High on Hostels, From Farmhouses to Chalets

I had never in my 65 years stayed at a hostel, but on the way to some volunteering duty at Yosemite National Park in May and June this year I had to stop over in Sacramento, Calif. A friend recommended the HI-Sacramento (916-443-1691, http://www.norcalhostels.org/sac/index.html ; beds from $25). The hostel, in a classic Victorian house, was large, clean and comfortable, and it had such amenities as computer access and laundry and kitchen privileges. It's close to the Amtrak station and the state capitol, and the airport is a quick shuttle away.

The rooms were bunk rooms, but not too crowded, and the staff was friendly and efficient.

Jim Lynch, King George, Va.

International

For backpackers who love extreme sports and enjoy meeting new people, there is only one place in Europe to go: Funny Farm Hostel (011-41-79-652-61-27, http://www.funny-farm.ch/ ; beds from $20) in Interlaken, Switzerland. My friend and I stayed there in August 2005 in an eight-bed en suite room for about $25 a night. The hostel has a pool, a climbing wall, a volleyball court, a bonfire, a pool bar, a nightclub in the basement and a restaurant. We enjoyed free breakfast on the outdoor patio in a lovely garden, with snow-capped mountains providing a beautiful backdrop.

The extreme-sport activities include skydiving, glacier climbing, hang gliding and zorbing (rolling around while strapped inside a giant plastic ball), and you can book them all at the hostel. There's a quaint town with lots of restaurants and shops, mountains to hike and two crystal-blue lakes.

I have to mention that I met my fiance while staying at Funny Farm. He's English, and we stayed in the same room. He joined my roommate and me on our travels after we left Interlaken. A month later he was flying to D.C. to visit, three months after that I was living in London, and in a year we'll be married.

Emily Knoerl, Woodbridge

I backpacked for a month around Europe this summer, and my favorite hostel was Palmers Lodge (011 - 44-207-483-8470, http://www.palmerslodge.co.uk/ ; beds from $27) in London. It was a big old Victorian house converted into a hostel, and we loved it. We paid about $32 per person to stay in a 10-person, females-only room, with bathrooms/showers connected to the room. It included free breakfast and free Internet. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the room and bathrooms/showers were very clean and comfortable. It was also our only hostel that actually had carpeting in the rooms, a welcome change from cold tile floors.

A large common room with computers, TVs and couches for lounging was great for relaxing after a long day of sightseeing. Palmers Lodge is a short walk from the Swiss Cottage tube station, which is only about a 10- to 15-minute ride to downtown London.

Kristin Lewis, Rockville

The Freedom Traveller Hostel (011-39-06-478-238-62, http://www.freedom-traveller.it/ ; beds from $21) in Rome has to be one of the best values for your money. For $47, I got not only a bed, but also a clean shower (a few more stalls wouldn't have hurt), free Internet, breakfast and -- something not common at most hostels I know of -- a free dinner. It's nothing special, just marinara or Alfredo pasta, but it's a wonderful chance to socialize, as I discovered during my stay in December 2005.

Within walking distance of Termini station, Freedom Traveller is in a tall building with the most charming, most stereotypically Italian elevator ever: a little rickety thing barely big enough for one person and luggage. The hostel's common area and back garden are gorgeous, so much so that you might forget that all of Rome is just around the corner.