Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Italy or I have to give them cash
Stayed in Rome, Venice, and Bologna last month. All the hostels accepted cards for the room but some made me pay the linen fee and local tax in cash. Also found a few lockers in shared dorms that only worked with coins. So I’d recommend carrying about 20 to 30 euros in coins and small notes even if you plan to pay the main bill by card.Travelling soon - any advice if hostels accept cards in Italy or I have to give them cash
Florence was fine card-wise. I stayed at a hostel near Santa Maria Novella station and paid with my Wise card. However, when I went to a smaller town in Umbria, the hostel was cash only and said their card reader was down. So I’d say cards are mostly accepted in cities, but don’t rely on it completely. A little cash goes a long way.
In Milan, I paid everything by card at Ostello Bello with my Mastercard. No problems at all. But in Naples, the hostel asked for cash when the card machine “wasn’t working” which I think was a regular excuse. Always good to email ahead or check the listing. I kept around 50 to 80 euros just in case for places that suddenly decide they want cash.
Most hostels I stayed at in Italy accepted cards, but a few smaller ones preferred cash for the final payment, especially in places like Cinque Terre and Siena. In Rome and Florence, the big hostels like The Yellow or Plus Florence took my Visa without issues. That said, one asked for the city tax in cash only, which was around 3 euros per night. So yeah, bring some cash for those small things.