Hotels are expensive! Especially in Europe. And if you’re not a fan of Airbnb, Booking.com may be a great alternative for you! My family and I spent a few weeks in Europe back in March/April and all of our accommodations were booked through booking.com 🙂
Booking is fairly easy. Just type in your destination, check-in and check-out date, number of rooms, number of people, then search! You can also filter by popularity, budget per night, star rating, property type, facilities and more!
One tip that I can give you when booking your accommodations through Booking.com or any other similar websites/apps is to READ EVERYTHING. Read the fine details, the terms and conditions, where to get your keys, check-in/out times, etc. Just be sure to read everything and also have a contact number owner of the place.
Here are some of the apartments we stayed in while we were in Europe 🙂
Grifone Apartments | Venice, Italy
5 adults for 3 nights, € 555
This was a beautiful apartment! Very spacious and location is very convenient. Just a 10-15 minutes walk from the train station. Had everything we needed and was neat and clean 🙂 There is extra charge for a late check-in so be weary of that.
Turisarte Apartment | Florence, Italy
5 adults for 2 nights, € 252
Another beautiful Italian apartment. Huge and very spacious, the only downside would be that it’s up on the 4th floor with no stairs. I slipped trying carry my suitcase down eek. Other than that we had a nice stay here.
Casa Giada | Rome, Italy
5 adults for 1 night, € 170
ANOTHER beautiful apartment we stayed in, had everything we needed. Just walking distance from St. Peter’s Square. This was probably my favorite apartment because of the view!
Have you ever used Booking.com or similar sites? How was your experience? Let me know in the comments section below, I’d love to hear about them! 🙂
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Those looked pretty nice. I’ve tried booking before via Booking.com but we only stayed in the Philippines. We ended up paying more so we never booked again ever since. This is good to know though for finding accommodations in Europe when doing DIY. Isn’t it more expensive to do DIY? I computed the cost and joining tour groups like Contiki tend to cost less.
Oh no, sorry you had a bad experience with Booking.com 🙁 I actually haven’t compared the prices of DIY tours and tour groups, I guess I prefer DIY tours since you have the freedom to do what you want. Hehe 😀
I never stayed in apartments through booking.com or others websites, only in Airbnb 🙂 Maybe I should try 🙂 But in Asia, where I travel now more it’s much better (cheaper) to book in other websites 🙂 But I believe, everything depends on the season when you are traveling and how much money you want to spend 🙂
I know a lot of people who have used Airbnb, will also check this out on one of my next trips! 😀 Thank you!
i didn’t know we can get apartments from booking.com too! was that an attic room in the Turisarte Apartment? looks so pretty!
i’m not sure if you have shopback or similar cashback sites in your country, but if you have, then it’s great too! my shopback is linked to booking.com and a couple of other travel booking sites, so it’s as good as double-savings.
I’ve never heard of Shopback before, will definitely look into it. Thank you so much 😀 😀
I love the last place you stayed, that view! It’s great to have those easy booking apps or websites. I haven’t tried booking.com yet tho but thanks for this tip! hope you enjoyed your vacation.
Thank you so much! 😀
You’re right, even at great prices, those are still expensive rooms. When I go abroad, I always use online booking and as much as I wanted to use only one service, to accumulate points, I have been using two or three services.
The one big reason is that online booking companies would have their own promotions, so finding hotels using multiple online booking companies may land you really good deals too.
Oh interesting! Which services have you been using? 😀
I almost always use booking.com and as an old user, I get all sorts of discounts on accommodation. They have the smart price for frequent users, the deals and the security of the booking.
Wow, that’s great! I had no idea hehe, thanks for letting me know 😀
I use booking.com regularly and I love it. From your photos I really love the Casa Giada | Rome, Italy. I’ve been to Italy ast year as well. But I visited Sicily and I booked everything via booking.com. And this year, I’m going to visit Krakow and also booked via booking.com :).
That’s awesome! We weren’t able to Sicily, but would love to go one day. Hope the apartment you’re staying is nice! 😀
I use booking.com for almost all of my bookings. When you have an account you can manage your bookings on your profile. You also get secret deals and discounts. I never had any problems with it. I agree that you shpuld read everything before you book. I also go through the reviews before I book. For me most important is that the hygiene is good. I can definately recommend booking.com. Also when you’re looking for hostels, try hostelworld. It’s the same sort of website.
Great tips! Thank you so much 😀 😀
Come to think of it, I have never tried Booking.com, although my friends have and they said it’s okay. I’m an Agoda affiliate so that’s where I always book.
Anyway, I love that red bed at Grifone Apartment. It is very eye catching, and actually this is the first time I’ve seen a red bed haha…
I’ve also heard of Agoda! Will also try that on my next trip 😀
Haven’t use it but this post made me want to now. Accommodations that they are providing looks nice,comfortable to stay with and not as pricey as the others.
Yay, that’s awesome! 😀
Overseas especially in Europe things are just expensive may it be food or hotels that is just a reality baby! I also book through booking.com as I find them more convenient and the prices are a lot more affordable than others. The rooms you got are nice and neat happy for you that you had a nice stay
Thank you so much! 😀
I used booking.com all the time. They have really good prices and only use quality hotels or apartments. I would prefer booking.com over Airbnb. But I have never tried Airbnb before actually.
Wow that’s awesome! 😀
This is a good tip. I haven’t tried Booking.com yet. You were lucky to find these nice apartments. I liked the one with a view of St. Peter’s cathedral in Vatican the most. I love the white bookshelves too. 🙂
I loved the bookshelves too! Now I really want one for my own room. Hehe 😀
The attic decoration catches my attention and the beddings, like the color red, but I haven’t heard about booking.com, though this is the first. Thanks for the tips.
You’re welcome! Let me know your experience if you ever do use booking.com 😀
I’m also an Agoda and Expedia user, and this is the first time that I’ve heard of Booking.com. I’ll definitely keep this in mind for the next time me and fiance go abroad for vacation. 🙂 I love the rooms. <3 Your photos made me think of styles and interior designs of our soon to be house hehe <3
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There are so many website for booking! Hehe. Will definitely try out Agoda and Expedia and see which I like better 🙂 Thanks!!
I am not too much a fan of airnb and I use booking.com for everything to be honest. It’s just so practical and it’s really easy to compare accommodations and reviews. I never had a bad experience but I always double-check what other customers have thought of the place. You can get really good prices there too
That’s awesome! Definitely agree on the price 😀 😀
It’s my first time to hear about booking.com. I have heard more of Agoda but I’ll try to check this site. I may find good deals here for our next trip somewhere Visayas. 🙂
That’s great! Let me know how it goes 😀
Extra charge for a late check-in? How much did you pay? I don’t know if it’s just me but I am so worried when I see pounds / GBP LOL
Oh Europe… I still believe one day, will book a trip and it is my hope to tag the kids with me 🙂
Yes unfortunately our train got delayed 2 hours so we had no choice, I can’t remember actually it wasn’t much though hehe. Hope you get to visit one day!
currently planning a Europe trip and this will definitely come in handy!
Great! Have an amazing time 😀 😀
These accommodations look great and the price is right for a lot of them. Good thing you told us to be weary of the late night check in fee! If I use booking.com I will definitely make sure to double check the prices. Every place you stayed at looks clean and well kept. 🙂
Hehe awesome! If you ever book through booking.com let me know how it goes 😀 😀
I have previously used Booking.com and have found good deals through there. I haven’t used it for accommodations in Europe though. Good to know it is also useful there.
Awesome! 😀
Thanks for this.I have never booked this type of accomodation before.
You’re welcome! 😀
I’ve used booking.com but found them to be more expensive than hostelworld! I do like that they have reviews on the site though 🙂
Oh really? Will check out Hostelworld too! 😀
I use Booking.com ALL THE TIME! This is mainly because I love the flexibility of being able to change my dates or cancel my booking without penalty (only if I absolutely have to, of course!) I’ve also found that the reviews are a lot more reliable – this is definitely a go-to website for my travel planning.
Yes you’re right! Love it, hehe 😀
We do use booking quite a bit, but we might be changing. We’ll see what the future holds.
Oh awesome! What do you plan on switching too? 😀
I’ve used booking.com and Agoda, and I found both to be compatible in price. Sometimes you’ll get it cheaper on one, and other time it’s more expensive. Overall my experience has been good, but you are right about READING EVERY SINGLE DETAIL… even the reviews.
Yes especially the reviews! I forgot to mention that hehe 😀
I do use booking dot com for my hotel accommodation and yes their good and competitive to other sites.
That’s great 😀
I’ve never booked apartments via booking. I usually use airbnb but in general, I love booking.com! So easy and efficient. Agoda though is generally cheaper in Southeast Asia.
Awesome! Will definitely try Agoda when I’m travelling through Southeast Asia 😀
You are so right about reading the terms and conditions, we don’t do that enough! Great prices on the accommodation too 🙂
Thank you so much! 😀
I tend to use Airbnb and Hotel Tonight instead of Booking.com. Had a few bad experiences back to back with them. But I’m glad that they are getting better.
Aww that’s unlucky! Will look into Hotel Tonight too 😀
True! Accommodations in Europe are really expensive. I prefer airbnb but I also book with booking.com sometimes. I like their free cancellation policy and it’s my go-to site when I need reservation confirmation for visa applications.
Oh that’s awesome, will try Airbnb soon and compare 😀
I’ve never actually used this site but after seeing the prices you got and the accommodation styles – I will have to look into it!
Awesome! Hope you find great deals too! 😀
I always use Booking.com and Agoda in all my travel booking because they are really considered cheaper that the hotels’ published rates. So far all were good and got what i really wanted. I used booking.com in our honeymoon in Bali and it all went smoothly.
That sounds awesome! Great that it was hassle-free for you too! 😀
I’m a big fan of Booking too. Been using it since I traveled overseas and havent had any problems with it so far. I loved that you have an option to cancel without any charges.
Yay, that’s great to hear! 😀
Some of these places looked really nice! Love your writing style! Keep up the great work 🙂
Thank you so much! 😀
I’m currently into Travelbook PH. But I wanna know how this one is different. Reservations these days are very easy. And payment, too! No need to even arrive at the lobby to pay.
Awesome! I’ll definitely have to check out TravelBook.PH 😀
This is brilliant as I always trust booking.com or agoda most when it comes to my own hotel bookings… it has been that way forever….simple and to the point…
Thank you! 😀
I’ve been seeing booking.com a lot of times. But still havent tried booking an accommodation with them. Looks like they’ve got better deals than agoda.com coz sometimes when i check agoda ther price are higher than when i book it on the website of the hotel. But sometimes its the other way around so i always compare. Will add this to my booking sites!
Great! Let me know which one you think is better 😀
These are nice options for stay in Italy. Italy is my ultimate dream destination. I would love to be able to go there one day! Hopefully, I will!
Awesome! I hope so too! 😀 😀 😀
I think in the Philippines there are more popular travel booking sites. A friend also had a bad experience in booking.com here. The hotel failed to pick her up (it was past midnight) as agreed and the reception wasn’t even opened when she arrived. I’d like to read more reviews about this before I’ll give it a try. So far I’m leaning towards airbnb because I like the cozy homestays and other options.
Oh no, what a terrible experience 🙁 Haven’t tried Airbnb but heard some good things so far!
i’ve tried booking.com before and it was quite a pleasant experience. but now i prefer searching on trivago instead because it helps us to compare all the prices across all the booking sites to find us the cheapest rates. And actually, if you can book directly with the accommodation (especially for inns and b&bs), it might be much cheaper to do so. I’ve ever found the rates listed on a B&B in Hokkaido charging about $60 a night, but is about $100 a night on booking sites.
Interesting! I’ve seen a lot of advertisements on TV about Trivago! And some of my friends have tried it too, so far so good according to them so I’ll definitely try it next time 😀
Europe is indeed expensive as we have found out on our various trips there. Be it Switzerland, France, Italy, accommodation is quite an expensive component of the travel budget. The options that you have listed out are really reasonably priced and value for the money.
Yesss much cheaper than hotels! 😀