to Lucca and then Pisa. You can hop off at some small suburban station at the next to last stop, from where you can see the tower. It is closer than walking from the main station. I can’t remember any more facts than that, so if you are conservative, then follow my directions above from the main train station. If you have some time, then also go into the Duomo and Baptistry (next to the tower). The Baptistry costs 6 Euro. They have reopened the tower to visitors (to climb up) but the crowds are limited to groups of 30. The tour lasts approximately 30 minutes and tickets cost 15 Euro per person. Reservations may be made via email at: [email protected] Further information available at L'Opera Primaziale Pisana at: Telephone: 050 560547 or 050 561820 Fax: 050 560505. You can also order your tickets for the Leaning Tower at the following ticket office: http://www.opapisa.it/boxoffice/ If you are 100% sure that you want tickets & you know the exact day that you will be there, order them online so you don’t have to wait in line at the tower. I have heard about people getting the view from another tower in Pisa. (The Guelf Tower along side the arno in Pisa).

There are a bunch of tourist vendors outside the leaning tower. They sell all kinds of trinkets. Some of the cooler trinkets are small statues of the tower or a leaning coffee mug. A great day trip would be to leave Florence in the morning, and see Pisa (only 80 km (50 miles) from Florence) for a few hours and then return to Florence by way of Lucca, where you can have lunch and stroll through the town. Lucca is only 12.5 miles from Pisa. You can even see Giacomo Puccini’s house (the composer of La Boheme and Madama Butterfly) in Lucca if you like. Lucca has a law whereby private cars are not allowed into the city. Florence – This city was rated as the #1 city in Europe and the #2 city in the world by the readers of Travel and Leisure magazine (Paris and London aren’t even in the top ten according to the ratings). As you walk around Florence, especially in the Santa Croce area, you will see plaques on the buildings (above your head) that show the levels reached by the waters when the Arno river flooded the city in 1966. This is a very left-wing city and you can still find communist posters and graffiti today. Also as you walk around the city you will see buildings with a varying number of balls on a shield – this is the coat of arms for the Medici family & they represent that the building was owned or connected to the family. If you want some good Italian gold, Florence is a great place for great quality stuff – there is a bridge in Florence called the Ponte Vecchio http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/ponvec.htm and http://www.pontevecchio.net/ and it actually has jewelry stores on the bridge – most is pretty expensive for backpackers (but you will get good deals if you are planning on buying jewelry anyway) – I got my fiancée a nice bangle made from 18k gold. FYI – almost every piece of gold in Italy is 18k. S. Viaggi & Co on the Ponte Vecchio has good deals and are honest (deal with Roberto for the best prices since he is the owner). If you are concerned about the shops on the Ponte Vecchio being too touristy and maybe a rip-off (due to the high rents these shops have to pay to be on the bridge), try the square in front of Santa Croce – especially The Gold Corner and another shop that is directly across the street from the Gold Corner. Florence has some cool museums but they are kind of expensive. You can see Michelangelo’s statue of David if you pay and go inside, or else you can see a replica just outside the building. If you pay to see the real David, then you will see a whiter, brighter statue than has been seen in hundreds of years, because in May 2004 they finished cleaning the statue. In September 2004 the statue celebrates its 500-year birthday. FYI – there is a campground on the outskirts of Florence that is near the top of a hill called Camping Michaelangelo http://www.hostels.com/hosteldetails.php?HostelNumber=319 . There is another replica of the David up there too. This is located south of the Arno across from S. Croce, where you can get a great view of the city for free at Piazzale Michaelangelo (take tram 12 or 13).

Keep in mind that the main museums (Uffizi and Accadamia) are closed on Mondays. For the Uffizi and the Academia in the easiest way to get tickets is to call (39) 055-294-883 8:30-18:30 M-F and 8:30-12:00 Sat. (Florence time). An English-speaking operator will be available and in 2-3 minutes you can make reservations for both museums. They only charge about 1.60 Euro for the service. Also, silk ties and leather goods (purses/backpacks/belts) are really good buys in Florence. I also saw music boxes for about 1/3 of what they charge in the USA. You can get excellent silk ties for $8-15 each right from venders in the street. Make sure to haggle with them (the more you buy, the cheaper it should cost (I bought 10 ties and spent $75). This might not fit into a backpacker’s budget, but if you can afford it, get such a souvenir. Also there is a leather school in the back of the Santa Croce church. This is a place to buy leather goods (wallets, handbags, etc.) at deep discount prices because they are made by excellent students. If you are not satisfied with the selection at the leather school, there is also an open-air market at San Lorenzo. The shops (behind the stalls) sell beautiful leather goods (especially coats). Regarding the Uffizi (museum) make sure to get your tickets in advance (or else you will have to wait in a long line). So, if you are planning 2 days in Florence, reserve tickets the first day that you are in the city for the following day. If you were curious as to how long it takes to travel between Rome and Florence, it depends on what type of train you take. The Eurostar takes 1:35, the Intercity 2:30, and the slow train 3:37. If you do not have a Eurail pass and have to pay for a ticket, expect to pay 30 Euro on the Eurostar for 2nd class, 22 Euro on the Intercity for 2nd class, and 14 Euro for the "Slow" train. Eurostar requires a seat reservation. Intercity trains charge 3 Euro supplement for each seat you reserve (but you are not required to reserve –but it is suggested that you do during peak summer). The main downside to the slow (interregionale or regionale or diretto trains) is not their speed, but rather the fact that they do NOT have air conditioning. All Italian trains (except for the ES) you are allowed to travel standing. Intercity trains are even equipped with a few small seats in the corridor. If it is crowded, grab one of these seats. If all of the little seats in the corridor are taken, standing in first class is allowed with a second class ticket. For a cheap place to eat, head to Da Mario (east of Stazione di SM Novella) at #2R Via Rosina. Expect to pay 3.5-5 Euro for main dishes (lunch only). This place is hidden behind a row of market stalls. Vegetarians should head to Il Vegetariano (east of Stazione di SM Novella) at#30R Via Delle Ruote. Expect to pay 15.50 Euro for a meal with wine. For average food at cheap prices around the Piazze di SM Novella, head to Trattoria il Contadino at #71 R Via Palazzuolo. Tel: 055 238 26 73. They have a set menu with wine for 8.5 Euro. Also near the Piazze di SM Novella is Ristorante Dino at #6-8 Via Maso Finiguerra where main dishes cost about 9-15 Euro and Pasta dishes are 8 Euro.

If you are between the Duomo and the Arno, there are tons of pizzerias where you can get a slice for 1.5 Euro. A good choice in that section is Ristorante Self-Service Leonardo at #35 R Via de’ Pecori where you can get main dishes for 4 Euro. Regarding hostels in Florence – one of the good options is Archi Rossi, located at via Faenza 94r, 055-290-804; Fax 00 39 0 55 23 02 601, http://www.hostelarchirossi.com/ Email [email protected] or [email protected] This place does not take reservations and fills up quickly so get there early (before 9). Expect to pay 20-23 Euro for a dorm, but on your first night they might require you to pay 21.50 Euro and stay in a 4 person room and then allow you to switch to the dorm on your second day. The price includes breakfast and they even sell dinner. Expect a midnight curfew and a lockout from noon - 2:30 for cleaning. They have free internet access and free breakfast. This place fills up quickly and will be completely full by 9-10 am. If your train arrives around 6 am, make a beeline to this hostel (because they open at 6:30) or forget it. If they are full, there is another hostel across the street run by a guy named Ivano (check the doorbell for 3rd level). They also have a cheap café with good pizza. Instituto gould – tel – 055/212576; fax 0039 55 280274; email: [email protected] Located at #49 Via de'Serragli. This is not party place, there is no common room and the hostel doesn’t serve a breakfast. Expect to pay 36-41 Euro for a single, 25-29 Euro in a double, 21-24 Euro in a triple, and 21-23 Euro in a quad. The reception is open only from Monday to Friday (8:45a.m. - 1p.m. and from 3p.m. to 7.30p.m., on Saturday (from 9a.m. to 1.30p.m. and from 2.30p.m. to 6p.m.), closed on Sunday and holiday all day. If you are tired, then I suggest that you do not walk the 15 minutes to the hostel and opt instead for the bus (36 or 37). Just get off at the 2nd bus stop (over bridge Carraia) is the bus stop in front of the hostel. Double check with passengers or the driver to make sure you get off at the right place. 7 santi Ostello (a.k.a. Sete Santi hostel, a.k.a. 7 Saints Hostel), viale dei Mille 11, tel: 055-504-8452, web www.eidinet.com/7santi; Email: [email protected] This hostel is located in a former convent which is adjacent to the Church of the Sette Santi (Seven Saints). Expect to pay 21 Euro for a dorm, 25.85-31 Euro in a single, 42-51.65 Euro for a double, or 63-70 Euro for a triple, or 21-23.25 Euro in a room with either 4, 5, or 6 beds. They are located 30 minute by foot or 10 minutes by bus from the train station. From the train station, take bus # 17 (drops you in front of the Hostel) or Bus # 11 (one block from the Hostel), Take the bus in the direction of Campo di Marte to the Sette Santi bus stop (10 minutes ride from railway station). This is a good place to sleep, but don’t plan on partying inside this hostel. There is no curfew. There are better hostel options if you want to meet people to party. Also some female travelers have told me that they have found this hostel “spooky” and they did not like the co-ed showers.

Pensionato Pio X, via dei Serragli #106, Tel: 055-225-044; or 055 239 6451, this place has a midnight curfew. Rooms start at 24 Euro. Pleasant management. There is a small basic hostel called Locanda Startlight http://www.locandastarlight.it/ which is a 5 minute walk from the train station, and is located on a large street at Via Guelfa #59. Tel: 055287012 Email: [email protected] This place was renovated in 1998. Expect to pay 1823 Euro for a dorm, 30-40 Euro for a single, 45-58 for a double, 60-75 Euro for a triple, 72-90 for a quad. Florence’s HI Hostel is called Europa Villa Camerata and is located at #2/4 Vialle Augusto Righi 2/4, Tel: 055-601-451; Fax 39-055-610300; Expect to pay 17 Euro in a dorm, 46 Euro for a double room, 57 Euro for a triple room, which includes breakfast and linens. The hostel sells dinner for 8.50 Euro which includes a first course (pasta), a second course (meat or fish plus vegetables or salad), bread and fruit. This hostel is 5km north-east of the center of town and the train station (take bus #17 from Central station to the Salviatino stop). http://www.ostellionline.org/ostello.php?idostello=180 Email: [email protected] or Ostello Santa Monaca (this would be low on my list of places to sleep) – tel 055/268338 – email [email protected], web www.ostello.it (They only have dorms available and they cost 16.50 Euro which includes sheets and a hot shower). If possible, try and request a room that is not over the main street, which is very loud. Also expect to hear noise from children at a nearby school. Also, they have a lot of beds crammed in the room – kind of like a military barrack, and the place is not too clean. This hostel is about a 10-minute walk from the train station, or you can take a bus (lines 11-36-37) from the train station. There is a monastery-hostel 5 km outside the city with a nice view called Youth Hostel del Bigallo. http://www.bigallo.it/bigost_uk.htm It is located at Via Bigallo e Apparita #14. Tel: +39 340 41 23 101; or 055 63 09 07; email: [email protected] Expect to pay 20 Euro in a dorm, or 32.50 Euro in a double, or 27.50 in a family room. To get to the hostel, take bus # 33 from the railway station and get off at the last stop (La Fonte). The bus ride is approximately 30 minutes and then you walk about 15 min. So, I probably would not have this hostel at the top of my list simply because I do not like to waste 90 minutes each day going to and from the hostel, but it is always goot to keep this option in mind in case the other hostels are full and your budget does not allow you to stay in a hotel. As for other cheap ($60/night for 2 persons and private bath) hotels, try Hotel Tina. If you are solo with a higher budget, or if you are traveling with others, you can afford Hotel Medici www.hotelmedici.it - 2-star hotel. Expect to pay 45-70 Euro for a single, 70-100 Euro for a double, 80-115 Euro for a triple, 90-120 for a

quad. (As you can see, if you and 3 others stay here, your cost can be as low as 22.5 Euro per night per person). The hotel is near the Duomo at Via de Medici # 6. Tel: +39 055 28.48.18 / 29.10.98 Fax +39 055 21.62.02; email: [email protected] To walk to the hotel from the train station, you will exit the station and come to Piazza della Stazione, and walk down Via Panzani which turns left and turns into Via Cerretani. Walk about 3 blocks until you dead-end into the Baptistery and turn right just at the Baptistery (Piazza San Giovanni) down Via Roma a few blocks and turn left on Via Tosinghi. Walk a short block and you will see Via de' Medici (turn right and look for #6). A good 2 star hotel is Hotel Casci. www.hotelcasci.com which is located at Via Cavour #13; Tel: 055 211 686. This place is clean and has nice owners. In the high season the prices are expensive and cost: 110 Euro for a single, 150 Euro for a double, 190 Euro for a triple, and 230 Euro for a quad. I have also heard good things about a place Hotel Il Bargellino – one star hotel (few minutes walk from Stazione Santa Maria Novella, Via Guelfa 87, 50129 Firenze, Italia , Telephone (055) 238-2658, Fax (055) 238-2698, http://www.ilbargellino.com/. singles = 43 Euro, doubles with private bath = 75 Euro, doubles with sink and bidet only = 65 Euro, Triples with sink and shower only = 90 Euro, triples with private bathroom = 100 Euro, Quad with private bathroom = 125 Euro. Another place to try is called Laconda Daniel located on Via Nazionale and is in the same building as the Hotel Nazionale. And yet one more place is the Soggiorno Magliani. It is run by a mother and daughter (the daughter speaks English) and within walking distance to most attractions. It has seven rooms, and expect to pay 39 Euro for a single, and 49 Euro for a double. The place is near Via Guelfa at Via Reparata 1, tel. 055-287378, e-mail: [email protected] Pensionne Sorelle Bandini, located on the Piazza Santa Spirito at #9 Piazza Santo Spirito; tel 055 215 308; email: [email protected] They have doubles, triples, and quads. Expect to pay 108-130 for a double room. This pensionne is located on the other side (in the Oltrarno area) of the Arno river from the historical section but it is only about 1/2 kilometer from the Ponte Vecchio. Hotel Scoti http://www.hotelscoti.com it is located opposite PalazzoStrozzi at #7 Via Tornabuoni; tel/fax (055) 29 21 28; email: [email protected] Hotel Johanna http://www.johanna.it/ offers a Residenze with 4 different locations.Tel. 055.461.185; Tel. 055.463.3292; Tel. +39-055.481.896; Tel. +39055.473.377; Prices range from 50-85 Euro for a single and 80-145 for a double. Venice was rated as the #3 city in Europe and the #8 city on the world by Travel and Leisure magazine (Paris and London aren’t even in the top ten according to

the ratings). Venice is really a city of about 100 islands that are all connected by bridges. It is really neat to see and should be on your itinerary if possible. However, there is no nightlife in Venice, and many hostels have open windows and that means the mosquitoes will get you (so bring your bug repellant). If you can get a cheap place, then it would be nice to see Venice (at least to relax – you will be tired after Rome) – Venice can be seen in one full day (if you don’t get there early in the morning, then budget 2 days) and you should eat dinner out and have some wine. Expect that most decent Italian restaurants will not open before about 7 or 8 p.m. When you are in Italy, make sure to try the Gelato (or Gelati) – this is the real good Italian version of ice cream. If you are in Venice for a few days, then consider buying the water taxi pass – three day pass about $15 unlimited rides on the water taxis. If you are in Venice on a Wednesday, expect many crowds because 5 cruise ships will be in port. If possible, try to walk around this city very early in the morning. This is a great city to watch wake up. I once arrived on a night train and arrived about 4:30 (yes that sucked) but it was neat to see the town wake up. You can get a great view of the city by going to Piazza San Marco and going up to the brick bell tower (campanile) which costs about 5 Euro. I suggest that you hot St. Mark’s early in the morning, before the crowds arrive, and then spend the day exploring the city’s winding streets. If you are tired of walking (or lazy) get a 24-hour vaporetto pass which will cost 10.50 Euro (for 72 hours it will cost 22 Euro and they even have a 7-day pass if you will be in town that long). If you hop on a vaporetto without validating your ticket, you can be fined 23 Euro! If you don’t but the pass, then expect to pay 5 Euro for a Grand Canal ticket (good for 90 minutes) and/or 3.50 Euro for a non-Grand Canal ride. Instead of paying 5 Euro for a Vaporetto between St. Marks and La Salute Church, take a traghetto (described below) for only .40 Euro instead! At night vaporettos are rarely crowded and are a great way to cruise the Grand Canal. Just remember to validate it the first time you use it (There are little machines at each vaporetto stop) and the passes can be purchased at vaporetto ticket offices as well as Tabacs/ newsagents. Try to sit at the front of the vaporetto to get a good view. If it is crowded, you will probably be stuck in the middle. Here is a tip so you can save money. Remember the passes (such as the three-day pass) is not just able to be used for 3 days. Rather, the pass is valid for that many 24 hour periods. So, if you get a 3-day pass and you first use it at 11:30 a.m. on the first day, you can use the pass on the fourth day (up until 11:30 a.m. on that fourth day). Another tip is to talk to the guy at the booth at the Tronchetto, because if you are in a group you can get a discount (for example you can get a 3-day pass for 4 people).

FYI – gondola rides are very expensive. They might start out with a price of 150 Euro for a 45 minute ride, but you should always negotiate these prices. The going rate is about 62 Euro for a 50-minute ride during the day and 80-120 Euro after 8pm). If you are determined to ride in a gondola, I suggest doing so in the evening. Regardless, Venetians haven't used gondolas for centuries. If you really want the experience, you will pay for it. Otherwise, try a “Traghetto,” a large gondola that is useful to cross the grand canal. Most people stand on a Traghetto. As for a hostel, I used to suggest visiting Casa Gerotto as a cheap hostel http://www.casagerottocalderan.com/ They have changed their name to “Casa Alloggi Gerotto & Calderan.” It is very clean, just off Lista di Spagna 150 meters (5 minute walk) from the train station & near lots of shops and restaurants. The location is great when you are tired and it is easy to find from the train station. There can be a line at the toilets and showers, so figure that in for what time you wake up. Just a few years ago, it used to cost about $20USD per night, which was a great deal. However, in 2001 they shut down and renovated which resulted in them only having one dorm room with 6 beds and it was only for females until 2003, when they also opened dorm rooms for boys too, but they do not accept reservations for them more than two days prior to the arrival date. Otherwise expect to pay 36 Euro for a single if you stay more than one night, and 72 Euro for a double. Email: [email protected] Tel: 041 715 562; Fax 0039 ( 0 )41 715361 Some other options are one of the convents: 1) Foresteria Santa Fosca http://www.santafosca.it/ 2372 Cannaregio, Fondamente Canale Santa Fosca, phone and fax 39 041/215775 or 39 041 715733); email: [email protected] – 15 minute walk from the train station (located near the Rialto bridge, on the way to San Marco) or take the #1 ferry and get off at San Marcuola and walk). This place has 200 beds in the summer. For a dorm you will pay 16 Euro per night with a Go 25 or ISIC card or 18 Euro without the card – breakfast is not included. If you stay in a single or double, you will pay 19 Euro per night with a Go 25 or ISIC card or 21 Euro without the card. They do not let you book more than a week in advance, so you can still get a room (even in the middle of summer) if you call very early exactly 7 days prior. Keep in mind that there is only one person checking people in, so it might take a while. It is a quiet place at night (not a party place). Check-in is from 10 to noon only, but there is no curfew. To get to this hostel, exit the railway station and turn left (do not cross the Grand Canal, which is straight across from the railway station). Walk along the main street (it is called Rio Terra but it becomes Lista di Spagna in 2 blocks) and cross three bridges (the first bridge that you will cross is called ponte della Gugile bridge) keep walking straight and you will be on a street called Rio Terà S.Leonardo, and then you will come to Rio Terà della Maddalena street. After you cross the third bridge (3 bridges from the train station), you will see on your left a little square with a statue in its middle (Campo Santa Fosca);

cross the square and the bridge, turn left and walk until the end of the street (Fondamenta Canal). Another monastery/convent is Casa Caburlotto, located at #316 Santa Croce (situated near Piazzale Roma, which is a 10-minute walk from the train station). Tel: 041/710-877; fax 041/710-875. It is in an 18th century building. Single men are allowed only if a single room is available. Expect to pay 37-47 Euro for a single, 73 Euro for a double room, or per person in a double, triple or quad is 34 Euro. Breakfast is included in the price. Curfew is 10:30 p.m. Another convent is Casa Cardinal Piazza. Expect to pay 38 Euro for a single, 61 Euro for a double, or 86 Euro for a triple (breakfast included in the price). Tel: 041/721-388; fax: 041/720-233. Take ferry #52 & 42 and ask for Madonna dell’Orto Another convent is Circolo ANSPI – Patronato Pio IX; Tel: 041/719-933 or 719969; fax: 041/720-002. Expect to pay 22 Euro plus the cost of ANSPI subscription if you are not a member (6 Euro). Take ferries #52 and 42 (ask for Madonna dell’Orto. Another monestery is Instituto Suore Salesie Catecumeni (near the church of Santa Maria della Salute). It is open July and September. Expect to pay 45-50 Euro for a single, and 36-45 Euro for a double (breakfast included). Cuerfew is 11 pm. Take ferry #1 and get off at Santa Maria della Salute. Tel: 041/522-3691; fax: 041/522-1100 Another monestery is Foresteria della Chiesa Valdese (located half way between St. Marks and Rialto). Expect to pay 22 Euro in a dorm, or 56-74 Euro in a double. Tel: 041/528-6797; fax 041/241-6238; email [email protected] You can also try Hotel Marte and/or Hotel Biasin http://www.hotelmartebiasin.com/ these hotels are located near each other and are both about a 10-minute walk from the train station. As you exit the train station, turn left on Rio Terra (it becomes Lista di Spagna in 2 blocks) Walk along Lista di Spagna and one hotel is located just before the first bridge and the other hotel is located just after the first bridge (both on the left side of Lista di Spagna) Tel: (+39)041/716.351 or 717.231; fax: (+39)041/720.642 Email: [email protected] The last time that I tried the email, it did not work. If you are on a tight budget, try Camping Alba D’ Oro, http://www.ecvacanze.it/ing/alba_home.asp a camping ground on the mainland— normally a half-hour busride from Venice. For 2 people to sleep on beds in a little fiberglass cabin, expect each person to pay 13.50 Euro. If you camp in a tent, each person will pay 8 Euro. From June 1 – September 30, the campground provides a private shuttle bus to the site, leaving from Piazzale Roma bus station

from the section D1 every hour on the half hour (15 minutes bus ride to the campsite). Tel 041-541-5102, email: [email protected] Another good campground is Camping Fusina, located at Via Moranzani #79. Tel: 39 41 547 0055, fax 39 41 547 0050 email: [email protected] Web: http://www.camping-fusina.com/ where a bed in a 2 bed cabin will cost 13 Euro per person. The directions are easiest from the Venice Mestre train station (this is usually the first train station that you will come to because Venice will be across the water at the Santa Lucia train station). Anyway, if you forgot to get off the train at the Mestre station, then just then take the train back to Mestre. When you are at the Mestre train station, then take the #11 bus from outside the Venezia-Mestre train station to Fusina. Once you are at Fusina, it has a ferry connection to Venice in the summer, which is about a 40-minute ride. Another campground is Camping Miramare http://www.camping-miramare.it/ which is located near Punta Sabbioni (east of Venice - off the tip of the Lido). They offer air conditioned bungalows. It is just a short ferry ride to St Mark’s and attracts a lot of British tourists. tel. +39-041 966150; fax +39-041 5301150; email: [email protected] Some more cheap lodging options are listed at http://www.comune.venezia.it/rol2/en_dormire.asp?ipo=&C=&Nuovo=1 And a ton opf cheap hotels in Venice are listed at: http://www.ciaociaoitaly.com/venezia.htm If you are running into every place being booked, some of the small hotels such as the one-star hotels listed at http://www.v4u.it/eng/hotels/1star.html Such as: Hotel Noemi, Tel: 39 041 5238144 http://www.hotelnoemi.com/ Email: [email protected] (double room w/o bath 50-100 Euro – they keep the toilets clean); single without private bath – 40-80 Euro. Hotel Rossi, Tel: 041-715-164 Another option is Hotel Dalla Mora http://www.hoteldallamora.it/ (15 minute walk from the train station and rooms at the back overlook a canal). Located at Santa Croce #42a tel: 0039041710703. Expect to pay 70-90 Euro for a double or twin, 85-111 Euro for a triple, 95-132 Euro for a quad, and 60 Euro for a single. Price includes linens and breakfast. Locanda Ca’Foscari Tel: 041-710-401 or 041/521-1365 – located at Calle della Frescada, 3887/b. It has 11 rooms, 3 with shower or tub, family-run, well maintained, top floors get lots of sunlight (keep in mind to for hanging clothes to dry). Continental breakfast included. Double room with private bath 88-90 Euro. Locanda Antica Casa Carettoni is a three-star hotel right on Lista di Spagna # 130, which is about a one minute walk from the train station on your

left. Tel: 71 62 31. Expect to pay 150 Euro for a single, or 220 Euro in a double. San Samuele Tel 041-5228045 Adua, Telephone 041-716184 (Lista di Spagna, 233/A) Remember to Dial 39 for Italy and 041 for Venice Another place to try is Venice’s Youth Hostel, Ostello della Gioventù located at Fondamenta Zitelle #86, Isola della Giudecca (catch vaporetto #82 to Zittele), phone 39-041-5238211 (vaporetto #42). Email [email protected] It costs 16 Euro per night and that includes breakfast. It has single sex dorms. It is located on one of the islands (Giudecca), but is only a short vaporetto trip from the main part of Venice. You can book online at www.hostelbooking.com. Great views from the hostel towards the church of Santa Maria Della Salute and San Marco. Reserve ahead during summer. Plain but very cheap meals are available in their budget cafeteria. This hostel gets mixed reviews and is known for its toilets which are missing toilet seats. Visit some reviews at http://www.hostelz.com/display.php/93+Ostello+Venezia Another place is Archies House, 1814B San Leonardo (10 minute walk (300 meters) from the train station). Archie speaks 13 languages fluently. Sadly this place has gone downhill in the last several years, but it is still popular for budget travelers. Phone +39 041 720 884 – located above a fruit and vegetable store in a building with peeling facade (reception desk is one flight up), dorms cost 10 Euro + 1.5 Euro for linen. Cold showers are free - or pay 1 Euro more for a hot shower. There is a newer hotel in Venice which has gotten good reviews called Hotel Alex. http://www.hotelalexinvenice.com/ It is located only 10 minutes walk from the train station. Just ask how to get to the well-known Frari Church (Chiesa dei Frari) and when you get to the church ask around for the hotel. The actual address is 2606 San Polo. Tel/fax: 39-041-5231 341, email: [email protected] Expect to pay 35-45 Euro for a single, 50-94 Euro for a double, 70-127 Euro for a triple, 90-160 Euro for a quad. These prices include breakfast. This place does not have a/c. If you can afford it, a hotel with a great location (right next to St. Marks Square, but far from the train station) is Hotel Ai do Mori http://www.hotelaidomori.com/ It is located at Calle Larga San Marco 658. TEL. +39-0415204817, 0415289293 - FAX: +39 041 5205328 E-mail: [email protected] This place has air conditioning (A/C). A double without a private bath is 60-90 Euro and double with a private bath is 80-135 Euro. Also some cheap hotels are listed on . http://turismo.regione.veneto.it/en/ric/alberghi/ (click on Venezia for Venice)

If you still have trouble, consider staying in Padua (Padova) which is a lovely city 30 minutes away from Venice by train (2 Euro). It is much cheaper than Venice and is less crowded. I remember a monastery called Casa Del Pellegrino, Via M. Cesarotti, 21. 35123 Padova, http://www.monasteriesofitaly.com/r.html Tel 0498239711 Fax 0498239780; email: [email protected] Expect to pay 14 Euro in a dorm, or 16.50 Euro in a family room (breakfast is included in both prices). Also, there is a tourist office inside the Padua train station that can give you directions and telephone number to other lodging. The youth hostel in Padova is called Città di Padova, and is located at #30 Via Aleardo Aleardi, Tel. 049 8752219, fax 049 654210, e-Mail: [email protected] web: http://www.ostellionline.org/ostello.php?idostello=452 Expect to pay 14 Euro which includes breakfast. In general, Venice has many hostels (the information center at the train station can provide the list), but if you want to stay in cheap ones, don’t arrive too late. When all else fails, call the following number WHEN YOU ARE IN VENICE: 800843006. It is a general reservation line for ALL hotels in Venice. The cheapest quality meal in Venice can be found at the railway labor union's restaurant (self-service, 120-seat DLF Mensa (Cannaregio 19)) Local members pay only ($7) for a three-course meal (soup or spaghetti, then main course and dessert), and tourists pay ($9.00). Pay first, then fill your tray and sit down. This place is located about 150 meters from the main train station. Just walk outside the train station, turn right, walk along the Canal Grande, pass the trees and the statue of a female saint, and you will see a five-story, red-brick building with marble balconies and pillars. There is no street address on this building (you will have climbed 8 steps and gone through an unmarked door). Food is available from 12:00 – 14:00 and from 18:00 – 21:00 daily; cash only. Another good cheap place to eat is near the train station at Brek Self service cafeteria (7 days per week). As you exit the station and you are facing the canal go left on Rio Terra (it becomes Lista di Spagna in 2 blocks). It is located at #124 Lista di Spagna. Tel: 041/244-0158. It is a little hard to find because you must walk through a coffee bar and then the Brek cafeteria is in the back. Some of the canals are very dirty and I once made a bet at a hostel to see if anyone would jump in the canal for $25. Nobody did. I was convinced that the toilets flowed directly into the canals, but I have since read that they have a vacuum sewage system that delivers all their sewage (via enormous vacuum pipes) to a sewage treatment plant on the mainland. I am not sure if the vacuum sewage system is a reality yet or just a pipe dream. Siena - This medieval city is known for its Piazza Del Campo, which is the location of an annual bareback horse race called the Palio. It is held every year

on July 2 & Aug. 16. It lasts several days both times. Each horse has a rider from one of Siena’s districts (contrade) and the winning distruct takes home the palio (a silk banner). However, if you go to Siena during the race – you better make sure that you have reservations because the place will be packed! There are plenty of homes and buildings in Siena that are colored with the reddish brown hues known as burnt siena. If you want to get to Siena from Florence, chose to travel by bus rather than train. By train it takes an hour and a half and the train leaves you outside of the city center (you will have to take a bus to reach the center) If you take a bus from Florence to Siena, the bus will take one hour and a bus from Florence to Siena is cheaper than the train and the city bus together. A bus leaves from Florence to Siena every hour FYI – coffee is served after (not with dessert) and it is always expresso. Cappuccino is only a morning drink. Siena has a traditional (sticky) confection called panforte. The Guidoriccio hostel is about a mile outside of old Siena (Via Fiorentina, 89), but it’s not bad, and not too far from the train station and busses can take you if you do not want to walk. (take bus 4 or 10 from the Siena railway station, direction "Stellino" or take bus 15 from town center). Tel +39 055 80 77 009; Siena’s 1-4 star hotels are listed at http://www.ciaociaoitaly.it/siena.htm Consider (a 2 star) Hotel Piccola Etruria located at a good location very close (2 minute walk) to Piazza del Campo (where the Pallio takes place). The hotel is located at #3 Via Donzelle; tel +39-0577-288088 cost 70 Euro for a double without bath (in the heart of Siena (about a block from the Piazza del Campo), and clean). Breakfast is 5 Euro extra. There's another small one star hotel next door (Tre Donzelle) tel +39-0577-280358 which costs 44 Euro for a double. Also consider the B&B called Palazzo Bruchi, it is located at Via Pantaneto #105. It is close to the town center (only 200 meters from the famous "Piazza del Campo"), Check their website: www.palazzobruchi.it and www.ilgiardino-masignani.it. Email [email protected] Tel and fax +390577-2873-42. Expect to pay the following (depending on the season): single private bath 50-60 Euro; single shared bath 40-50 Euro; Double standard private bath 60-80 Euro; Double standard shared bath 50-65 Euro; Luxury for two people 90-120 Euro; Luxury for 3 people 110-140 Euro. Also consider Soggiorno Sabrina (located near the main square) at Via Calzoleria 16. Expect to pay 55 Euro for a double, 35 Euro for a single, or 70 Euro for a triple. Bologna – This city has two leaning towers that are next to each other that you can climb. Few tourists know about this, and it is cheaper to go up one of these towers than the tower in Pisa, so keep it in mind. Consider lodging at Pensione Marconi – Next to the train station on Via Marconi #22 - Tel. 051262832 or 051235041 - single room for 34-43 Euro and double

room for 53-68 Euro. This hotel is in the center of town (and just 200 m from the railway station). Another option is HI hostel San Sisto (Ostello due Torre San Sisto), located at #5 Via Viadogola. Tel: 051-510-810. Expect to pay 11 Euro (slightly more if you do not have an HI card) but expect about a 20-minute bus ride to downtown (6 km). From the train station walk south for 2 blocks on via dei Mille/via Imerio and catch bus #93, 20B, 21B or 301 to San Sisto. Let’s Go Europe 2002 suggests a place called Garisenda, Galleria Leone #1 (3rd floor) Tel: 051 22 43 69. But expect to pay 41 Euro for a single, 62 Euro for a double and 83 Euro for a triple. Another option is Hotel Panorama which is 2 blocks from the main square, and costs about 60 a night for a double. There is also a three star hotel called Centro Turistico “Città di Bologna” located at #12/4a Via Romita. The hotel even has a swimming pool. Expect to pay 42 Euro for a single, 25 Euro in a room with 2 beds, 26 Euro in a triple, and 24 Euro in a quad. This place is a great choice except for the location which is a little out of town – from the train station, walk 50 meters to the bus station and take Bus #68. I suggest eating a dish of tagliatelle con ragù alla bolognese or a dish of cappelletti in brodo while in this town. One good location for this dish is at Ristorante Pizzeria La Baita (Via Falliera #34 – Tel: 24 80 73). They charge 5 Euro for a plateful. ROME – Rome was rated as the #2 city in Europe and the #4 city in the world by Travel and Leisure magazine in August 2003 (Paris and London aren’t even in the top ten according to the ratings). Let me also explain that although the Vatican is technically its own sovereign entity, it really is just a part of Rome – it is a very expensive part of Rome (ice cream cone from vendor is $4-5) – if possible, spend 3-4 days in Rome – there really is a lot to see. At least 2 days, as one day really is not enough time. Although many of Rome’s museums are closed on Monday, all of Rome’s 1000 churches (including the Vatican) are open on Mondays. In the summer the Sistine Chapel is open at 9 am and the last admission is at 1pm, so you better get up early to get in line. I suggest getting in line by 8 am at the absolute latest. Although you are guaranteed a 1 hour wait at a minimum, there will already be a line when you arrive and it is better to wait in the early morning when it is not so hot. Don’t even think about getting into the Sistine Chapel if you are wearing shorts (or anything that even shows your knees) or sandals. I think that your shoulders also have to be covered. FYI - In 445 A.D., Pope St. Leo I excommunicated a church deacon for wearing shorts in St. Peter's. If you are an early riser, I suggest heading over to St Peter’s Basilica as early as possible to avoid the crowds. And don’t bother going on a Sunday unless you want to stand with thousands of people who want to see the Pope. Before heading to Europe, try to see the movie Gladiator. It will make your visit to the Coliseum more meaningful.

The subway (metro) in Rome pretty much sucks – you may have to use very crowded buses. The metro is ok for certain areas. Visit http://www.romebuddy.com/givesadvice/subwayroutes.html to see what is covered. If on a bus, make sure to watch you passport. Out of all of the traveling that I have done, the only place that someone tried to pick my pocket was on a bus in Rome (amazingly, they were actually able to unzip my money belt which was under my pants!!!) In such a situation, you should always keep your daypack in front of you. Be very careful in Rome for thieves. This is where you will hear stories about kids (gypsies) approaching tourists (several kids) and shaking newspapers in your face to distract you and then some of them will pick your pockets or mug you. If you even see the kids coming up to you, say VERY loudly No – Police – help – etc. and stomp your feet and swing your arms – you may look like a nut, but you will not be mugged by kids. Rome’s public bus information is available at http://www.atac.roma.it/ You can take one of the city’s public buses which allows you to hop-on and off. It is the #110 bus has two options. Option #1 is the basic tour, lasts about 110 minutes and travels around Rome in a loop. Option #2 gives you hop-on, hop-off priviliges. This bus is airconditioned and offers a commentary, and departs from outside Terminini station, and Piazza dei Cinquecento side walk “C.” FYI – the stops include Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, Vatican, Castel S. Angelo, Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia/Campidoglio, Colosseum/Foro Romano/Palatino, Quirinale, and back to Termini Station. During the summer the bus departs every 30 minutes from 9am to 8pm. You can buy tickets at the RomaVision stands in: Piazza del Colosseo, Piazza Cinquecento (Termini Station) sidewalk “C”, Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore, Piazza San Giovanni. You can even buy the ticket on board the bus for an additional charge).. Tel. 06.46954695 [email protected] A private company does a similar bus service. It is called Siteseeing Italy and www.city-sightseeing.it. on their Top Deck buses which run every 0 minutes and leave at Terminus Via Sallustiana. They pass P.zza Santa Maria Maggiore, the Forum, Town Hall, Colosseum, Via del Tratro do Marcello and St. peter’s church. You can hop on and off at all 5 stops. They charge 10 Euro (can book online or from the bus staff itself). Furthermore, you can make any bus in Rome into a hop-on and hop-off bus by purchasing an all-day tourist bus pass. At Stazione Termini, you can buy a special tourist pass for 3 Euro for one day or 12 Euro for a week. The only reason that you might decide to not chose this option over the private company (top deck buses) is because Rome’s public buses are usually very crowded. You can try and plan your cheap bus trip when you think it is less likely to be crowded. Keep in mind if you are on a crowded bus, you will usually have to stand and may be pickpocketed. Some of the standard routes that never change are: as #27 (Stazione Termini to the Colosseum), #75 and #170 (from Stazione Termini to Trastevere), and #492 (from Stazione Termini to the Vatican). If you do not buy an all-day pass, each bus ticket costs .75 Euro and is good for as many buses or trams as you want within a 75 minute period.

In Rome once I stayed at a place near the Vatican called Pensione Ottaviano, which is not a pension, but rather is a hostel and only two toilets for the whole place (and one was broken). Anyway, this was a move up because we originally stayed in a dump near the train station because it was cheap. If the toilet is fixed, the place will be good if your main goal is to be close to the Vatican. Besides, a dorm only costs 18-20 Euro, a double costs 35 Euro per peron and a triple costs 27 Euro per person. There is a 24-hour bakery nearby which is cheap and yummy. A lot of people ask me for about hostels in Rome in case their number one choice is booked – so here are some options. I have heard good things about a place called Casa Olmata http://www.casaolmata.com/ They are located near the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore at #36 Via dell’Olmata, Ph. +39 06 483 019; Fax. +39 06 474 2854; email: [email protected] Open all year. Curfew 2am – a small family-run place, centrally located between the Coliseum and Termini station. They offer singles, doubles, triples & dorms (in rooms with 4 beds). They have free spaghetti parties every Tuesday and Friday with free wine, and the access to the Internet is also free. Hotel Alessandro is the largest independent hostel in Rome http://www.hostelalessandro.com/ and gets mixed reviews depending on which location you are at. There are two hostels with this same name. One is called Alessandro Palace Hostel and is located at Via Vincenza 42, 00185; Ph. +39 06 446 1958 Fax. +39 06 493 80534, email: [email protected]. The other one is new and is called Alessandro Downtown Hostel and is located at Via Carlo Cattaneo 23, 00185 Ph. +39 06 443 40147 Fax. +39 06 493 80534, email [email protected] Both hostels do offer free breakfast, coffee, tea and hot chocolate and a weekly pizza party. If you stay at the Palace location, expect to pay in the high season 22 Euro for a dorm, 50-80 Euro for a double, 99 Euro for a triple, and 108-120 Euro for a quad. If you have a really tight budget, then keep in mind that at the downtown location, you will pay 20 Euro for a dorm (2 Euro cheaper than the Palace location). The staff at the Palace has a reputation for being more friendly than the staff at the Downtown hostel. Some other hostels that I am aware of in Rome are Freedom Traveler Hostel http://www.freedom-traveller.it/ Via Gaeta 25, 00185 Ph. +39 06 478 23862 email [email protected] Open all year. No curfew. Lockout 10-1330 During the high season, expect to pay 20-24 Euro for a dorm, 24-30 Euro per person in a double, 30 Euro per person in a triple, and 25 Euro per person in a quad . They have a communal kitchen and two refrigerators. They have acess to the Internet but you have to pay about 2.60 Euro per hour.

City Guest House http://www.hotel.cityguesthouse.com/ Viale Opita Oppio 76 Ph. +39 06 76983140 Fax. +39 06 76967961 Open all year. No curfew. During the high season expect to pay 92 Euro for a double room and 62 Euro for a single room, and 112 Euro for a double room with a third bed. They charge you 5 Euro per room per night for air conditioning. Alberto and Maria Vittoria Hostel http://www.geocities.com/mariahostel/ Via Principe Amedeo138, 00175 (5 minute walk from the train station) Ph. +39 06 76907285, email [email protected] Open all year. No curfew; Prices are 64-72 Euro for a triple room, 52-60 Euro for double room, and 34-40 Euro for a single room. These prices include color tv and use of equipped kitchen. Ask to see if they still offer their super discount price for 2 people in small room with bunk-bed for 50 Euro. Stargate Hostel http://www.hostelstargate.com/ email: [email protected] Via Palestro 88 (4 block walk from the train station) Ph. +39 06 4457164 Fax. +39 06 49384134. Open all year. No curfew. Dorms starting at 20 Euro in high season. They also own a large internet room 3 blocks away (adjacent to the train station) with over 50 computers. This hostel is only 20 meters from the train station and is not very clean and the rooms are in a separate building from the reception so security isn't that great. There are much better places to stay in Rome. Another party place is the Yellow Hostel http://www.yellowhostel.com/ is located at # 44 via Palestro and has no lock-out or curfew, has a kitchen, laundry facilities (only one washer and dryer), 3 computers with free internet access, a small kitchen, friendly staff, but the dorms are up 10 flights of stairs (the elevator is only big enough for 1 person with their backpack), and there are only two bathrooms, one with a tub shower and the other with a shower with no curtain. They now offer ensuite rooms and some have air conditioning (A/C). Expect to pay 20-25 Euro for a dorm. Yellow Hostel is across the street from (and parnered with) Hotel Romae http://www.yellowhostel.com/hotelromae/ [email protected] (which does have private rooms - doubles and triples). There is a Pam supermarket right around the corner. The contact info for Yello Hostel is Tel: +39 06 49382682; fax: +39 06 4463914; email: [email protected] and toll-free (only Italy) 800 99 12 87. To get to this hostel from the train station, leave the termini train station from the side exit at track no. 1, taking a left onto via Marsala. Then take first right into via Vicenza, walk straight for four blocks and turn left into via Palestro. Yellow Hostel is 20 meters ahead on your right (and Hotel Roma is 20 meters ahead on your left). Casa Christina I and II Casa Christina I is located at Via Varese 15, 00185 (near the Termini Station)

And Casa Christina II is located at Via Milazzo No. 3 Ph. /fax +(39).06.44.70.45.86 email: [email protected] http://www.cristinahouse.com/eng2/casa01.php http://www.cristinahotels.com/ Open all year. No curfew. Papa Germano http://www.hotelpapagermano.com/home.html Via Calatafimi 14/A, 00185 Ph. +39 06 486919 Fax. +39 06 47825202 (speak English, French and Spanish) E-mail: [email protected] Open all year. No curfew, 5 minute walk from the Termini (northwest of Stazione Termini). This place gives you a cash discount and the following prices are if you use cash: In the high season a dorm costs 22 Euro a night, double = 66 Euro (or 85 Euro with private bath), triple = 70 Euro (or 95 Euro with private bath), quad = 88 Euro (or 110 Euro with private bath), and single without private bath= 35 Euro. The rooms cost a little more if you do not pay in cash. Showers were clean, and TV in every room. Michelanglo's Palace would not be too high on my list. The bathrooms all had problems, and there is not any common room. For the same price, you can stay in a dorm room at Gulliver's House (in the same building as Michelanglo's Palace, ground floor). Another good place to party is the 2 star hotel named after an old television show called Fawlty Towers, Tel: 064-450-374, e-mail [email protected] web page http://www.fawltytowers.org/ or http://www.fawltytowersrome.com or www.enjoyrome.it/ftywhtl.htm Expect to pay the following: Single with no bath 47 Euro, Single with shower 55 Euro, Double with no bath 65 Euro, Double with shower 70 Euro, Double with bathroom 80 Euro, Triple with shower 86 Euro, Triple with bath 86 Euro, Dorm beds 22 euro (no reservations accepted for dorms). No curfew. This place is about 200 meters northeast of the train station. Hostel Casonova – no curfew or lock-out, free internet. Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.hostelcasanova.com/ This place is close to the Vatican at #12 Via Ottorino Lazzarini. tel. (+39)06/397.45228 Take the Metro Line A direction Battistini. Get off at the stop Cipro (Musei Vaticani). Expect to pay 20 Euro during the high season. A newer hostel is called Colors Hostel http://colorshotel.com/ located just north of the Vatican (accessible by metro and bus). Tel 39 06 6874 030, fax 39 06 6867 947;email [email protected] or [email protected] Fully equipped kitchen and laundry services are available; no curfew or lockout. Expect to pay 22 Euro for a dorm bed during the high season and a double with a shared bathroom is 75 Euro per night and a double room with a private bathroom is 90 Euro per room

Pensione (or hostel) Sandy, 064-884-585, e-mail [email protected] web address http://www.sandyhostel.com/ or www.enjoyrome.it/sandyhtl.htm Expect to pay 18 – 20 Euro for a dorm in the high season. Good location between train station and Coliseum. Expect a lot of steps. From the Central Train Station (Termini): exit by track n.22 and take via Cavor. Walk seven blocks and the hostel is on the left. I have heard about a new hostel called Hostel Beautiful http://www.hostelbeautiful.com which is located near the train station at Via Napoleone III, #35 tel: +39064465890. Email: [email protected] They have free Internet, kitchen, pub crawls are available and it is clean and safe, no curfew or lockouts. Dorms start at 20 Euro. Please keep in mind that Hostel Beautiful posts a notice on the wall (at least they used to post it) that says that if you make a positive comment about the hostel on certain backpacking websites you will get free internet time, so keep that in mind when you see a lot of positive reviews. Also realize that Hostel Beautiful only has 3 showers and one toilet for the entire hostel. If you are looking to stay away from the party crowd, probably the best choice is the Beehive hostel http://www.the-beehive.com/ If you are using older travel books be careful because in December 2002 the hostel moved locations. The new address is #8 Via Marghera (three blocks north of the train station, which is a 5 minute walk – when you exit the train station, turn right) and the new phone number is (39) 0644704553. Open all year. No curfew. No lockout. It is small, friendly, very clean, cheap, has a huge bathroom and is. Expect to pay 20 Euro for a dorm or 35 Euro per person if you want a private room. This place has been around since 1999 and is run by an American couple, but it really fills up, so reserve weeks/months in advance. One of the best places in Rome to stay is Gulliver’s House http://www.gullivershouse.com/ (10-minute walk from train station). (They do not have singles, but they have one double, one quad and two dorms.) The shared rooms (dorms) are 18 Euro and the privates are around 30; They have internet connection, a rooftop terrace, and food); Email [email protected]. You must reserve this place or else you will never get in. The only complaint that I have heard about this place was that there are no windows and they keep the lights out until 10:00 in the morning (so you may have to get dressed in the dark). This hostel actually has some rooms with air conditioning but they cost more than the cheap dorms. This is generally NOT a party hostel. The friendly people at Gulliver’s house have listed tons of information that will answer standard tourist questions about Rome and Italy. Just go to http://www.gullivershouse.com/English/English%20Tourist%20Informations.html

I have hear that when Gulliver’s house gets full, they refer people to a place called Navigator Hostel, which is supposedly very clean. http://www.navigatorhostel.com/ Expect to pay 70 Euro for a single, 100 Euro for a double, 120 Euro for a triple, 120 Euro for a quad, and 20-22 Euro in a dorm. I have never stayed at the Charlie Brown Hostel, but it is literally right next to the train station at via marsala #80. I think that this might be a relatively new hostel. A seach on the Internet turned up that this is the same address for a place called the Red Cheeks B&B – I don’t know if they are the same place but I think that they changed their name to Red Cheeks. Anyway, this place has a 24-hour reception, no lock-out, no curfew. In the summer, expect to pay 18-30 Euro for a dorm, 55-90 Euro for a single, and 35-48 Euro in a double, 27-40 Euro in a triple, and 20-30 Euro in a quad. These prices includes breakfast. tel: (06) 4959887 fax: (06) 49383697 website: www.travelingrome.com email: [email protected] Make sure to avoid the Roma Inn – dirty place. Also avoid the Euro Youth Hostel (right next to the Olympic Stadium) – poorly managed (weirdos sleep in your bed and management does not care) and there are no toilet seats, and there is a midnight curfew. Also avoid the Gladiator's Hostel (cold water, no sheet until 11PM, and forced leave at 8AM the next morning). Also avoid the HI Hostel in Rome it is an old hospital, with segregated huge rooms for 20 people each. Also avoid Hotel Scott House. Some guy told me he had a reservation, confirmed it and when he showed up, they gave his bed to someone else. Also, they are usually more expensive than many other options in Rome. Also avoid the Pink Floyd hostel near the train station. I have heard some bad things about the safety of that place and the strange owner touching you when you sleep. Also avoid the cabins offered at Flaminio Village due to the mold problems and poor management. I have also heard some bad stuff about Michaelangelo’s palace hostel. There were complaints about the bathroom, the common area, and the owner. This place is in the same building as Gulliver’s, but Gulliver’s is a much better option. Another place that you should avoid is the Orange Garden Hotel, which is run by the same people who run the Atlante Star Hotel (1 block away). The Orange Garden Hotel is a B&B located in a seedy, noisy neighborhood. Also regarding M+J Place Hostel – Via Solferino 9, 00185 Ph. +36 06 4462802 Fax. +39 06 4462802. This place is open all year & has no curfew but rumor has it that bed bugs thrive here & that the management sucks). They have a strict quiet policy after 2am. A more expensive place is the three-star Hotel California http://www.europehotelink.com/rome/california/ It is located at Via Principe

Amedeo 39. All rooms have A/C. Tel: 06/4822002. It is located between the train station and Santa Maria Maggiore. Expect to pay 135 Euro for a single, 170 Euro for a double and 205 Euro for a triple and 240 for a quad. In the last year or two there have been many strange Internet postings about a bed and breakfast called 58 Via Cavour http://www.58viacavour.it/camere.html The postings appear to be written by the owners of the B&B under false names giving it glowing praise. Anyway, if you want to stay there, it is easy to reach by foot because it is only 3 blocks from the train station. As you walk from the train station go left (by the metro stop) and you will see the street called Via Cavour. The B&B is 3 blocks down on your left (before you reach the oblisque and S. Maria Maggiore.) Expect to pay the following: Single Room: 65-75 Euro; Double Room: 85-95 Euro; Triple Room: 110-115 Euro. Tel: 06 48 23 566; 33 98 052 485; 34 71 82 93 87; email: [email protected] Also be very careful when you make telephone calls in Rome (especially if you make a call at the train station) because there are many people that stand by the phones and watch you punch in your calling card number and they copy it down and then they sell it. There is so much to see in Rome, on my 4th trip there I finally saw the bone collection. This is one of the strangest things that I have ever seen. It is the basement of a church called Santa Maria Della Concezione. You enter and there is artwork made out of human bones (from 4000 priests and monks) all over the walls and ceilings. Really weird. You are supposed to pay a small donation to see this stuff – also you are not supposed to take pictures. I have some really neat pictures! If you want to, they sell postcards of the bones. If possible, don’t eat in places near the tourist spots. You will get ripped off and receive poor food. Eat in places called Trattoria (family run restaurants). And try the ice cream parlor at Giolitti, near the Parliment building and Parthenon. I have heard about a good place for vegetarian food in Rome. La Carbonara in Campo d’Fiori. Just have the self help antipasto costs about 10 Euro for all you can eat and fantastic quality. Also if you want some good pizza (almost all pizza will have thin crusts), try Pizza San Calisto, which is located in the Trastevere section of Rome at P.S. Calisto #9a (right off of P.S. Maria). In general the Trastevere section of Rome (located just west of the Tiber river) has some of the best food and not too many tourists eat there, because there are few tourist sites. However, if you go to the Trastevere section, then you can visit the Church of Santa Cecilia (patron saint of music). Also in in Trastevere I would check out a restaurant for lunch or dinner called Mario's located at #53 via del Moro (at Via della Pelliccis), for inexpensive traditional Italian food (the place is frequented by locals). Tel: 5803809 Another good place to eat in Trastevere is called Da Giovanni located at Lia Delle Lungara #41/a (between Via degli Orti d’Aliberti and Via di San

Onofrio). Tel. 68 61 514. They offer lunch and dinner but are closed in August. This place offeres 2 or 3 hearty pasta dishes or standard entres and caters to local workers. Just across the Tiber river (east of Trastevere) is a section of Rome called Testaccio. In this section you will find Pizzaria Remo. Take the Metro (B-line) to Piramide and ask a local for directions. Also east of the Tiber, north of Piazza Venezia, on the west side of Via del Corso (the main drag between Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Venezia) is a good place fod lunch called the Antica Tavola Calda del Corso. A good place for dinner (they are closed Sunday and do not serve lunch) near that Vatican is La Sagra del Vino on Via Marziale #5 . You must make a reservation (they only have two seatings). Tel: 06.39737015. A few cheap places near the Pantheon are: - Miscellanea (walk toward Via del Corso and you will find it at #110 Via della Paste. This place attracts a lot of students and you can get 3 Euro sandwiches. - Cafeteria Brek (just south of the Pantheon at the northwest corner of the square (Largo Argentina #1). Head upstairs for the cafeteria. Milan is a big city which has a great cathedral of gothic design (the Duomo, which is the 3rd largest church in the world) and fabulous opera house (the opera house is closed for a restoration and will reopen in 2005). If you go to the Duomo, take the elevator to the roof for great views on a clear day and a close up view of some of the 3000 statues and gargoyles that decorate the church. (The elevator is located around the right side of the cathedral.) Close to the Duomo is the Castle in which several free museums are housed. One “masterpiece” that you can find is Micahelangelo’s unfinished “Pietà rondanini.” Another worthwhile art piece is Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper which is located in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The painting is in a bad state of deterioration, but it is amazing that it survived the bombings of WWII which destroyed the main cloister of the church. The city is kind of like Paris or New York with regard to the shopping prices (expensive) and the fashion, but don’t expect too much else in Milan. Milan is Italy’s most modern city as it was heavily destroyed during WWII— consequently it doesn’t have as much antiquity or old world character as other Italian cities. Milan’s version of the Left Bank is called the La Brera district. Milan is the most expensive city in Italy, and the prices are similar to Paris or Berlin and I suggest backpackers skip Milan altogether – especially if this is your first trip to Europe. The train station (Stazione Centrale) is anything but central. It is a pretty cool station with very high ceilings, artwork and there are cheap fast-food joints located in the square just outside the front door of the station (I think a Burger King or KFC).

A good cheap place to eat is near the train station at Brek Self service cafeteria (closed sunday). As you exit the station go left for 1 block. It is located at Via Lepetit, 20 Tel. 02 – 6705149. As for the sights, you can walk to some things, but generally, you will need the metro. They sell a daily or two-day pass that will allow you on every bus, tram or subway in Milan. The best place for pizza in Milan is Pizza OK, there are 2 restaurants, one is close to Corso Buenos Aires. Be warned that it can be very difficult to find cheap lodging options in this city. I bet that this is one of the harder towns in which to find a cheap hostel. The main HI (Piero Rotta Hostel) has greased someone’s hands and it’s the only name that is given out to those who ask for cheap lodging, but if you go to Milan, some other places to try are: Hotel Kennedy – one star (tel 02/2940-0934; fax: 02 294.012.53) (expect to pay 40-55 Euro for a single, 60-80 Euro for a double, 90 Euro for a triple or 115 Euro for a quad at this one star hotel) located at #6 Viale Tunisia. Web: www.kennedyhotel.it Email: [email protected] The hotel is clean and a friendly staff and is located 700 metres from the Milan Central Station (approximately 10-15 minute walk from the station or by catching tram no. 5 (stop 9): the tram stop is directly in front of the hotel). There is also a 2 star Hotel Serena, tel 02-29404483; located 1 ½ blocks from the train station at Via Boscovich #59. Expect to pay 45-75 Euro for a single, 58-110 Euro for a double, 85-150 Euro for a triple, and 95-180 Euro for a quad. When I checked online in November for prices during the high season (July) the website showed the prices at the low end of the price ranges that I have listed. There is the one-star Hotel Ullrich (tel 02-86450156; fax 02-804535) located at #6 Corso Italia. The 1-star Hotel Aladin charges 50-70 Euro for a single and 60-100 Euro for a double. Located at #48 Viale dei Mille. The 1-star Hotel ABC is located in the centre of Milan near Duomo and charges 52-65 Euro for a single, 90-105 Euro for a double, 110-120 for a triple, and 120-140 Euro for a quad and is located at # 12 Via Molino delle Armi. Telefono 02.867501; E-mail: [email protected] web: http://www.italiaabc.com/hotelabc/ You can get to the hotel by Internal ring rc bus # 94 or tramcar # 15 or Metro (yellow line - Missori stop or red line - Duomo stop). From the train station take metro yellow line direction San Donato (Missori stop) and exit to your left (Piazza Missori) as you exit the metro, take exit Corso Italia and follow this street for about 5 minutes, look for Via Molino delle Armi on your right and walk for about 50 meters and the hotel is on your right at #12. They do not have A/C and there is no elevator in the building. Hotel Aurora (1-star) is located in the centre of Milan on a main street, at #18 Corso Buenos Aires, which is between the Duomo and the Central Station,

(50 metres from the subway stop “PORTA VENEZIA” (red line) and the tram stop #5. You can walk to it from the train station in about 15 minutes. This place is not fancy but it is nicer than the Hotel City (Best Western) which is just down the street. The rooms at the back and side of the hotel look out directly onto the rail tracks and the hospital windows opposite. Expect to pay 50 Euro for a single, 80 Euro for a double, and 100 Euro for a triple. The management is friendly here. The only problem is that there is no A/C so remember that for mosquito protection in the summer. Hotel Edy (1-star) is located at #8 Via delle Forze Armate (near Piazza Duomo and the Milan Exhibition center). Tel: 02-48707995; fax: 02-48707995 This place is closest to the Red metro line (Metro stop: Gambara). Expect to pay 57-65 Euro for a single, 85-85 Euro for a double, 100-120 Euro for a triple. The Piero Rotta Hostel (HI) is the worst hostel and should be your last choice. This hostel is the run like a jail with wardens and loud buzzers to wake you up at 7 or 7:30 a.m. (The buzzers continue to go off at regular intervals to make sure that you get up (and out of the hostel until 3 p.m.) Also, this hostel is far from everything, including the attractions and the train station. No surprise that it is pretty cheap (18.5 Euro)– via Martino Bassi 2, (entrance from Via Salmoiraghi 1; tel 02/3926-7095) Fax: (2)39267095 or Fax 02 33000191. They have a strict midnight curfew, which all but eliminates experiencing any nightlife. Another lodging option in this town is to go to the tourist office by the duomo when you arrive in town, and ask for a list of hotels. They will give you a list, and a map, and you can find one yourself. Hotel Nuovo, is on this list and costs 31 Euro and 70 Euro for a double. This is the place that I would choose. It is also listed in Lonely Planet, and its location is great (near the Duomo) and it was completely been refurbished in December 2000. It is located at #6 Piazza Beccaria Cesare; tel: Tel: 02 86464444 or 02 86460542; fax 02/72001752 Another good option is the one-star Hotel del Sole, which is located at Via Spontini # 6. Tel: 02 29512971; fax: 02 29513689. Expect to pay 70-85 Euro for a double, 95-114 Euro for a triple, and 130 Euro for a quad. This place is about 5 minutes from the train station, and might have some problems with hot water. Also consider Hotel Speronari, which is about 200 meters from Piazza Duomo at #4 Via Speronari. Tel: 02 86461125; fax: 02 720 03178. Expect to pay 44 Euro for a single, but if you have others in the room, the price can be as cheap as 30 Euro per person. You should ask for a room on the third (or higher) floors for good views. I have also heard good things about Hotel Eva - very clean and cheap rates – located at #17 via Lazzerreto about a 5-minute walk from the central rail station. Tel: 02 670.60.93; fax: 02 670.59.07 Next door to Hotel Eva is Hotel Arno (also a 1 star-hotel, with quite small rooms, but with a friendly atmosphere). Expect to pay 35-40 Euro in a single, and 50 Euro + in a double. This website has a list of hundreds of hotels in miland including many one and two star hotels http://www.ciaociaoitaly.com/milano.htm

Skip Hotel Brianza, it looks like a whorehouse. Hotel Trieste (2-star) http://trieste.hotelsinmilan.it/ located near the Cental Station at Via Marco Polo #13. Expect to pay 55 Euro for a single, 65 Euro for a double, and 95 Euro for a triple. You might find a room at hostel La Cordata ($14), Via Burigozzo 11, tel. (+39)/02/58314675, but this places tends to be a co-op. If all else fails, consider the three-star Bernina Hotel http://www.hotelbernina.com/ or http://www.hotelberninamilan.com/ located in front of Milan's Central Railway Station at via Napo Torriani #27. Tel: 02 669880 22; fax: 02 6702964, but expect to pay a whopping 140 Euro for a single, 200 Euro for a double, and 260 for a triple. Good daytrips from Milan can be Bergamo's medieval palaces (1 hour from Milan) or the Lake Country (Lake Como, Garda or Maggiore (also 1 hour from Milan). Then there is Mantova and Bergamo. In Verona – for A good cheap place to eat is at Brek Self service cafeteria (open 7 days per week). It is located at #20 Piazza Bra. Tel. 045 - 8004561 lodging maybe try Ostello della gioventu “Villa Francescatti”, located at #15 Via Fontana del Ferro; tel. +39/045/590360, fax 8009127 (13 Euro for bed and breakfast or 15 Euro in a family room) and 8 Euro for a meal. It is located in a former palazzo (mansion) and former monastery that was built in the Renaissance 500 years ago. This place used to have communal showers (no privacy) but they upgraded in 2003 to private stalls. No co-ed rooms. The hostel is 2 miles from the train station. From the train station, buy a bus ticket at the magazine stand and take bus 73 to Piazza Isolo (the final stop) and follow the yellow hostel signs. The bus stops 200 yards from the hostel. Or try Locanda Catullo (located between Piazza Bra and Piazza Erbe at Via Valerio Catullo 1), tel. 045/800-2786; fax 045-596-987, e-mail: [email protected]; They book in advance only for a 3 night minumum stay. If you will stay less than 3 nights, contact them upon arriving in Verona. Expect to pay 65 Euro for a double with private bath, or 55 Euro for a double without private bath, or 40 Euro for a single (only without private bath).All rooms have twin beds. Another option is the Albergo Arena, http://www.albergoarena.it/ located at #2 Stradone Porta Palio; tel. 045/803-2440) email: [email protected]

(expect to pay 40-48 Euro for a single, and 62-72 Euro for a double, centrally located) You can see plenty of the Tuscany region on the train ride from Florence to Pisa (45 minute ride) and that is really about it. If you buy a point to point ticket from Florence to Pisa - expect to pay about $4 USD. If you run out of time, skip the Milan and Tuscany part. If you have extra time (yeah right), then try to get some wine in Tuscany. The wine in all of Italy is really pretty good and much better than their beer (their most famous beer in Italy is the imported Dutch Heineken!). If you do try the beers, there are three major Italian breweries to consider, Peroni, Moretti and Poretti. Keep in mind that Italian Pilsners are lighter than those you encounter in the Germanic and Slavic countries. Nastro Azzurro is a lager-type beer and may be worth a try. If you get wine, at a restaurant make sure to get the house wine & save $. Naples – From Rome to Naples takes 1 hour 45 minutes with an ES train and 1 hour 57 minutes with a cheaper IC train. Naples is famous for their calimari. It looks like onion rings and so light and delicately prepared there. Some great pizza can be found at Da Michele (located at Via Sersale 1 (off Corso Umberto)(walking distance from Centrale)). Tel: 081-5539204. EVERYBODY knows where it is. Most pizzerias in Naples are better than anywhere else. Not too much to see in this city – maybe see the Museum of Anthropology, as it is pretty neat and has a bunch of stuff from Pompeii. It is a short train ride to Sorento and Pompeii from Naples. If you are determined to stay in Naples, an independent hostel called Six Small Rooms http://www.at6smallrooms.com/ is a good option. It is run by an Australian named Jenny. The phone number is 081 7901378. e-mail: [email protected] Expect to pay about 18 Euro for a dorm, and if you stay in a double, triple, or quad, expect to pay about 25 Euro per person. 55 Euro for a double room. Also a hostel in Naples is Ostello Mergellina, 081-761-2346. A bed in dorm room is 14 euro/person/night; in double 17 euro/person/night; family room 16 euro/person/night. The price includes breakfast and bed sheets. Take the metro 4 stops from the main Naples train station (Garibaldi) and then walk about 300 meters that might scare some novice travelers. www.ostellionline.org/ostello.php?idostello=212 Tel: 081 7612346 / 081 7611215; Fax: 081 7612391. This hostel is not that great, but it is the cheapest place to stay in this town. Be aware that there are lots of rip-off artists and scams in the Naples train station. So, pretty much anyone who appears to be helping you (even baggage handlers and other people wearing train company uniforms) will probably be working some scam, to take your money. I would be very wary of anyone offering you unsolicited assistance in Naples (or anywhere for that matter). Pompeii – The ruins are open from 9-6 and costs about 8 Euro. There is a campground right outside (50 meters from) the main entrance to the ruins called

Camping Spartacus. http://www.campingspartacus.it/ Tel: 081 862 40 78 . They even have some cabins which cost 39 Euro for 2 people, 49 Euro for 3 people, and 72 Euro for 4 people. If you camp, the cost is 3 Euro per tent and 6 Euro for each adult in the tent. They even have Internet access. To get here from Naples (Napoli Centrale) take the Circumvesuviana line towards Sorrento. Obviously you will not go all the way to Sorrento, so pay attention and get off at the PompeiScavi Villa dei Misteri station and you just walk 100 meters to the campground. The ruins have two entrances. The first entrance to the ruins is immediately on your left as you walk out of the train station. Go right instead and you will see the second ruin entrance (also n your left) and the bus stop and information and then you will come to the campground. There is also a hostel called Casa Del Pellegrino http://www.ostellionline.org/ostello.php?idostello=220 It is located at #4 Via Duca D'Aosta. Email: [email protected] Tel/fax: 081 8508644 This hostel is 200 meters from the train station. Expect to pay 13-16 Euro and they provide a meal for 8.50 Euro. Capri - The isle of Capri is reachable by ferries and hydrofoils leaving from Naples and Sorrento. Capri is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Naples by ferry (traghetto) or 45 minutes by hydrofoil (aliscafo), and it costs about 5 Euro for the ferry and 11 Euro for the hydrofoil (each way). Capri is relaxing for the day, but too expensive for overnight stays. If you want to get to Greece from Brindisi, read my other document (#1). If you want to get to Greece from Bari, you take bus number 20 from outside the Bari train station to the port. You can take the Superfast Ferries (located in the port area in the big glass building. These are the RED SHIPS, and if you have a Eurail pass, expect to pay 6 Euro for the port taxes or else you will pay 42 Euro if you do not havea Eurail pass. The Amalfi coast region: The most popular cities in this area are Positano and Capri, but the town of Amalfi itself is just as amazing, at a fraction of the price. To reach the town of Amalfi, the nearest train station is in Salerno, from there you can take a bus. Another idea is to take the bus (from the train station in Sorrento) to Positano and Almafi for the day. Almafi is the last stop and is about a 45 minute ride. The bus goes along a beautiful windy road that goes right along the coast. So sit on the right side (when facing forward) of the bus for the best views. Sorrento – This town is part of the Amalfi coast and it offers more to do than does Naples or Capri. This town would be a good place to use as a base for daytrips to surrounding areas. Sorrento is a 65 minute train ride (50 km) from Naples. There is a youth hostel called Hotel City. This place is run by friendly people and is only a short walk from the train and bus station. Another option is

Hotel Elios (ten-minute walk from the center of Sorrento and 20 minutes from the train station (but you can take a bus)). It cost 47 Euro per night for a double room which included breakfast. This is a small town and there is only one bus from the train station, so you can walk most of it if you are really cheap. Another option is Palazzo Starace http://www.palazzostarace.com/ Email: [email protected]. It is centrally located (10-15 minute walk from the train station) on Via S.M. Pietà, 9 (Corso Italia corner)). Tel 39.081.878.4031. Expect to pay 140 Euro for a quad, 120 Euro for a triple, 90 Euro for a double, 70 Euro for a single. Also consider Il Nido Hotel http://www.ilnido.it/ tel: 0818782766 or 0818073304. Expect to pay 50-70 Euro for a single, 90-120 Euro for a double, 100-140 Euro for a triple, and 110-150 Euro for a quad. The price includes breakfast. This place has amazing views because it is located 5km from the center of town (and 6km from the train station) on the side of a hill). Simply telephone when you arrive and they will pick you up for free!) The free pick up service is available from 3:00pm - 11.00pm. If you arrive at another time, you can use the public bus to reach the hotel. Buses leave from the Train Station in Sorrento for Via Nastro Verde. Just ask the drivers which bus is for IL NIDO. The hotel offers free shuttle service for the downtown 12 times a day. Here is a listing of most hotels in Sorrento (ranging from 1-5 stars) http://www.ilnido.it/sorrento-hotels.htm Another option is renting a bungalow in a campsite called Camping Nube d'Argento. Phone: (+39) 081 8781344; Fax: (+39) 081 8073450; http://www.emmeti.it/Welcome/Campania/Sorrentino/Sorrento/Alberghi/Nube/ind ex.uk.html email: [email protected] It is located 500 meters from the center of town and just 200 meters from the sea. For a bungalow (with kitchen and toilet), expect to pay 65-80 Euro /night for 2 people, 80-90 Euro for 3 people, 90-110 Euro for 4 people, and 120-150 Euro for 6 people. If you camp in a tent, expect to pay 9 Euro per person plus 6-9.50 Euro per tent. Cinque Terre region – Personally, I do not advise backpackers visit this area unless you are really into outdoors stuff (scenery, hiking and relaxing). These places were nicer before Rick Steves put them on the map in his travel guides. Now they are tourist traps. You will hear more American English spoken in Vernazza than Italian, and more German spoken in Monterosso. Many backpackers stay in Manarola and Riomaggiore, because that's where the hostels are. Actually, now that I think about it, I would suggest seeing Cinque Terre rather than Nice (France) for a feel for the Riviera. Even if everything is booked when you arrive in one of the towns making up Cinque Terre, you can ask any local and they’ll direct to you to someone who’ll rent their rooms for tourists. If you show up in Vernazza and ask for MIKE he’s got great accommodations. He’s a former New Yorker and everyone knows

him. Also in Vernazza, you can just walk into Trattoria Capitano (one of the best harborfront restaurants) and inquire about Albergo Barbara (located at #30 P. Marconi (at the port) on the top floor). Tel/fax: 0187 81 23 98. Expect to stay a minimum of 2 nights and pay 40-52 Euro for a double or 65 Euro for a triple, or 75 Euro for a quad. The only hostel that is part of Cinque Terre is in Manorola and called Albergo Della Gioventu-Ostello “Cinque Terre” http://www.cinqueterre.net/ostello/ Tel: +39-0187-920215; fax 92 02 18; Email [email protected] The hostel is 300 meters from the train station. Expect to pay 22 Euro for a dorm bed or 88 Euro for a family room (4 beds) or 132 Euro for 6 beds (no doubles). Dinner at this hostel costs 12 Euro. There are plenty of apartments that can be found in local bars and cafe's. They will cost about 25 Euro per person which is much cheaper than the 60 Euro that many hotels will charge. In Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre) contact Roberto Fazioli for private rooms and 10 person dorms. Located on Via Colombo 94, Phone: (+39) 0187/920904920587; E-mail: [email protected]. Expect to pay 50-75 Euro for a double and 50-130 Euro for an apartment for 2 persons. One of the places offered by Roberto Fazioli in Riomaggiore is the Cinque Terre Holidays, located at #94 Via Colombo. It costs about 20-25 Euro per person. Expect to pay 22 Euro in a dorm 40 Euro for a double, 20-30 Euro for a twin, 70 Euro for a triple. Tel: +390187920904; Fax: +390187920904. My friend Kim has posted a bunch of general and A LOT of lodging info for the Cinque Terre region at http://pretravel.proboards1.com/ Consider staying in Levanto (it's the 1st town east of the five towns that make up Cinque Terre). The beach is great and there are a lot more shops and even a disco on the beach. You can get to the hostel by following the signs as you leave the train stain. There is a bar across the street that makes really strong drinks. If you stay in Levanto, expect only a five minute train ride to Cinque Terre. Sicily – If you are considering going to Sicily, make sure to buy (or at least look at) Roughguide on Sicily (which is more detailed and accurate than Lonely Planet). Some hostels in Sicily are: 1) Eagles nest, Messina, 090-974-6398, (Medieval castle high above the Tyrrhenian Sea) Nice and cheap; 2) Etna Youth Hostel (Etna Garden Park Hotel) http://www.etnagardenhostel.com/ or www.ostellionline.org email: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] (13 km from Catania rail station and the public transportation line CataniaNicolosi is 300 meters from the hostel), tel: 095-791-4686, mobile: +39 347 877 9969; fax: (095) 7914701. This place is remote (next door neighbor is a

volcano); located at #7 Via della Quercia 95030 NICOLOSI CT; Expect to pay 16 Euro in a dorm, 60 Euro for a double room, 85 Euro for a triple room, 40 Euro for a single room, and breakfast costs 3 Euro and other meals cost 10 Euro. 3) Amodeo, Trapani, 09-23-55-29-64, nice view of the Egadi Islands. If you are considering going to Sicily, make sure to buy (or at least look at) Roughguide on Sicily (which is more detailed and accurate than Lonely Planet). Let's Go suggests Hotel Regina, located at Corso Vittoria Emanuele #316 (off V. Maqueda) Tel: 091 611 42 16. Expect to pay 15.50 for a single and 36-41 Euro for a double. Another option listed by Let's Go is Hotel Cortese, located at #16 V. Scarparelly (10 minute walk from the train station). Tel/fax - 091 33 17 22. Expect to pay 2328 Euro for a single and 36-44 Euro for a double room. Keep in mind that you can get some cheap food at Pizzeria Bellini, located at P. Bellini #6. A good meal for under 5 Euro. Closed Tuesdays. GREECE Athens - www.athensinfoguide.com has a lot of good general info on Athens. Athens is good to visit, but you probably can see everything in one full day. To be honest, the main attraction is the Parthenon, which is on top of a hill called Acropolis. Once you arrive, you really just walk around the ruins and take some pictures. It is always hot so bring some water and try to get there early in the morning. Then again, most of the tour groups also arrive early and it is usually crowded then. I have also visited about 3 pm and it was less crowded. You will just have to decide for yourself. If you hate crowds, opt for the hot afternoon. You can see some of the other stuff in the city like the Olympic stadium, but the Parthenon really is the most exciting thing. There are some restaurants and plenty of tourist junk nearby the Parthenon in a section of Athens that is called the Plaka. There is also a nearby “Monastiraki” fleemarket, and on Saturday and Monday mornings it is jam packed and plenty of pick pockets are around. This is the place to get pirated CDs and used phone cards. If you want a good vegetarian place to eat in the Plaka/Monistiraki area, go to EDEN located at 12 Lysiou Str (& corner of Mnisikleous Street), A good walking tour is to follow the new pedestrian was. I suggest that you start at the Hadrian Arch (near the Temple of Zeus) and walk along Dionyssou Areopagitou (street) and you will see the Acropolis to your right and the New Acropolis museum on your left. Keep walking and the road veers to the right (and changes names to become Apostolou Pavlou) and you just follow it until you reach the Thissio metro station (total distance = 1 mile). Then you can walk through the Monastiraki Flea Market to the Monastiraki metro stop (1/2 mile from Thissio) and turn left and walk 2/3 mile to Omonia Square. This is a pretty big loop and it takes just over 2 miles to do (the Parthenon and the area of town called the Plaka is in the middle of the loop).

The National Archaeological Museum is scheduled to re-open in June 2004. Ouzo is the alcoholic drink of Greece and can be found almost anywhere fairly cheap. In the past, Athens has been well-known for their very crappy metro (only 2 lines) and there are plenty of problems with the trains too. Athens has recently “cleaned up” the metro for the 2004 Olympics, and they now have two new subway lines operating (lines 2 and 3), and both of those are not crappy at all, but line one is over a hundred years old and still has a few crappy stations. The new parts of the metro now have marble floors and display cases exhibiting artifacts found during construction of the third line. Specifically, the Akropoli and Syntagma stations display glassed-in cross sections of the excavations. The Olympics have also transformed the crappy Hellinikon airport into a state-of-theart Eleftherios Venizelos Int’l airport (17 miles from the city). Athens has also removed the plethora of billboards that covered the city, but now you can see some of the crappy buildings, which were once blocked. The Olympics have also resulted in renovations the port of Piraeus, now making it environmentally friendly. Finally, if you now visit Athens, you will be able to use pedestrian walkways linking archaeological sites – from downtown to the Acropolis and the Parthenon and the Zeus Monument and Keramikos cemetary. FYI - 200 years ago, a Brit named Lord Elgin stole most of the sculptures from the Parthenon and shipped them to London with the intent for him to decorate his Scottish manor house, but he eventually gave them to the British Museum where they are displayed today. Greece has been trying to get them back, but the Brits have so far refused. Athens specifically began to build the New Acropolis Museum to house these Elgin Marbels (which everyone except for the Brits call the Parthenon marbels) which are 56 panels that were ripped from the temple by Lord Elgin. When the museum in Athens is built, it will have an entire empty floor dedicated to these stolen marbels. So, if you haven’t been to Athens in over 5 years, you will find a very different Athens. Anyway, the train station in Athens employs some of the laziest, rude people in Europe. I base this on 4 separate visits to the city. They really don’t give a damn about public relations and I believe that they go out of their way to make life difficult for backpackers. In general, Athens is one of the dirtiest cities that I have ever seen and it is sometimes hard to breathe with all of the exhaust fumes in the air. If you spend the time to go to Greece from Italy, you really should see some of the Greek Islands (otherwise you may feel like you wasted your time). You might want to purchase a 24-hour train, bus and metro pass for 2.90 Euro. That is an extremely good value. If you arrive in Athens by plane, there will be a booth near where you catch the bus at which you can buy this pass. Also, in November 2004 they just began a new 1 Euro ticket whereby you can use Metro, bus, trolley, Suburban railway, tram for up to 1-1/2 hour.

Probably the most famous hostel in Athens is called the Aphrodite. It is a good place to meet people with a nice bar in the basement – located at #12 Einardou Street (at the corner of Einardou and Michail Voda 65) - Victoria Square (Plateia Victorias). The hostel is a 5-minute walk from either the Larissis or Peloponnese train station (if you came from Patras, you will be at the Peloponnese train station). Tel: (0030) 210 88 10 589; Fax: (0030) 210 88 16 574; email: [email protected] web: http://www.hostelaphrodite.com The Aphrodite has recently been renovated and now has air conditioning in all of the rooms including the dorms. The hostel is in a 4 story white building with blue railings (blue and white are the national colors). Keep in mind that the Aphrodite is not in the best area of town (kind of far from the main tourist things, but close, within walking distance, to the train station). In the summer expect to pay 60 Euro for a double, 75 Euro for a triple, 88 Euro for a quad, and 20 Euro in an 8-person dorm. There is a grocery store next door and a bakery across the street. I have read that the phone numbers in Athens have been changed to add a “0”. So if any of the numbers that I list below do not work, try adding a zero after the initial 301. Some other hostels in Athens are: • Student and Travelers Inn - This place is owned by the same people who own the Aphrodite (even their websites look the same and have links to each other). The S&A Inn is located right on the main street in the Plaka - #16 Kidathineon str. Tel: (0030) 210 32 44 808; Fax: (0030) 210 32 10 065; web: http://www.studenttravellersinn.com email: [email protected] During the summer expect to pay the following: Double with shared facilities at 90 euros per night. Double with private facilities at 100 euros per night. Triple with shared facilities at 105 euros per night. Triple with private facilities at 114 euros per night. Dorm (4 sharing) with shared facilities at 30 euros per person per night. Dorm (4 sharing) with private facilities at 35 euros per person per night. If you stay at the S&A Inn, sneak in some beers from the store across the street and enjoy them on your balcony. This place is located in the middle of bars and restaurants (great to party but can be loud at night). The main complaints about this place have been that there was no air conditioning and it was overprices for what you get, but now all of the rooms have a/c. About four doors down from the S&A Inn, is a hotel for 70 Euro that includes breakfast, own bathroom and air conditioning. The owners attempt to conserve electricity by discouraging people from using the elevator (by telling guests to use the elevator

at their own risk). They also sometimes remove the door handle from the elevator door, but you can still use it by using a coin or a key to turn the knob. The elevator works just fine. I suggest that you avoid any restaurants that the management recommends, but the nightclub they suggest is good. • Dioskouros Guesthouse, is a few blocks from the Student and Travelers Inn (near New York State University) at #6 Pittakou Street (this is a quiet area of the Plaka), where a twin room with a small fridge, free continental breakfast, and a view of the Acropolis costs about 20 Euros per person. • Athens IYHF Hostel, 16 Victor Hugo Street, (15 min walk from Omonia Square). Email: [email protected] or email: [email protected] Tel: 30210 5234170 This is the only hostel in Greece that is member of the Hostelling International (all other hostels in Greece are independent). The price was about 9 Euro, breakfast included. They also have a bar and internet room. This place attracts a more international crowd than the Aphrodite/ or the Student & Travelers Inn. If you stay at this hostel, be sure to ask directions to the Gyros house near Ag. Pavlos church (2 or 3 blocks away). • Athens Youth Hostel No 2, 87-89 Alexandras Ave & 1 Drossi Street, Tel: 6442421/6426529; • Athens Youth Hostel No 5, 75 Damareos Street, Pangrati, Tel: 751 9530, Fax: 751 0616, Email: a/[email protected] • I have heard about at a hostel called John's Place, which is a 3 min walk from the Plaka area and is supposed to be cheap and have a friendly staff. Tel: 21 0322 9719 Although “Let’s Go Europe 2001” recommended the Metropolis Hotel http://www.hotelmetropolis.gr/ in Athens, I have heard nothing but bad stuff about that place. Supposedly this place has been renovat ed, so if you want to try it, here is the contact numbers: Tel: +30.210.32.17.871, +30.210.32.17.469 Fax: +30.210.32.17.871. Email: [email protected] Expect to pay 40-50 Euro for a single, 45-60 Euro for a double, 70 Euro for a triple. The address is #46 Mitropoleos str. in the Plaka. To get here from the train station, take the metro to Syntagma Square and then walk down Mitrpoloeos str several blocks (past the church) to #46. Also, avoid Hotel Albatros (#77 Possidonos) Also, I have heard bad stuff about Hotel Feron (which is listed in Rough Guide). Tel: 2108232083 Hotel Attalos is in a great location (next to Plaka) and cost about 30 Euro/night for a single with a bath). It's nothing special, but it's clean, in a great location, and has a great roof deck cafe overlooking the acropolis. The prices on the Internet seem higher, so they may have increased prices. Thessaloniki – I have never stayed in this town over night and I have heard mixed things about the hostel, which is the Thessaloniki Youth Hostel, located at

#44 Alexandre Svolou, tel: 0031-225946, fax: 0031-262208. Expect to pay 7 Euro. This hostel is located in an old traditional building at the center of town. Two decent places to eat are the following: Taverna Konaki (located in the Upper City at Akropoleos and Moreas streets. Tel: 30-2310/213-390. Ecpect to pay about 10 Euro for a nice meal. Another good place to eat for about the same price is a taverna called Tottis which is located at #3 Aristotle Square. Tel:302310/237-715. Mykonos. This is an island that likes to party. There is a large gay presence on this island, and a good website to visit for information on Mykonos is: http://www.wurli.com/wurli/Mykonos/mykonos_guide.htm A good straight club is called Space. This island is expensive and is kind of a status symbol. Expect to pay 40-60% more for anything on Mykonos than on the surrounding islands. Try Taverna Antonini in front of the taxi square in Mykonos for good and cheap food. There is camping on Mykonos beach and other lodging options too. http://www.paradisemykonos.com/ which offers cabins and rooms on the beach. You can get 4 people in a room and pay a total of 100 Euro, which is a pretty good deal on this expensive island. There is also the Mykonos Paradise hotel http://www.mykonosparadise.com/ which is 100meters from the beach and charges 55 Euro for a single, 74 Euro for a double and 89 Euro for a triple (during summer). The address is 63080 Nea Kallikratia Halkidiki Tel: ++30-2399048555, ++30-2399048588, Fax: ++30-2399024041 e-mail: [email protected] Crete - There are 4 hostels on Crete, they are in the cities of Sitia, Iraklio, Rethymno and in Plakias. Plakias is about 35km south of Rethymno (a town on the north coast of Crete). There are about 6 buses a day from Rethymno to Plakias during the peak season, the last being at 16:30hrs. The Plakias Hostel is a fun place and is set in an olive grove and is a 5-minute walk from the beach. Visit http://www.yhplakias.com Tel: +30 283 20 32 118 (call this number if you fail to obtain a reservation online). Email: [email protected]. This hostel is open mid-March – mid-November. Expect to pay only 7 Euro. The reception is open from 9am to noon and from 5 to about 8.30pm. If you arrive in the afternoon just leave your bags in the reception and wander off to the beach until after 5pm. They do not have singles or doubles – only 6 rooms with 4 bunkbeds in each room. Expend to pay only 7.50 Euro. If you stop at the Island of Corfu (in between Italy and Greece) plan on partying at the Pink Palace. If you spend more than one day on Corfu, then make sure to rent some scooters and see the whole island. If you want to see what Corfu looks like, just watch the 007 James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only” because most of that movie was shot in Greece (and most of that was shot on Corfu – in particular the dune buggy scene, and the scenes near the

beginning that are supposedly in Spain. The car chase scene shows very typical scenary on Corfu). I think that Thursday night is toga night at the Pink Palace– although every night is fun, this is a great thing. The rates are very reasonable considering that they include breakfast as soon as you arrive (along with ouzo shots) and it includes dinner at night. (Of course they make much of their money from the excursions they offer and from selling alcohol in their on-sight nightclub, but even those rates were reasonable.) Keep in mind that although backpackers do Ouzo shots, the locals drink Ouzo diluted in water and sipped with hors d'oerves. Ouzo is a very strong alcohol and can get you drunk quickly when you do shots. I remember being in the Pink Palace and they had a drink special where you get a shot of Ouzo free with any beer purchase. My friend and I met these girls who hated Ouzo but loved beer. Every time that anyone at our table ordered a beer, my friend and I would be given all of the free Ouzo shots, and we had a blast that night. If you plan on going to the Pink Palace on Corfu, then visit http://www.thepinkpalace.com/ and click on the link for coupon and get 15% discount on mopeds, jetskis, water-skiing etc. They even exchange money for you at their hostel. Don’t worry about making a reservation for the Pink Palace because there is always availability. This hostel is located on Agios Gordios Beach, which is the other side of Corfu from where the ferry drops you off. There is a Pink Palace bus that will meet you at the port and drive you for free to the Pink Place (but you have to pay a few dollars to get the bus back to the pier on your morning of departure). The contact info for the Pink Palace is in all travel books, but here it is: Telephone: (0030) 26610 53103 or (0030) 26610 53104 or (0030) 26610 53935; Fax: (0030) 26610 53025; (0030)26610 53985); Email: [email protected] But remember that they will meet the ferry from Brindisi right at the port. Expect to pay about 18-24 Euro in a dorm, or 25-33 Euro in the other types of rooms. These prices include free breakfast and a free large dinner. If you stay 4 nights, you get the 5th night free. As a tip, you can get mopeds on Corfu about 100 meters down the beach from the Pink Palace. They will be in better condition and cheaper. IOS If you want to go to other islands, there are plenty to chose from, but also expect to party on the island of Ios (pronounced ee ohss). If you are single and want to hook up, either of these islands (Corfu or Ios) should provide you with many opportunities. If you stay on Ios for a few days, plan on partying at night and take the ferry to some close islands of Santorini, Paros, Nexos and see the sights that they offer during the day, and then return to Ios to party at night. Events for IOS Summer 2005 are updated at: www.iospartyisland.com From Piraeus (the port of Athens) Ios is 7.5 hours away by ferry.

There are plenty of people who will meet your ferry at the pier and try and get you to sleep at their place. If you stay down by the docks, you will be close to the water, but if you stay up on the hill, you will be in the main town & close to shops and laundry and the night life. I suggest staying up in the town (on the hill) so when you are drunk (or if you get lucky) that you don’t risk your life walking back to your room in the dark down a long rocky walkway. Hora is the island's capital. It is also called Ios Town (located up on the hill). That is exactly where you want to be. One good place to stay on Ios is at Francescos Hostel http://www.francescos.net/ Tel: (0286) 91223 email [email protected] Expect to pay about $10 for a dorm room. No reservations required if you arrive early. I have heard good things about a place on Ios called the Purple Pig (Star Camping), but I never stayed there myself. It is located at Mylapotas Beach (Tel: +30 286 91302) (Fax: +30 286 91612) Email: [email protected] Price: 8.80 – 17.60 Euro. Things on Ios start jumping at about 1 am. The bars close at 3:30 am and the “after bars” open at 5 am. You just walk from one bar to another. If you have a few days on Ios, take a bus across the island to Mylopotas beach (the best beach on the island). I suggest taking a night ferry from Athens to Santorini – that would save you money for a night’s lodging, and the trip will not seem as long because you will sleep some. There are plenty of places to stay and if you go in the peak season, then I suggest not even getting a reservationand just showing up and choosing one of the many hotels from the hordes of people that meet you at the ferry docks. Even right before the peak season (such as in June) you can expect to pay about 20 Euro for two people in a room with two beds and a refrigerator. If you are anal retentive and must have a reservation, try the Hotel Perissa. This hotel offers a four person room for 8.80 Euro per person, which included A/C, TV and bathroom. They have an office at the port and will take you to their hotel and back to the port free of charge. They also have a couple of rooms with 6 beds that are even cheaper. There’s a little travel shop in the front next to the road where you can rental cars, scooters, and book tours, along with having internet access. Renting a car with A/C for 24 hours costs 38 Euro and scooters cost 20.50 Euro. This hotel is located right on the bus line so getting to the cities is no worry and it is located down from a grocery store. If you find that the prices have increased, you can stay at a cheap place called Hostel Anna, but this place is not the best. I have also heard good things about lodging on Santorini at Pension George http://www.pensiongeorge.com/ tel & fax: 003-0286-22351; email: [email protected] From July 1-25 the prices are: 17.5 Euro per person in a double room, or 30 Euro in a single room. From July 26-August 20, the prices are: 25 Euro per person in a double, or 40 Euro in a single. They sell an optinal breakfast for 5 Euro and offer free transportation from the port or airport.

During the high season there are plenty of options for doubles between 25-30 Euro. Santorini has some cool black sand beaches, and we took one of the tours that took you to the volcano and you could see the sulfur coming out of the ground and then you got to go swimming in the 85 degree water (hot from fissures in the earth). Anyway, if you do that, expect a pretty long hike in the heat over rocky terrain for the volcano walk thing. We wore sandals and bitched the whole time about rocks getting in. There is an man with a moustache in his 50’s-60’s who is a bus/taxi driver at the ferry docks. Be careful of that guy because he is known to rip off tourists about 3 times the proper fare. If you plan on island hopping in Greece, you can check out the ferry schedule at http://www.gtp.gr Here are some of the codes for islands below. Piraeus – TZE Raphina – RAF Mykonos – MYK Santorini – ATI Crete(2) Ports Heraklio – HER Chania – CHC If you plan on traveling from Greece through the former Yugoslavia and you do not have the required visas, then expect a horrible experience at the embassy. Everything in Yugoslavia is run with the attitude – hey if we don’t get to it today, maybe we’ll try again tomorrow – but that really sucks when you are wasting time in Athens to get a visa. If you do travel through Serbia, then expect to bring food with you, as the food available at the capital pretty much sucks! (I remember buying what I thought was a hamburger at the train station and it was only some stuffing on a bun! Don’t bother even stopping, just keep on going through to Budapest and relax there in one of the baths.

GERMANY – First off, the following is a good resource for pensions in different cities in Germany: http://www.pension.de/index-english.htm For cheap flights within Europe (in and out of Germany), check out http://www16.germanwings.com/ Munich is a great city to visit (especially if you go during Oktoberfest). To me, Munich epitomizes what most Americans think of when they think of Germany.

Although you will find plenty of places to buy souvenir beer steins, cookoo clocks and other traditional German stuff, be aware that the prices are just about what you will find in the USA, however, there is a huge selection in Munich. For lodging, consider the Euro Youth Hotel www.euro-youth-hotel.de (located right outside the Hauptbanhoff (main train station) on a quiet street 3 minutes walk from the station). This place is a pretty nice hostel, and it even had hairdryers in the bathrooms. Expect to pay 17.50 Euro for a dorm, 21 Euro per person in a 3-5 bed room, 30 Euro in a double, 30 Euro for a triple, and 45 Euro for a single. Breakfast is 3.90 Euro. Tel: ++49 89 5990 8811. Email: [email protected] (I have been told that some people prefer the hostel next door to the Euro Youth Hostel (called MacBeds because they thought that it was nicer and more security than the Euro Youth Hostel). Also consider the 4Umunchen hostel. The "4 you" in Munich is only two blocks from the main train station, and it is a good place to meet others. www.the4you.de Email: [email protected] tel: 089 – 55-21-660. It is located at Hirtenstr. #18. Expect to pay 18-21 Euro for a dorm, 25 Euro for a double, 35 Euro for a single, and 23 for a quad. Increase these prices by 1-2 Euro if you are over 27 years old. If you get one of the private (non-dorm) rooms, they are very nice. Expect to pay 2.30 Euro per load for the washing machine, and 1.40 Euro for the dryer. There is a new hostel (opened in summer 2003) called the Easy Palace http://www.easypalace.de/english/index.html It is located at #4 Mozart Str., which about 1 km from the train station and is right next to Goetheplatz and the Oktoberfest grounds at Theresienwiese. This place is a pain to get to and does not attract that large of a crowd. Expect to pay 17-20 Euro for a dorm, 29 Euro for a single, and 25 Euro per person in either a double or triple. All-you-can eat breakfast is 5 Euro. You can even get a light meal such as pizza from the restaurant next door as cheap as 5 Euro. The hostel has no curfew or lockout, and it has Internet access, free lockers, and even bike rental. You might have heard of the famous hostel called Wombats. Well that is a famous hostel in Vienna and they now opened a branch in Munich (the Munich one is not as well-known, and it just opened in September 2004). Since it is new, the beds are still comfortable, and it is clean. If the success of Wombats in Vienna is any indication, this hostel in Munich will probably become very popular in the next yearor two. Wombats, Munich is located at Senefelderstraße #1, tel: +49 89 5998 918-0; fax: +49 89 5998 918-10; email: [email protected] You can walk to Wombats Munich from the train station as follows: when you get off the train, while you are still on the platform, take the right exit out of the building onto Bayerstraße. Turn left, walk along Bayerstraße for half a minute, and turn right onto the Senefelderstraße. The second house on the left side is the hostel. Expect to pay 19 Euro in a dorm, 32 Euro in a double, and breakfast costs 4 Euro.

If you want a pension/cheap hotel in Munich, try hotel Helvetia which is located at #6 Schillerstraße (close to the train station and pedestrian area). If you look at a map, this place is between the train station and the Deutches Theater. www.hotel-helvetia.de Tel.: +49-(0)89-590685-0; Fax: +49-(0)89590685-70. Email: [email protected] Expect to pay 30-40 Euro for a single, 40-70 Euro in a double, 55-80 Euro in a triple, 75-125 Euro in a quad. A private room with a shower and a bath is available for 25 Euro for one or 40 Euro for two. The owner can be reached at [email protected] BERLIN – this city really has changed since November 9, 1989 when the wall came down. Ever since the wall fell in 1989, there have been huge construction cranes all over the city building big buildings. Most of the old wall has either been torn down or is protected, so don’t expect to take a chunk away anymore (that ended in the early 1990’s). However, there are plenty of people selling pieces of concrete that they claim to be parts of the Berlin wall. Make sure to visit the old Checkpoint Charlie (it has been destroyed, but a museum now stands in its place) and also see the old gates (entry way into East Berlin). Berlin can also have a happening nightlife if you know where to look. I once partied at an old building that was actually bombed out from WWII and half of the bar/club was outside! Make sure to try the many different types of German beer available. Also keep in mind what time the public transportation quits running. Every time that I have been to Berlin, I either stayed out too late to catch the trains or caught the last train. There are some special night busses that run and taxis also available. If you are in Berlin on July 14, you will see the world’s most popular rave known as the Love Parade. Expect Berlin to be crowded. If you arrive without a reservation, good luck getting lodging. Expect 2 million people attending. Some do not even bother with the hostels and just sleep in the Tiergarten. The Love Parade was cancelled in 2004. Berlin is a large city and your cannot really walk to all of the sights. Since you have to use the U- and S-bahns, you should consider getting a day pass each day you're there. Berlin’s public transportation system http://www.bvg.de is broken into 3 zones (A, B and C). Although much of what you will want to see is in Zones A and B, Zone C includes Potsdam. You can get a day pass that covers Zones A and B for 6.10 Euro but for just 6.30 Euro your day pass will cover all 3 zones. If you stay more than 3 days, you probably will want to buy the 7-day pass which costs 24.30 Euro for Zones A and B and if you want all three zones, the cost is 30 Euro. In general, the cheapest price you will pay (for a short trip) is 2 Euro, but the average single fare ticket is 2 – 2.60 Euro They also sell a Welcome Card for 21 Euro which is a good deal if you want to use public transport and also see some museums. The Welcome card is valid for 72h in all three zones (including Potsdam too). For 20 Euro you can sit in a double-decker bus and receive a tour of the city. It is called “Top-Tour-Berlin” This tour starts ar #18 Kurfürstendamm (in front of Café Kranzler) from 10am to 5pm. A non-stop tour takes about 2.5 hours.

For some cheap food, try the Mensa at TU (Technical University) at #34 Hardenbergstraße which is a 10 minute walk from the Bahnhof Zoo. They have both a Mensa and a cafeteria )the Mensa is cheaper). Another option very close to the TU Mensa is the Café Hardenberg (located at Hardenburgstrasse #10). Also consider eating at the Humboldt Universität which is located at #6 Unter den Linden (behind the university building). There are lot of cheap places to eat in Berlin, especially in Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg. You can get German and Turkish, Italian and Chinese food. Cheap food is easier to get in Berlin than in Munich. Also consider the KaDeWe on Tauentzienstrasse in the Charlottenburg section of town. This is a place to eat which has big portions, big selection, and good prices. To get there, take the U1, 2 or 15 to “Wittenburg platz” Go up to the sixth floor. Few backpackers realize that you can get a free view of the city by walking around the recently opened Reichstag Cupola atop Germany’s parliament. To do this, take the S-Bahn to Unter den Linden and walk to Platz der Republik. It is open 8 a.m. to midnight every day. If you are near Alexander Platz and the tall (376 meters) TV Tower, then you should also visit the Radisson Sas Plaza Berlin Hotel, located at #5 Karl Liebknecht Strasse. The hotel is opposite the Berliner Dom and right on the bank of the River Spree. I am not suggesting that you sleep here (it costs about 200 Euro per night) but you can enter the hotel and see for free the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium in the hotel lobby. The Aquadom is 25 meters high and stocked with 2500 exotic tropical fish. It has a glass elevator that travels right through the middle of the 26,000 gallon atrium aquarium! In Berlin, the Circus Hostel http://www.circus-berlin.de/ is always recommended as a place to stay (good showers, but annoying water timers). There are two different Circus hostels. Both hostels are located north of Alexanderplatz. The original one is the one at #39 Rosa Luxembourg Strasse (in the district of Mitte near the Roza Luxemburg Platz U-bahn stop on the orange line U2)). The new hostel is twice as large and is in Berlin’s young and trendy Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood (also in the district of Mitte near the Rosenthaler U-bahn stop on the blue line U8). The latter is located at #1a Weinbergsweg. The hostel even provides a great walking tour. Tel: 0049 - 30 - 28 39 14 33; fax 0049 - 30 - 28 39 14 84; e-mail [email protected] Expect to pay 15-18 Euro in a dorm, 20 Euro in a triple, 24 Euro in a double, 45 Euro in a single. They charge you a one-time fee of 2 Euro for linens regardless of how long you stay. Breakfast is offered at Weinbergsweg location for 3.50 Euro. Another decent place during the summer is the TENT (also known as also KAPUZINERHÖLZL) http://www.the-tent.com/ No reservations needed. For $8.50 Euro at the Tent to sleep on a foam pad in these big communal tents. If you must sleep in a bed, then it costs 11 Euro and it is based on first come first served (no reservations), they have a campfire, ping pong, great cafe, and clean

showers. The TENT is located in a park next to the botanical gardens. From the central station take tram # 17 direction “Amalienburgstrasse” and get off at “Botanischer Garten” and follow the signs 500 meters to the TENT. Tel: 089 14 14 300; fax: 089 17 50 90; email: [email protected] Also consider staying at Mitte's Backpacker in Berlin http://www.backpacker.de which is run by the same people who run BaxPax (both hostels are the same price). If you have a choice between the two, choose Mitte's over BaxPax because Mitte is in a better location. (Mitte is a district of Berlin in the former East Berlin). Expect to pay 15-18 Euro for a dorm, 20 Euro in a quad, 21 Euro for a triple, 24-28 Euro for a double and 30 Euro for a single. They charge 2.50 Euro for bed linen if you don’t have your own (for entire stay). If you know ahead of time that you will stay for 3 days, you get a discount and only have to pay 40 Euro for 3 nights in a dorm and 50% discount for first30 minutes of Internet access. Mitte's Backpacker Hostel is located at Chausseestrasse 102. Tel: +49 (0)30 283 909 65; Fax: 030 283 909 35; EMail:[email protected] The website for BaxPax is http://www.baxpax.de/bakpax/ It is located on Skalitzer Str. #104. Tel: +49 30 69 51 83 22. Email: [email protected] This is a refurbished factory building. Expect to pay 15-17 Euro for a dorm, 18 Euro for a quad, 20 Euro for a triple, 23 Euro for a double and 30 Euro for a single. Also expect a 2.50 Euro charge for bed linen. I suggest avoiding A&O hostel in Berlin. In 2001 they had very uncomfortable beds, the place was dirty and there wasn't a kitchen. They were in the process of renovating so it might be nicer now. I have also heard good things about a hostel called the Clubhouse. Visit http://www.clubhouse-berlin.de/ It does get noisy at the weekend because there is a club nearby. It is a short walk from the Friedrichstrasse Bahnhof. Expect to pay 14 Euro for a dorm room; 32 Euro for a single; 46 Euro for a double; 20 Euro each for a triple or quad; and 15 Euro for 5-7 bedroom. Also expect a 2 Euro charge for bed linen. They also have a very yummy all-you-can-eat and drink (3 Euro) breakfast. Tel: 0049 30 2809 79 79; Email [email protected] .To get there from Zoo station, take the S-Bahn (any line) from platform 5, get off at “Friedrichstrasse” and turn north, cross the bridge over the river SPREE, turn right into the first street (Ziegelstr.) take the next (Kalkscheunenstr.) on the left, and you're there. Another good hostel is the Globetrotter Hostel Odyssee http://www.globetrotterhostel.de/ Grünberger Str. 23 (corner to Warschauer Str.) Tel./Fax: (+49) - (0)30 - 29 0000 81 - e-mail: odyssee@globetrotterhostel Or email: [email protected] Expect to pay 35 Euro for a single, 45-52 Euro for a double, 19 Euro per person in a triple, 17 Euro per person in a quad, and 13-15 Euro for a dormbed; free linens, all-you-can-eat breakfast cost 3 Euro; ISIC and HOE cardholders save 5% during summer. Laundry across the street. There is also a large new hostel called the Generator. http://www.thegenerator.co.uk/berlin/mainberlinhostel.cfm Most of the rooms have a sink and the place was clean and had a bar. This is a newly built hostel and is the largest

hostel in Germany (850 beds), (Tel: 0049(0)30-417 2400; Fax: 0049(0)30-417 24080; email: [email protected] This place is located at Storkower Straße #160 (next to the Olympic swimming pool and Berlin Arena (Velodrome) and the hostel is a large white and blue building right next to the “Landsberger Allee” S-Bahn Station. Expect to spend 12-16 Euro in a dorm, 23-27 Euro in a double, 19-24 Euro in a triple, 18-21 Euro in a quad, and 35-40 Euro in a single. Prices include breakfast and linens. One lodging option in Berlin to avoid is Pension Acksel Haus in Prenzlauer Berg. People have complained that they paid by credit card, and then when they got home they found additional charges on their card from this place. Also the service sucks. I have heard mixed things about a new hostel called Alcatraz. Before you leave your home, if you have extra time, check out http://www.berlin.de/english/index.html for info about Berlin. You can even view a map (click on Stadtplan at the top of the page). If you have extra time in Germany, Neuschwanstein (the Castle upon which Walt Disney based Cinderella’s palace) is neat to see. It is located in the Bavarian Alps (actually there are 2 castles at this location (the yellow one (Hohenschwangau) is less famous and about a 30-minute walk from the big one). You can diminish your wait considerably by getting there when it opens, either 8:30 or 9:00 (or the last English tour is at 4:00). I suggest visiting Neuschwanstein before the other places as the waits are far longer at Neuschwanstein than at Hohenschwangau. There are “time tickets” that you purchase in an office at the bottom, so you don’t have to wait in line at the castle. As for getting to the castles from Munich, go to www.db.de to view train schedules. It is very easy to use (go to the English section). For the smaller castle, visit: www.ticket-center-hohenschwangau.de You can even book your tickets before Europe if you want to go inside either castle. Expect to pay 9 Euro (8 Euro for students) to go into EITHER the Hohenschwangau Castle or the Neuschwanstein castle. Or you can buy a “King’s Ticket” which allows you to see both for 17 Euro (or 15 Euro for students). FYI - There is only one way to get to Hohenschwangau and that is to walk up a hill (20 minute walk). They have horse carriages available at Neuschwanstein, or 45 minute walk. Neuschwanstein is on the outskirts of the city of Fuessen. It is probably less expensive to stay in Füssen than in Munich and to try and do a daytrip. And it is less crowded early morning and late afternoon However, if you are based in Munich and are determined to see Neuschwanstein in a day trip, you can leave Munich at 7:51 and arrive in Fuessen at 9:57 (one change en route), or at 8:51 and arrive at 10:57 (no changes). A local bus will take you from the train station to the castle area.

There are returns from Fuessen at 18:05, arriving with one change at 20:16, or at 19:05 with no changes, arriving in Munich as 21:07. These are examples only (to give you an idea of the times involved), as there are departures in both directions throughout the day. Since the interiors of these two castles are not that memorable, I would suggest not wasting any money to go inside and spend your time walking to the little bridge (Marianbrucke Bridge) above the castles. You will get an amazing view (which is much more memorable than the interior of the castles). But some of the door carvings at Neuschwanstein are incredible. Leave yourself about an hour or two to see the town of Fuessen itself. It has its own castle, monastery, cathedral and a pedestrian-zone (medieval center). If you have even more time to kill in Germany, and you travel along the Rhine Valley (from Frankfurt north to Koeln (Cologne)), the small towns are cool to explore and Koeln is one of the bigger cities along the Rhine that may be worth stopping at. FYI- The most scenic part of the Rhine is the stretch between Wiesbaden/Mainz and Koblenz. This is where you will see the famous Lorelei rock, castles. In Koeln, when you get out of the train station you will be staring at this big black cathedral. Actually, the church is made out of white stone but the years of pollution have turned the stone black. You can climb the South Tower of the Cathedral (2 Euro). If you are taking a train that passes through Koeln, you might want to consider getting off the train and spending an hour our two in Koeln (the church is just outside the train station). Usually you can catch the next train to your destination shortly after your first train stopped in Koeln. I have never been to it, but I hear that the Stollwerk Chocolate factory has a real river of chocolate just like in Willy Wonka. Expect to pay 5.50 Euro or 3 Euro with an ISIC. To get there from the train station, leave the station through the main hall and go upstairs towards the cathedral. In front of that turn left and keep as close as possible to the railways. When you reach the railway-bridge over the Rhine go downstairs to the Rhine's bank (don't traverse it) and walk the promenade south (against the flow of the Rhine). After app. 1-2 km you will find a historical little bridge that covers the entrance to a little port and that can be opened by being rotated. If you traverse that bridge you find yourself directly in front of the chocolate museum. The walk from the station takes app. 10-15 minutes. If you’re into Roman history, there is a Roman-German museum right near the station and the cathedral, and be sure to check out the tombstones. Expect to pay 3.60 Euro or 2 Euro for ISIC Some venders sell some cheap food outside the train station. Also, there is a shopping street not far from the church. If you want to see this area, then make sure that you schedule your train travel during the day because there is no point in taking a night train through this part of Germany unless you have to. For cheap lodging options, consider the hostels:

Jugendgastehaus Koln-Riehl, Tel: 0221-767-081, e-mail: [email protected], 20 Euro (good hostel). IYHF Köln – Deutz Youth Hostel, City Hostel, located at #5 Siegesstr.; Tel: ++49 - 2 21 / 81 47 11; Fax: ++49 - 2 21 / 88 44 25; Email: [email protected]; or email: [email protected] Web: http://www.djhrheinland.org/jh/koeln-deutz/eng/index.htm Expect to pay 23 Euro for a dorm, 39.50 Euro for a single, 59.50 Euro for a twin room, and 93.20 Euro for a quad room. (prices include breakfast and linen) Station Backpacker Hostel, http://www.hostel-cologne.de/ It has 2 locations Tel: 0221-912-5301 or 49-(0)221-230247, e-mail [email protected] or : [email protected] or [email protected] 16-17 Euro in a dorm, 17.50-19.50 in a quad, 19-22 Euro in a triple, 21-25 Euro in a double, and 28-35 Euro in a single. No free breakfast. Very close to the train station and probably your best hostel choice in this city. A cheap hotel in Koeln is called Hotel Berg and can be found at http://www.hotelberg.de/englisch/index.shtml (it is 100 meters from the train station). Just exit the train station at the "Breslauer Platz" (Busstation) and go straight on in the Johannisstraße. The second street on the left is the Brandenburger Straße. The hotel is at number 6. Tel +49 221 9129162; EMail: [email protected]. For a single, expect to pay 41-62 Euro, and 49-72 Euro for a double. For great authentic German food in a restaurant with few tourists for good prices, and large portions, visit Haus Zeyen which is near the hostel by the Ottoplatz. This section of town is called Köln-Deutz, and it is located at #27 Neuhöfferstr. tel.: 0221 - 81 13 34. Expect to pay between 6-18 Euro. If you do not speak German, ask them for the English menu. Get there before 6pm, because they reserve many tables for the locals (as do most traditional German restaurants/bars). Another good place to eat near the Haus Zeyen is called Gaststätte Lommerzheim, and it is located at #27 Siegesstr. (closed Tuesdays). The place only has 3 meals on the menu. I suggest the cutlett (pork) with French fries and onions. They have great beer. You better arrive before 6pm if you want a chair. Another traditional place to eat is a brewpub in the Altstadt called Brauerei Zur Malzmühle, which serves Mühlen Kölsch beer. This place is known as as the best pub in the Köln and is a 5-story building and is about a 10-minute walk from the Dom, and is located at #6 Heumarkt. Expect to get main dishes for 8-12 Euro, and make sure to try a beer for which the place is named. Stuttgart – I suggest skipping this town on your first visit to Europe, but if you go to this town, then you will probably want to visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum (near Stuttgart -in Untertürkheim ) http://www.mercedesbenz.com/e/mbclassic/default.htm

Tel: +49 0711 172 25 78 Tuesday to Sunday - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Free admission) and/or the Porshe museum. (located 5 miles outside the city center) Tel: +49 0711 827 56 85 Tours available (must reserve) at 10:00 and 14:00. Admission is free – Open Monday to Friday - 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm There is also a Staatsgallerie which was a modern art museum with lots of big name sculptures and paintings. The YHA hostel is a 15 minute walk uphill from the train station (or take a street train, line 15, to “Eugensplatz” stop).. Expect open shower stalls (some of the only that I have ever seen in any hostels). Expect good, cheap food and beer. Tel: 0711/241583 Fax: 0711/2361041 Email: [email protected] 13-20 Euros Frankfurt – skip this town. Frankfurt is the banking/financial center of Germany (and therefore Europe). Many people have heard of Frankfurt and think that it must be a good place to visit. However, the reason that you have heard of Frankfurt is because Frankfurt has the biggest airport on the European continent and also the biggest railway station Europe (# of passengers per day). However, there is nothing really worth seeing in Frankfurt except modern architecture. If you really want to see this part of Germany, choose Mannheim, Rudesheim or Heidelberg instead. If you have a short lay-over and have ½ day to kill in Frankfurt, consider climbing up the Helaba Tower (a.k.a. Eurotower), It is about 200m high and you have a view on the whole town. Admission is 4.5 Euro. You could also consider going up to the roof terrace of Zeilgallerie mall for a (free) view of the city. The city’s open-air salon (Roemberg square) is nice. This square has reconstructed half-timber houses (WWII bombing destroyed most of the original buildings). A good cheap place to eat is to follow the students to Albatross café (#27 Kiestr) Tel: 707 27 69. Metro Bockenheimer Warte (west of the center (northwest of the hauptbahnhof). A great place to eat large portions of excellent food in a traditional German restaurant is at “Zum Lahmen Esel” which is located just outside the city at Niederursel. Take the U3 to Niederursel, and the tavern is opposite the U station. This place is great for people who eat meat and it even offers options for vegetarians. If you want to go out at night, forget what great things that you heard about the part of town known as the Alt Sachsenhausen. Things have changed and most of the stuff there is poor quality food at inflated prices. Now the scene is about a half mile away on Schweizer Strasse where you will find many bars, good restaurants and shops. Also try the streets near Hauptwache for bars and clubs.

If you ignore my advice and decide to spend multiple days in Frankfurt, then I suggest that you invest in a Wochenkarte, which is a one-week pass good for public transportation in Frankfurt (including the airport). It costs 17.80 Euro. Some people fly into Frankfurt for business and have a few days to kill. I always tell them to get the hell out of Frankfurt! I suggest taking a train to Mainz, then pay under 25 Euro and ride the Rhine ferry and get off at St Goar for about an hour and catch the ferry as it returns to Mainz. From the Frankfurt Airport, you can take the suburban train from the airport to Mainz (28 minutes). To get to downtown Frankfurt from the airport, go down to the lowest airport level and take the train to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) (12 minute ride). Then take the S Bahn to Hauptwache and walk around from there. The hostel in Frankfurt sucks. It is kind of a summer camp for German youth. I suggest skipping Frankfurt and staying in Mainz (see below). If you ignore me, then here is the HI hostel info. House of the Youth (Haus der Jugend), http://www.jugendherberge-frankfurt.de located at #12 Deutschherrnufer. Phone: 069 / 61 00 15 0, Fax: 069 / 61 00 15 99, E-Mail: [email protected] The only benefits are that they have lockers in the rooms and all-youcan eat breakfast. Expect to pay 16 Euro of 20 Euro if you are over 26 years old in a dorm. Otherwise, in a quad you will pay 20 Euro each, 25 Euro each in a double, 30 Euro in a single. If you are 27 years old or older expect to pay 4 Euro extra. Another option in Frankfurt is Pension Backer http://www.hotel-backer.de/ Expect to pay 25 Euro for a single, 40 Euro for a double, and 45 Euro for a triple. Mainz The HI hostel in Mainz was remodeled a few years ago and is right on the Rhine River on the south end of town, with a bar/cafe open in the evenings. The contact info is: Otto-Brunfels-Schneise 4 55130 Mainz Tel: 06131/85332 Fax: 06131/82422 email: [email protected] It is located on the outskirts of town, in the sports facility of the Wiesenauer Volkspark. The Volkspark is a large green area with soccer fields and playgrounds. Call ahead because it is often full. It's about 20 min. to Frankfurt airport from the nearby Mainz Süd train station (a 20 minute walk from the hostel). The hostel is located about 30-minute walk into the town center. The hostel has a breakfast buffet. Hamburg – If you go to this town, there are two good hostels. Check their websites www.schanzenstern.de and Instant Sleep (www.instantsleep.de). Regarding Instant Sleep, from the hauptbahnhof (main train station) take the S-Bahn / underground U3 or S 11/21 or S 31 to the Sternschanze stop. From there you can either walk 5 minutes or take bus number 115 (in the direction klein

flottbek or s-othmarschen-süd) to schulterblatt. Expect to pay 15-17 Euro in a dorm, 28 Euro in a single, 22 Euro in a double, 20 in a triple, 18 Euro in a quad. This hostel is located above a bar, so it is noisy at night. Email: [email protected] Tel: +49 40 43 18 23 10. This place is a 10minute walk from the “Reeperbahn” which is the center of nightlife. Regarding Hotel Schanzenstern, there are two locations and one is located at #24-26 Kleine Rainstraße (called Schanzenstern Altona) Tel.:(0049)(0)-40 / 399 191 91, email: [email protected] Expect to pay 18 Euro in a dorm, 40 Euro for a single, 65.00 Euro for a double, 55 Euro for a double with bunkbeds, 80 Euro for a quad. Breakfast costs 6 Euro. This location is easily accessible from Hamburg’s Altona station (just a 5-minute walk) However, from Hamburg central station, you will have to take the S-Bahn (S31). The second location for the Hotel Schanzenstern is at #12 Bartelsstraße (called Schanzenstern St. Pauli) Tel.:(0049)-(0)-40 / 439 84 41, email: [email protected] Expect to pay 18 Euro for a dorm, 36 Euro in a single, 51 Euro for a double, 61 Euro for a triple, 74 Euro for a quad, 91 Euro for 5 persons. Breaklfast costs either 4 Euro for a small breakfast or 6 Euro for a buffet. To get to this lodging, go to Hamburg-Dammtor station and then transfer to the S-Bahn S21 or S31 in the direction of Altona and go to Bahnhof Sternschanze. From there it is a 5-minute walk to the hotel. Another hostel is called auf dem Stintfang (HI), www.hihostel.com which is located at #5 Alfred-Wegener-Weg (overlooking the harbour and a 5minute walk from the “Reeperbahn” which is the center of nightlife. Tel: 49-40-31 34 88. E-mail [email protected] In dorms, expect to pay 18.80 Euro, or if you are 27+ years old, then you will pay 21.80 Euro. In a double, expect to pay 46.60 Euro for the room, and in a quad, you will pay 87.20 Euro for the room. The hostel is 2 km from the main train station, but is only 200 meters from public transport such as Bus #112, and Landungsbrucken #U3,S1,S2,S3 . Pension Am Rathaus, located at #14 Rathausstraße (Take the U-bahn to the stop called Rathaus and walk from there). Tel.: 040/337489 Fax: 040/303 93 834 email: [email protected] Expect to pay 22, 25, or 28 Euro for a single. This does not include breakfast. There is not that much historical beauty in Hamburg because Hamburg hasn't been restored following WWII as much as, say Munich. There's a botanical garden and a good zoo if those are things you like. Hamburg has a section of town known as the Reeperbahn District, which is similar to Amsterdam’s red light district. In addition to prostitutes, this section is also home to many good clubs and bars. The standard scam in the Reeperbahn is when a guy goes into a club or bar and a good-looking woman joins you and requests that you buy her a drink, expect to pay $100-$200 for that drink. You will be forced to pay and forget about arguing about it because the drink prices are posted (in very small print) outside the establishment. The

bouncer will even escort you to an ATM if you don’t have the money on you. This scam is run in other towns, but it is prevalent in Hamburg. Dresden – good city to visit (if you must choose between Dresden and Leipzig, choose Dresden). Visit http://www.dresden-tourist.de/eng/homepage.html for more info about this city. The official HI guesthouse is at Jugendgastehaus Dresden (Maternistrasse 22) and costs 17 Euro ($15 USD). It is big, very clean & within walking distance from the town center. The 2 best hostels in the Neustadt are Die Boofe and Mondpalast. Regarding Die Boofe www.boofe.de email to [email protected] it is located in a 5-story red building at #10 Hechtstraße, Tel: 0049-351-8013361, Fax: 0049351-8013362. Expect to pay 29 Euro for a single, 22 Euro in a double, and 14.50 Euro in a quad. Breakfast costs 4.60 Euro and linens cost 2.75 Euro. Regarding Mondpalast www.mondpalast.de. expect to pay 13.5 Euro for dorm, 29-39 Euro in a single, 18.50-25 Euro in a double, 16 Euro in a triple, 1618.50 in a quad, and 15 Euro in a room with 5-6 beds. tel and fax 0049 351 804 6061 or 0049 351 563 4050 - email [email protected] or [email protected] There is no curfew and no lock out, they have a self-service kitchen and internet access.. Also consider Lolli’s Homestay. http://www.lollishome.de/en/index.html Expect to pay 13 Euro for a dorm, 27 Euro for a single room, 18 Euro per person in a double room, 16 Euro per person in a triple. Also expect to pay 2 Euro for linen, 3 Euro for breakfast. Email: [email protected] Tel; +49 (0) 351-799 30 25. Located 15 minute walk from the “Neustadt” train station (or 3 minutes to tram lines 7 or 8, and 2 minutes from bus line 91) Leipzig – This city is smaller than Dresden. Consider lodging in the Sleepy Lion Hostel (www.hostel-leipzig.de) located at Käthe-Kollwitz-Str. #3, Tel: +49/341/9939480; fax +49/341/9939482; email: [email protected] Expect to pay 14 Euro for a dorm, 16 Euro for a quad, 20 Euro for a double and 28 Euro for a single. Plus linen cost 2 Euro and breakfast costs 3 Euro. Internet access is 2 Euro per hour, no curfew and no age restrictions. From the train station, take a tram from the central tram station located directly in front of the train station. Take tram # 1 (direction “Lausen” ). Get a “Kurzstrecke” (short journey) tram ticket, which costs 1 Euro. Get off at the second tram stop (Gottschedstraße). The Sleepy Lion Hostel is directly across the road from the tram stop. You can save 1 Euro by walking from the train station (15-minute walk). Visit the webpage for directions and map. AUSTRIA Vienna was rated as the #10 city in Europe by Travel and Leisure magazine. There is plenty of history here and plenty of music events. Some of the churches and palaces are amazing. Make sure to eat Wiener Schnitzel when you are in this city since it was invented here! There are plenty of people selling you opera and theatre and orchestra tickets, and if you can afford them, you should try to do

one of these. In August you should head to the Filmfestival (on the Rathausplatz) in the evening. They present (for free) movies of operas and concerts every night on large screens. Mozart had 13 addresses in this city and Beethoven had 64 addresses here. However, only one of Mozart’s addresses in Vienna still exists, called the Figaro House. Vienna offers a Vienna card ($18.50) which is good for 3 days of free public transportation and reduced admission to museums. FYI – the Vienna Boys Choir always sings at 9:15 mass on Sunday mornings at the Hofburg’s chapel (Burgkapelle). Visit http://www.wsk.at for more info. In Vienna’s Rossau district the Liechenstein Museum will open for the first time on March 28, 2004 (so it probably will not be in many travel books). Tel: 43/1/3195/7670; It will be daily (except Tuesdays), 9am – 8pm. Web: liechtensteinmuseum.at Expect to pay 5 Euro with your student ID. To get here by: Tram - take route D to Porzellangasse; Bus - Route #40A to Bauernfeldplatz; Underground - U4 to Rossauer Lände, then walk about 600 metres to the Fürstengasse entrance, or U4 to Friedensbrücke, change to tram no. 5 or 33 to Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, then about 150 metres on foot to the Alserbachstrasse entrance. Food: Head to the Naschmarkt where you can find traditional Austrian food, but also Turkish and Greek fare. Expect to see souvlaki, bratwurst, smoked ham and duck, grilled sausage and fresh bread. The Naschmarkt is a buffet-style restaurant chain, offering a good choice of meals, including a three-course lunch menu for 5 Euro (6 Euro on weekends). There is also a branch at #1 Schottengasse and another at #16 Schwarzenbergplatz. Another good idea is to head to the popular student eatery called Centimeter II (located at Stiftgasse #4) where you can get huge portions of Austrian dishes at low prices (4-6 Euro). www.centimeter.at Actually there is a Centimeter I, Centimeter II, Centimeter III and a Centimeter IV, and each one is located at a different part of the city. The other three locations are: Lenaugasse II, Liechensteinstrasse #42, Zieglergasse #42. Another place to eat is Plutzer Braeu http://www.plutzerbraeu.at which is located at #2 Schrankgasse (on the corner of Stiftgasse). You can eat traditional Austrian food. Expect to pay about 6 Euro for lunch. There are nearly 30 Schnitzelhaus (fast food) around the city. You can get decent food for cheap (schnitzel with fries or potato salad costs €3.30, a cordon bleu is €4.30, and the grandaddy schnitzel, (Bigone Gusto Fonso), is €6.20). As is true for most of Europe, the cheapest sit-down food is usually in the university restaurants (Mensas). They usually only serve weekday lunches, but anyone can go there (you do not need to be a student, however, an ISIC card may get you a small discount. In the Innerstadt, there is a Mensa at #7 Universitatsstrasse. Take the cool elevator to the 6th floor and then walk up one

more floor. The cafe adjoining the Mensa has the same meals and longer hours (8am to 6pm weekdays), and it stays open over summer. One block away from the above-mentioned Mensa is Cafe Bierkeller Zwillings Gewolb (#5 Universitatsstrasse), Their daily specials start at 3.65 Euro – open Monday – Saturday for lunch and dinner Also nearby, is the Katholisches Studenthaus Mensa (#8 Ebendorferstrasse) M-F and lunch only (closed August to mid-September). Expect to pay 3-5 Euro. The most central university cafeteria is the Music Academy Mensa (#8 Johannesgasse). Breakfast for 2 Euro (until 10:30) and lunch only 3-4.50 Euro. You will find several pizzerias but Pizza Bizi is the best (#4 Rotenturmstrasse 4). They have pizzas 4 to 5.50 Euro (or 2.20 Euro for one slice), pasta with a choice of sauces is 5 Euro, and they have salad and vegetable buffets. Pizza Bizi also has a takeaway counter at #21 Franz Josefs Kai and at #22-24 Mariahilfer Strasse in the 7th district. If you like Chinese food, there are two places worth eating at: China Restaurant Turandot (#2 Vorlaufstrasse). They have an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for 6 Euro (7.75 Euro on weekends and weekday evenings). The other option is Restaurant Siam where you can get all-you-can-eat buffets during the week starting at 6 Euro at #6 Krugerstrasse. Here is a tip if you will be in or near the U3 Erdberg subway station (such as if you are taking a bus (Eurolines or the SkyEurope Shuttle). Adjacent to the bus stop is the PricewaterhouseCoopers building. There is a newly opened cafeteria (canteen) inside the PricewaterhouseCoopers building. Anyone can just walk inside the building, stay on the main floor and veer to your left and buy an excellent meal for 4 Euros. As for public transportation, expect to pay 1.50 Euro for a single ticket, 5 Euro for a 24-hour ticket, and 12 Euro for a 72-hour ticket. Also a one-week (Monday to Monday ticket) is 12.50 Euro. I think that the best deal is the 8-day ticket (8-tages-Karte) for 24 Euro – this type of ticket is like the Dutch strippenkart and has 8 strips (each strip allows one person to travel for one day). Thus, you can use it also for 2 people travelling togeather for 4 days or 4 people for 2 days or any other combiniation like that. Even if you do not use all of the stripes, you can sell the remaining stripes to anyone because anyone can use it – locals or tourists. Maybe stay at Hostel Zohrer – nice place for about $11. Also consider Hostel Ruthensteiner (near the Westbahnhof) www.hostelruthensteiner.com Expect to pay 11-13 Euro in a dorm, 19-21 Euro per person in a double, 13-14 Euro in a triple or quad. It is well-run, but do not expect it to be the liveliest place. It is located 3 minutes walking from the train station and about a 20-minute walk from town. It has single and double rooms, Internet access and 24 hour reception. Telephone: 43-1-8934202 E-Mail: [email protected].

The hostel Wombats http://www.wombats.at/ is very popular and will run you 13.80 Euro a night, incl. Sheets and has big rooms, a bar and a little outdoor courtyard area to eat and hang out. If either Ruthensteiner or Wombats is booked, then the other is only a block down the road from the other. Expect to pay 16 Euro for a dorm, 21 Euro in a double, and about 40 Euro for a single room. Breakfast costs 3.50 Euro. Tel +43 1 897 23 36. Email [email protected] There are 3 train stations in Vienna. From Westbahnhof take the main exit and turn right on to Mariahilfer Straße. Follow Mariahilfer Straße until No. 152 (corner Rosinagasse). Turn right into Rosinagasse and go straight until Grangasse number 6. Also consider the recently (2002) renovated Westend City Hostel located at Fugergasse 3. Must pay in cash. 24 hour reception. Internet access. Expect the price to include breakfast. Tel: +4315976729 Also the Believe it or Not Hostel, located at Myrthengasse 10, Apt. # 14, Tel: 00 43 1 526 46 58 It coasts about 10 euros/night, has a kitchen, the maximum number of people at a time is 16, and it's in a fun area of vienna (the 7th district), Expect a 15 minute walk to old city center. For a pension, try Pension Wild, located at #10 Lange Gasse (at the intersection with Trautsongasse) which is near the parliament on the ring. Tel. +43 (0)1 406 51 74; Fax +43 (0)1 / 402 21 68; email: [email protected] web: www.pension-wild.com Expect to pay 37-65 Euro for a single, 45-89 Euro for a double, 78-102 for a triple. Another pension is Pension Dr. Geissler. Tel: 1/533 28 03; Fax: 1/533 26 35; metro – Schwedenplatz (a half block away). Expect to pay 50 Euro /night for a double for a large clean room with a TV and a sink. It is located just inside the ring of the old city. Another pension is called Gally Apartments http://www.gally.biz/ Expect to pay 30-37 Euro for a single, 22-36 Euro each in a double, and 20-25 Euro each in a triple. Tel: +43 1 89 29 073; Fax: +43 1 89 31 028; email: [email protected] These apartments are located at #25 Arnsteingasse (between the Westbahnhof and Schonbrun Palace), on a sidestreet off of Mariahilfer Strasse. From the Westbahnhof, take tram 52 or 58 three stops to Kranzgasse or walk on Mariahilfer Straße in direction of Schönbrunn Palace - Arnsteingasse is the eight street on the left side. You can get some cheap food at a place called Bizi Pizza which is right next to (just north of) the Stephansdom, located at #4 Rotenturmstrasse Salzburg – there is a really cool castle/fortress in this city (on top of a hill). Also the Sound of music tours available all over the city for which you can expect to pay 33 Euro for a 4-hour tour. Another interesting thing to see just outside Salzburg is the ice caves. http://www.eisriesenwelt.at/ Expect this day trip to cost about 32 Euro without food. You can reach the ice caves by taking the train from Salzburg to Eisreisenwelt. From the train station in Werfen, you take the shuttlebus (Firma

WEISS). Expect to pay the following costs: Train ticket from Salzburg – Werfen and back to Salzburg (15 Euro). The shuttlebus from Werfen up to the car park costs about 5.6- Euro. From the car park you walk for 15 minutes up to the Wimmer Hütte. Then you can either take the cable-car 500 meters up to the Dr.Oedl Haus (3-minute ride) or you can walk up the mountain path (90 minute walk). The Dr-Oedl Haus sells homely cuisine and offers a panoramic view from the terrace. Here is an example of the prices for food at the Dr-Oedl Haus: They have 3 plates of the day which include a soup, warm meat, either potatoes or gnocchi, and a dessert (ice cream or cake) for 13.50 Euro. They also sell these things al a carte and the prices are: soup = 2.60 - 4 Euro, warm meals such as grilled pork cutlet served with roast potatoes and salad cost 7-10 Euro. From the Dr- Oedl Haus you walk another 15 minutes to the entrance of the caves. You can only visit from May-October from 9.00 - 15.30 (16.30 in July or August). Expect to pay 17 Euro for the cave entrance and cable car ride. Expect the tour to last 75 minutes, but allow 3-4 hours for the whole visit. Make sure to wear heavy shoes and warm clothing (even in summer) because the caves get very cold (hence the name). Photography and filming are forbidden. If you want to call for information, try +43/(0)6468/5248 or 5291 Email: [email protected] A great hostel to party at is called YoHo (short for Youth Hostel). FYI – many Americans and Australians inhabit this place. The hostel has a bar in it and everyone is standing on the tables with a beer in their hand and singing songs at night. It is located at #9 Paracelsusstrasse; Tel: 43.(0)662. 87 96 49, Fax: 43.(0)662. 87 88 10. It is near the train station. Expect to pay 13015 Euro in a dorm, 16-18 Euro in a quad, or 18 Euro in a double. Breakfast costs 2-4 Euro. They also offer yummy and cheap food. If hostels are not your thing, try the 3-star Amadeus Hotel and expect to pay 48 Euro for a single (but the price varies by season). The hotel is located in the heart of the old town (about 20 min from the station) at Linzer Gasse #43-45. There is a B&B outside of Salzburg- Haus Christine. Expect to pay 17 Euro /night. Take the local train (Regionalzug) one station to the stop Maria Plain (15 min train ride from Salzburg – Hauptbahnhof) to Salzburg- Maria Plain Station. A five minute walk up hill to the house, but the owner will pick you up from the train station as well with notice. Haus Christine, Panoramaweg # 3 (tel/fax 45 67 63) or (45 67 73). Also Haus Matilda Lindner (Christine's sister) Panoramaweg # 5 (tel/fax 45 66 81) www.haus-lindner.at. This B&B is located next to the above B&B. Another B&B is Pension Barbara A-5023 Salzburg, Schillinghoftr, 14 telefon: (0662) 64-91-20 email: [email protected] Also consider Pension Elisabeth http://www.pension-elisabeth.at which is located at Vogelweiderstraße 52, Tel & Fax +43-662-871664. During summer season expect to pay 35-44 Euro for a single, 42-66 Euro for a double, 72-78 Euro for a triple, These prices include breakfast. The Pension is a 10-minute walk behind the train station. Don't go downstairs but stay at the platforms. You will

find a bridge (with stairs) crossing all the tracks. At the backside of the trainstation you turn left, the first right, the first left again (onto Breitenfelderstraße). Walk 200m ahead until you get to the traffic-light (Vogelweiderstraße). The pension is a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute bus ride to the center of town (bus # 15). Also consider Institute St Sebastian www.st-sebastian-salzburg.at. This place is mainly a female dormitory during the school year with some rooms set aside for travelers. You will hear students practicing instruments (even during the summer) The rooms include lockers and the bathrooms and showers were clean. They also have a kitchen and a rooftop patio overlooking the town. Breakfast is included. This B & B is a short walk from the main part of town and the train station. The doors are locked past 11pm, but everyone is given a key for entry. Expect to pay 14.50 – 17 Euro for a dorm, 26-33 Euro for a single, 38.50 – 54 Euro for a double, 55.50-69 Euro for a triple, and 69-84 for a quad. Once I paid to go into Mozart’s birth house and it really was quite disappointing – I am not sure what I was thinking. Innsbruck – while in Innsbruck avoid the HI hostels. Although the independent hostels are nothing great, they are better than the HI hostels. Maybe try Hostel St. Nikolaus http://www.hostelnikolaus.at/ Tel: +43 0512/286515. Fax: 286515-14 Email:[email protected] No curfew. The hostel is a 20-minute walk from the train station or you can just take Bus D at the main train-station, to the Youth Hostel St. Nikolaus stop (Schmelzergasse). Expect to pay 15.80 Euro for a dorm, 20.20 Euro for a double, 17.60 Euro for a triple, and 17 Euro for a quad. They have a free breakfast buffet. There is also a Pension Glockenhaus connected to the St. Nickolaus hostel. For the Pension, expect to pay 30 Euro for a single and 23 Euro for a double Another pension is Pension Paula http://www.pensionpaula.at/ located at #15 Weiherburggasse. Tel: +43 512 29 22 62; fax: +41 512 29 30 17; Expect to spend 26-33 Euro for a single; 44-53 Euro for a double; 58-69 Euro for a triple; and 78 Euro for a quad (all prices include breakfast). This place is near the Hostel St. Nikolaus. From the train station you need to take the D bus towards St. Nickolaus and get off at Schmelzergasse. Follow the signs for Alpenzoo until you pass the Buechsenhausen Castle. Graz – This town is missed by most backpackers, but has a great nightlife, due to the fact that it is a college town (45,000 students). It is just over 4 hours away from Salzburg and 2 ½ hours from Vienna. The contemporatry art museum (www.kunsthausgraz.at ) is called the “friendly alien” because of it’s unique design. The HI hostel is Jugendgaestehaus Graz and is located at Idhofg. #74, Tel: 71 48 76. Expect to pay 17 Euro for a dorm, 24 Euro for a single, 40 Euro for

a double. Their scam is to charge an extra couple of Euro if you stay less than 3 nights. There is a small town in Austria that is called "Fucking." http://www.fucking.at/fucking/Index1.htm This town is pronounced "fooking," and is named after a man (named Focko) who founded the village in the 6th century. The town sign has been stolen often and they have had to use a lot more concrete and longer screws to prevent theft. Some people might want to visit this town so they can get a picture standing next to the sign. The town of Fucking actually is comprised of two town parts, one is called Oberfucking and the other is called Unterfucking. The town of Fucking is south of Linz (near Salzburg). To get to Fucking Austria, take a bus from the train station in Suben: departs Suben Bahnhof 11:25 and arrives at 11:32 at Oberfucking Postbus 2302 Richtung Andorf. Also you can leave Suben Bahnhof at 12:32 and arrive at 12:39 at Oberfucking Postbus 2302 Richtung Eggerding.