Guesthouse or B&B
A small, family-run place where breakfast is the point.
What it is
A guesthouse or B&B is a handful of rooms run by the people who live there or nearby. Breakfast is nearly always included and nearly always the best thing about it. In exchange you get a place that closes its front desk in the evening and where the owner knows exactly which bus you want.
- A private room, in a building with only a few of them
- Breakfast, usually cooked or laid out by the owner
- Local knowledge you cannot get from a booking site
- Towels and linen, hotel-style
- A 24-hour desk — many lock up in the evening and expect you to tell them if you're late
- A private bathroom, in the older and cheaper ones; check the room description
- A kitchen you can use, in most cases
What this means for your bag
Close to a hotel, with two things worth checking first.
Check the bathroom before you skip the flip-flops
Guesthouses are the one category where a shared bathroom is common at every price level. The room description says so — read it.
Toiletries and towels are provided
Unlike a hostel, these come as standard. You do not need to bring a towel.
Plan around the front door
If reception closes at 20:00, a late arrival needs arranging in advance. Message them before you travel, not on the day.
Cheaper than a hotel of the same comfort, and the included breakfast is worth real money — often the difference on its own.
- City tax
- Cash-only payment, still common at the smallest ones
- A supplement if a room is booked by one person alone
- Want a private room without hotel prices
- Like being told where to eat by someone who lives there
- Are travelling somewhere small, where hotels barely exist
Plain links, no referral tags — we earn nothing if you book. They are here because they are where this kind of place is actually listed.
Questions people ask about this
Bed and breakfast. It means exactly that: a room for the night with breakfast included. In practice it also implies a small, owner-run place rather than a chain.
In a B&B, by definition yes. In something called a guesthouse, usually but not always — a few charge separately, so check the rate. When it is included it tends to be generous and made on site.
Often, but this is the category where it is least certain. Older guesthouses commonly have a mix of en-suite rooms and rooms sharing a bathroom on the landing, priced differently. The room name tells you which one you are booking.
The calculator already asks where you're staying. Start with this answer filled in and it will size the list around shared bathrooms, kitchens and laundry.