The Unconventional Lodging Option Offered Around European Hot Spots For A Cheaper Vacation

You've heard of hotels, hostels, Airbnbs, Vrbos, and perhaps even couch surfing. There are pros and cons to all of these options for both travelers and locals. For instance, a handful of European destinations are banning or restricting Airbnb due to how it affects housing markets. The ethics of travel is a hot topic and that clearly includes lodging. As travelers look to ease locals' minds, but still explore some of the best of Europe, there is another unexpected type of lodging gaining popularity.

Europe's religious history is vast. Countless religious structures like St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Cologne Cathedral in Germany have become symbols of their cities. Monasteries and convents might not get the same amount of tourist traffic, but they can be gorgeous in their own right and sometimes, you can even stay overnight in them. Their accommodations tend to please budget-conscious travelers too, often less than 100 euros per night. What better way to combine educational sightseeing with lodging at a great price?

There are plenty of websites for sleeping on a budget that can act as databases for hostels, apartment stays, or couch surfing. In the same vein, Monasteries.com and MonasteryStays.com can help you find monasteries and convents which offer overnight accommodations. You can check directly on a monastery's website as well. Be sure to book well in advance as most have only a few guest spaces.

You can find monasteries or convents with guest sleeping quarters all over Europe, such as the quaint Aylesford Priory in England. However, they are easier to come by in countries with large Catholic populations, including the popular Santa Maria del Carmine in Italy. While you do not have to be Catholic to stay in one, your rooms might be separated by gender. Whether the building's operations are monitored by monks and nuns or not, you will likely have to abide by a curfew and keep electronic device use to a minimum too. It is a place of religious education and worship eager to maintain a calm atmosphere –– not a youth hostel with late-night parties.

If you are content with the aforementioned ground rules and staying in a room that might contain a simple twin bed with little else, staying at a monastery or convent will only add to your adventure. They often have communal meals. If you take advantage of these, monasteries and convents can give you a sense of vagabond community as you eat delightfully homemade food with other travelers.

Just like an Airbnb or some other residential accommodations, a monastery or convent can help you get further immersed in the local culture. At these institutions, you can meet people who are preserving centuries-old traditions in their communities. Always in search of authenticity and human connections while traveling, travel expert Rick Steves has definitely given this unexpected type of accommodation his seal of approval. "You might climb into bed in your simple room next to a 500-year-old fresco peeking through the whitewash on the wall," he states on his website. "[T]hen wake in the morning to the sound of sisters singing hymns during Mass."