European Universities You Can Actually Stay At This Summer

School lets out for summer, and travelers who haven’t considered spending a night or two inside one of Europe’s historic universities are missing out on a genuine trick. Europe’s major cities often heave with visitors throughout the summer months, leaving slim pickings when it comes to affordable hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. University halls of residence offer a compelling alternative, combining considerable atmosphere with comparatively low prices and a backstage pass to campus life well beyond the usual tourist crowds.

From the hallowed halls of Oxford’s Christ Church to Paris’s Latin Quarter and Barcelona’s Gothic alleyways, six of Europe’s most beautiful universities open their doors to summer guests once term ends and students head off on holiday. Each one offers travelers a distinctly different way to experience a city, staying somewhere with centuries of history behind it rather than in a standard hotel room.

The six universities below appear in Lonely Planet, covering the best European universities to stay at this summer. They span four countries and centuries of academic history, giving travelers a distinctly different way to experience some of Europe’s most storied cities than a typical hotel stay ever could. Booking windows vary considerably from one university to the next, with some opening to guests only in July and August, while others welcome visitors from May through September. Room types also range widely, from simple single rooms with shared bathrooms to full apartments with private kitchens, giving travelers considerable flexibility to match a booking to their own specific budget and group size. Most also require booking well in advance, since limited summer availability tends to sell out considerably faster than most travelers expect among returning visitors and curious first-timers alike hoping to secure a room before term starts again in the fall.

Trinity College Dublin Houses The Book Of Kells

Ireland’s oldest university, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, welcomes summer guests once its students take a break from term. Trinity College ranks among Dublin’s proudest architectural landmarks, home to wonders such as the barrel-vaulted Long Room in the Old Library, which houses the Book of Kells, an intricately illuminated Gospel manuscript dating back to the ninth century.

Roughly 20,000 rare volumes fill the Long Room’s dark-oak bookcases, and visitors staying overnight can also seek out other treasures, including Ireland’s oldest medieval harp, a model of the Guinness logo and the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic declaring independence from British rule. Trinity’s list of literary alums includes Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker, giving the college a considerable claim to having shaped Irish literature well beyond its own campus walls.

Guests can stay in heritage accommodations such as the 1690s red-brick Rubrics or in more contemporary campus rooms, and every building throughout the grounds tells its own story, marked with Roman numerals, heavy wood doors and winding stone staircases. The location itself ranks among the college’s biggest draws, sitting just minutes from the shops, flower stands and street performers along Grafton Street.

Christ Church Oxford Channels Hogwarts’ Great Hall

Christ Church, founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525, ranks among the most recognizable colleges within Oxford, one of Britain’s most prestigious universities. The gold-stone building holds dreaming spires, grand interiors and a sweeping meadow home to longhorn cattle, and its former residents include author Lewis Carroll, whose picnic outings with the then-dean’s daughter inspired “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

Other notable alums include poet and playwright W.H. Auden, philosopher John Locke and a considerable list of former British prime ministers. Staying in vacant college rooms during the summer reveals a side of Oxford few visitors ever glimpse, including the chance to wander the Masters Garden or explore the Tom Quad quadrangle once the day-trippers have departed for the evening.

The Tudor Great Hall, reached by a fan-vaulted staircase and featuring a hammer-beam roof alongside portraits of past scholars, appeared as Hogwarts’ dining hall throughout the Harry Potter film series. Guests staying overnight can even enjoy a full English breakfast inside this same hall, giving fans of the films an unusually memorable way to experience the setting firsthand.

Residencia Maria Shelters Solo Travelers In Barcelona

Tucked directly into the dark-stone, atmospherically lit medieval alleyways of Barcelona’s Barri Gòtic, the Residencia Universitaria Maria, Reina de la Pau occupies a nineteenth-century building full of original character, complete with warm stone and arched stained-glass windows. The bustle of Barcelona fades almost immediately upon stepping into the residence’s serene, light-filled courtyard, past potted plants, a trickling fountain and a statue of the Virgin Mary.

A sun terrace at the top of the building offers views peeking out over the surrounding rooftops. At the same time, rooms throughout the converted convent stay bright and cheerful, featuring patterned bedding, pops of vibrant color, and mosaic-style tiles. Guests can access the gym, library, music room and chapel throughout their stay, and a generous buffet breakfast sets travelers up for a full day exploring the surrounding city.

Major sights including the Gothic cathedral and the Museu Picasso sit just a few minutes’ walk from the residence, giving guests genuine convenience alongside the building’s considerable historic charm. Run by the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation, the residence stays women-only outside of July, making it an especially appealing and secure option for solo female travelers.

A midnight curfew applies throughout the stay, a detail travelers should factor into evening plans, particularly during Barcelona’s lively summer nightlife season when many nearby bars and restaurants stay open considerably later. The Barri Gòtic neighborhood surrounding the residence ranks among Barcelona’s oldest districts, giving guests a considerable sense of medieval atmosphere the moment they step outside the building’s own courtyard. The considerable proximity to Barcelona’s major sights makes the residence a practical base for travelers hoping to explore the Gothic Quarter on foot without needing to rely heavily on the city’s public transport network. The Barri Gòtic’s narrow, cobbled streets date back to the medieval period, and their uneven stone surfaces reward comfortable walking shoes over anything with a thin or slippery sole. Packing a light scarf also suits visits to the chapel and other quieter communal spaces within the former convent.