I have booked my hostles for Europe:

London Smart Hyde Park View
Amsterdam Bob's Youth Hostel
Venice La Gondola
Rome Friendship Hostel
Barcelona Youth Hostel Barcelona Mar
Madrid Cat's Hostel

I am still looking for a good, inexpensive one in Paris. Any suggestions?

Does anyone have any comments or tips about these hostels?

Thanks
:thumbup:

Can't go wrong with Smart Hyde Park. :thumbup:

Check out the reviews at Hostelz.com - so far, what I saw looks pretty positive.

I don't know anything about the places you listed, but as far as Paris goes, Le Villege Hostel in Montmartre was probably the best hostel I stayed in during my entire trip. It's 20-23 euro for a dorm. Extremely clean, great neighborhood (its not central, but it's close to a metro stop), friendly workers, it's pretty quiet -- definitely not a party atmosphere -- but it's easy to meet other travellers.

http://www.villagehostel.fr/

Good luck.

-Rob

i stayed at barcelona del mar youth hostel, it served its purpose. no curfew, 4 or 5 blocks from las ramblas. youll walk past some shady area though, prostitutes, etc. to get to the ramblas.

I have read some bad things about Bob's in Amsterdam. It is supposed to be pretty dirty, but is cheap and has a good location. I would suggest a substitute, but the place I stayed at, Flying Pig Downtown, had some poor reviews as well and I liked it just fine. So hopefully Bob's will be cool.

If you still have some time, for Barcelona, I'd recommend Kabul Youth Hostel. Not ideal if you want to sleep, but it's fantastic for meeting people and in an ideal location. If memory serves, the one you're at is by the beach, which is nice, but a farther walk into the heart of the city.

For Amsterdam, I'd recommend Flying Pig Downtown in an instant. A fantastic location, great staff, and a good place to meet people.

If you are traveling with kids, I would recommend the Voldenspark hostel in Amsterdam. Very clean not a party place.