Are there Hostals or Pensions to stay at in Paris. In Spain some of these can be very nice. But I don't know anything about France. Also, between the two, if they do exist, which is nicer?
Sorry to post this twice but I'm trying to get it to appear in the Paris, France forum.

Hi I,

There is only one forum for the whole of Europe.

PS,

Also ask your question on the thorntree forum at www.lonelyplanet.com.

They have more low-budget travelers.

They don't use that terminology in Paris. Having been in Spain, those are basically just cheap hotels. The same thing in Paris would just be a cheap, small hotel. I don't know how it works in Spain regarding ratings, but I know in Austria, for example, the govt. has an official rating system for the pensions and it differs from that of hotels. They don't have anything like that in France that I've ever heard of.

Yes, there are hostels in Paris. The three MIJE hostels in the Marais are renovated 17th-century private mansions. Both the Lonely Planet and Rick Steves Paris guidebooks call them "the best budget accommodations in Paris." Go to www.mije.com.

The term hostal in Spain doesn't mean the same thing as the term hostel in English.