Hi,

We are spending on night in Paris end of Septemeber and are looking at Hostels. I have never stayed in one. We just need a place to lay down till our early morning flight to Italy.

Has anyone stayed in a Hostel in Paris? Any advice? Any recommendations on the best one to stay in?

Thanks
Ann

Paris Pages; Foyers & Hostels

La Centrale de Réservations (FUAJ-HI); Accueil des Jeunes en France (AJF); Centre International de Paris (BVJ); Hostelling International (HI) ...
www.paris.org/Accueil/Foyers/

I have stayed in the AJF (Accueil les Jeunes en France i believe) and their youth hotels in the Marais are neat - in ancient buildings - small rooms and even private ones i think.

They also have a booth at Gare du Nord where they will find arriving travelers a place in a hostel upon arrival.

From personal experience I recommend any of the three MIJE hostels in the Marais. They are renovated 17th-century private mansions and are described by both Rick Steves and Lonely PLanet as "the best budget accommodations in Paris." School groups often stay there, but they are open to anyone of any age. Clean, quiet, secure. Go to www.mije.com.

Several posters on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree board also recommend Le Village Hostel (www.villagehostel.fr) in Montmartre.

This is your second thread on this topic. Click your name to see the posts on your other thread.

Those MIJE ones are nice, but I've heard they are very difficult to get into, and if you are only there one night, I wouldn't count on it. The offricial hostel assn. FUAJ ones are kind of far out, but for your purposes, that might work. Frankly if there are two of you, it wouldn't be that bad economically to just stay at the Ibis at the airport, and wouldn't cost much more than two people in a hostel. Paris is a large city, so searching out the best hostel just to stay in a couple hours may not be the most efficient thing to do if it isn't convenient.

Sorry about the 2nd post. When I checked this morning it wasn't listed under my profile (weird) so I posted again.

Thank you for all the useful info. I will research what you have all shared.

Ann

One of those dreamy old hostels in the Marais is the Maubisson - it could be a MIJE hostel that TimS was talking about - i could be wrong about it being AJF though it could have been years ago when i stayed there.

There are i think four adjacent hostels - one if Francois Miron i believe. Try for one of these - good as any hostel in Paris and great location and historic centuries-old edifices.

PalenQ,

Maubuisson is indeed one of the three MIJE hostels. The other two are Fauconnier and Fourcy. Both Rick Steves and Lonely Planet rate Maubuisson as the best of the three.

I used to put groups up at Maubuisson - all ages and it was very nice - for a hostel type accommodation can't go wrong. the institutional breakfast was rather meager but...