Pensione Papa Germano
Via Calatafimi, 14   
Rome, Italy

Doubles: shared bath: €50-85, private bath: €65-110

The Pensione Papa Germano in Rome, Italy, is a tried and true friend to Cheapos. It ain’t fancy, but rooms are attractive and clean… and affordable, with doubles starting at €50. The best part? The owner, Papa himself, is as jolly as they come.

Located two blocks north of “Termini,” Rome’s main train station, the Papa Germano feels a bit like a deluxe hostel. Offering singles with shared toilets (€35-55) to dorm-style quads (€20-30 per person), Papa won us over with budget rates in a city that can sometimes seem unaffordable.

Pensione Papa Germano is pretty standard when it comes to decor, but rooms do offer minibars and satellite TVs, and a couple of other nice touches.  And, there’s free Internet throughout the building. 

When in Rome, you should consider “Coming to Papa!”

Cheapo tip: Book a room with a shared shower and save about €20 a night!

Read our full review of the Papa Germano, or check out our complete list of recommended budget hotels in Rome.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Hotel les Chansonniers
113, Boulevard de Menilmontant   
Paris, France

Doubles €55-68

We love scouting out small, quirky hotels in Paris. Happily, the city is full of independent, charming hotels that offer rooms at very reasonable rates. One that we have an especially deep “crush” on is Hotel les Chansonniers (”The Singers”). Located a bit off-the-beaten path, this cheery hotel has a whole lotta heart and soul, and 40 clean and cheap rooms.

If you stay at Les Chansonniers, be sure to say hello to the lovely owner, Madame Sellam. She has a passion for music and takes pride in rooms touting the lives of great songstresses like Edith Piaf. The minute you step inside the note-worthy lobby and hotel bar, you’ll swoon.

What do we mean when we say “off the beaten path”? The property is in the Republique neighborhood, a bit northeast of the main sights, but very well connected by the Metro. The area is busy and working-class. It’s not Latin Quarter touristy, but brims instead with local activity. In short, it may not be right for first-time travelers to Paris who want a hotel steps from the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame.

Read our full review of Hotel les Chansonniers.

Cheapo tip: Try to stay in one of the two top-floor rooms that come with Jacuzzis!

Find more budget hotels in Paris and read our budget guide to traveling in Paris. 

Popularity: 11% [?]

Locanda Casa Querini
Castello 4388 - Campo San Zaninovo
Venice, Italy

Doubles: €93-197

Venice can be an tricky place to find reasonable accommodations. You dream of a room facing a canal, or at least something with a nice view. And, that will cost you.

Thankfully, there are several hotels in our hotel guide to Venice where rooms with a view can be had at reasonable rates. Take, for instance, the lovely Locanda Casa Querini, where half of the 11 rooms look out onto the surprisingly tranquil Santo Giovanni Novo square.

Benefiting from its prime location minutes from San Marco square, Querini’s rooms sparkle with bright, blue tones. After our visit here, we were screaming, “Love the bedspreads, the curtains, the carpeting! Love all of it!”

Read our full review of the Casa Querini.

Also see: Our full list of recommended budget hotels in Venice.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Albergo Guerrato, pension
Calle drio la Scimia 240/a
San Polo, Venice
Doubles € 100-140 

We first fell in love with Albergo Guerrato because of its location. Just a short walk from the Rialto Bridge, it holds a coveted place in the lovely San Polo area of Venice.

But, then there was the ambiance. The Guerrato is an ex-convent, whose beginnings date to the 1200s.  Today, the owners seem to be decorating decidedly less ‘convent’ than ‘Dolce & Gabbana atelier’ —as our EC reviewer, Annie Shapero, said of her last visit.

Rooms are fit for kings, queens, and anyone with a taste for antiques. Most rooms have oriental rugs, lavish furnishings, and beautifully carved windows. When you’ve tired of the indoor ambiance, step outside where the hipster nightlife surrounding Guerrato will keep you satiated.

Read the complete review or see all budget hotel picks in Venice.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Doubles € 105-155
Neighborhood: La Rambla

The Sant Agusti is one of our favorite hotels in Barcelona, and it just happens to be the oldest hotel in the city, too. Built in 1880, the hotel is named after the nearby church of Sant Agusti and was a working convent in the 1700s. Many of the rooms still feature original wood beams and stone walls.

We especially adore the attic suites at Sant Agusti (eight in all), replete with their cutesy little tables and chairs and fun views of the square below. Rooms are decorated with modern furniture. The breakfast room, where an old cast iron stove takes center stage, is large and airy.

The only thing we found lacking about Agusti was its location. While it’s near La Rambla and close to pretty much all the sights, its neighboring streets are a frequent stopping point for the area’s homeless and tend to be more unkempt than other areas of Barcelona.

Other than that, Sant Agusti is a unique, family-run hotel with tons of charm!

Read our full review.

Popularity: 18% [?]

2-star hotel
19, rue Monsieur le Prince
Paris, St. Germain des Pres
Doubles: €79-100

Ahh… Paris is the city of love. And, we’ve got lots of it for the charming two-star Villa des Princes. In fact, you may recall that we mentioned Villa, the tiny 12-room gem in the middle of the trendy St. Germain des Pres neighborhood, a few days ago.

First, a little history. Back in the days of King Louis XIII, the 17th-century home was actually a dormitory for school teachers and was called the Hotel des Ecoles. Today, many out-of-town teachers and professors choose the Villa as their headquarters, because of its close proximity to university life (the Sorbonne is just blocks away) and its reasonable rates.

Each room is tres petite, and outfitted with comfy beds and spotless bathrooms. The hotel has named each room after a different neighborhood of Paris. We stayed in the “Marais” during our last trip. For those steamy summer nights, the Villa des Prince offers air conditioning, often over looked by other cheapo-friendly hotels.

One word to the wise: The hotel’s home-cooked buffet is worth splurging for, but don’t oversleep! We woke up too late on our first morning, not realizing that a lovely woman had been up since the crack of dawn making fresh breads and egg dishes. We’re still sorry about missing that meal!

Popularity: 12% [?]