North Europe may be the birthplace and historic heartland of hostelling, but South Europe has greater numbers nowadays, and the quality is as good, if not better. South Europe may just have the greatest number of hostels in the world, in fact, but the distribution of them might surprise you. For, while France may be the Number One tourist destination in the world, it's not at the top of the hostel list. No, the greatest number of hostels in the world is in the Iberian Peninsula, in modern-day Spain and Portugal. The quality in Spain and Portugal is very good, too, in fact, exactly the paradigm of what a modern 'flashpacker' hostel should be. There are almost 500 of them here in this book, complete with specs and details. But that's not all. Italy and the expensive Alpine countries of Austria and Switzerland are here, too, now affordable with the sudden wide spread of hostels. And Greece is here, of course, with its fabulous sun-soaked islands, timeless culture, and... self-contained party compounds. The smart money is on East Europe, though, with (almost) everything you can find in the West, and all at half the price. The Cold War is but a memory, too, with borders little more than formalities, if even that. In none of the countries listed in this book is a visa required of a Westerner. You can simply hop on the plane, or train, or bus, and go. C U in Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome, or... Belgrade?