Vilnius Hostels....and Dublin - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

phesquire · 10-01-2007, 05:29 PM

Hey guys!

Just wondering: What do you all recommend for which hostel to stay at in Vilnius? I wouldnt mind hearing some opinions!

Oh and same goes for Dublin (wrong post area I know), any one got the low down? I would appreciate it!

Lots of Love

**mbo108** · 10-01-2007, 05:37 PM

I stayed at the Ashfield House in Dublin back in June 2005. There were 3 of us and we stayed in a 6 bed dorm. It was a great cental location, not too expensive, and our room was clean and pretty quiet at night. I would definitely recommend it.

**Elizabeth** · 10-01-2007, 07:03 PM

avoid avalon house...strict rules and it has an institutionalized feeling, its too big to really meet anyone

**joe7f** · 10-01-2007, 09:24 PM

^Agreed, for some reason it is highly regarded. My room smelled like a locker room. I was glad I just spent two nights.

I stayed at Oliver St Johns Gogherty in Temple Bar on my leg back, and it was okay. I didn't see a common area or some such but the whole area is just filled with a bunch of merry drunks (mostly foreigners) so it is probably a good time (I arrived there after a long bus ride from Northern Ireland so I just wanted to hit the bed)

I was in Dublin for 3 days, I think it is kind of overrated but would need another stay to be sure. The Liffey riverside is really nice though.

--Joey

**freakypete** · 10-02-2007, 12:38 AM

I was in Vilnius last summer, stayed in the Old Town Hostel. We really enjoyed it, nice staff, clean, firendly and easy to meet people. We ended up staying there about 6/7 nights, partly because we were enjoying it so much and partly because we wanted to see Vilnius when it finally stopped raining!

I think they have 3 different hostels, one is right in the centre, the other about 10 minutes walk away, not sure where the third one is. We had to move half way through (because we hadnt booked in advance) to the one right in the centre. Both of the ones we stayed were great though, would definitely recommend it.

**MeTurk** · 10-02-2007, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe7f

I was in Dublin for 3 days, I think it is kind of overrated but would need another stay to be sure.

Your not wrong there. Dublin has been over run with money and construction work so it's not a very historical city anymore 3 days would be enough to see most the sites I'd say. The GPO, Dublin castle, Croagh park, stevens green, the four courts are all more or less in the centre of the city. There is allot to see around Dublin like the Hill of Tara THE most important historical site in Ireland, which they're now building a road though.

**Elizabeth** · 10-02-2007, 03:27 PM

agreed on dublin being overrated. my first impression of the city was that it was dirty. I had never seen so many cigarette butts on the ground lol. it was the middle of june yet it was still freezing. there's not too much to see. i didnt even venture into temple bar...ka ching. I spent the night drinking with locals in the airport hehe

**MeTurk** · 10-03-2007, 05:48 AM

If you want to see the real Ireland you need to head west, or south. Anywhere outside of Dublin really.

**Dig** · 10-04-2007, 06:38 PM

I stayed at paddy's hostel in Dublin and I would give it a C rating. However, I don't think hostels in Dublin are all that spiffy. But I did have a friggin awesome time in Dublin. The city is not all that pretty to look at, but the people there more then make up for it. Everyone I met was so friendly and wanted to have a grand time.

**joe7f** · 10-04-2007, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dig

Everyone I met was so friendly and wanted to have a grand time.

I agree, and imo, that goes for the entire country. I remember thinking I would try to press my luck with a very focused career woman typing into her blackberry. Surely she would blow me off...nope, walked me right to Temple Bar (which she despised and gave me tips on a trad pub in Galway) and had a nice conversation about all the places I had been to. The Irish are just awesome people

--Joey

**tumblezweedz** · 10-31-2007, 02:26 PM

In Vilnius the third hostel is up either in the top of Uzupis or in Antakalnis (they kind of blend together at the top end), but the two closer in to town are easier to get to and more convenient to most of the stuff that you want to see.

If you dredge through some of the older posts in this section, there's a fair bit of info about Vilnius. We had the good fortune to live there for two years, and several other people have also visited it and shared their tips. Most recently we were there last Easter, and discovered quite a few changes since we left two years ago - mostly for the better, from the visitor's perspective.

There are plenty of dirt cheap places to eat - soups make delicious and filling meals in themselves, and are a very cheap way to go. Also, you can get a cheap roll and hot chocolate at Pieno Baras that makes a good breakfast for around a Euro. There's a new kibinai place near Ausros Vartai that serves an extremely filling meal for about a Euro, as well, and Mano Guru on Vilniaus, as well as any of the Cili Kaimas chain (there's one in Vokeciu and one just off Gedimino downtown) serve kose (kosh-ai) for breakfast for about a Euro as well. Lithuanian food is designed to keep you warm and full.

Funny how many people comment on Dublin being dirty. We were there this August, and didn't find it particularly objectionable. Spent two days and didn't see everything we wanted, but we are sometimes hampered by having to consider the needs, interests and walking speeds of our four kids.

But we spent the first five days of our visit in Co. Donegal and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, history, relaxed atmosphere, hiking, beaches, blustery weather, tidepools... If you do have any time to spend, your visit would certainly be the richer for getting out of the city for a bit.