During my travels I stay almost exclusively in hostels. I thought I’d share my reviews of some of the hostels I’ve stayed in and whether or not I’d recommend you stay there too on your next trip! On my solo travels across Europe, my first stop was in Paris, France. The Paris hostel where I booked a three night stay was the St. Christopher’s Inn Canal Hostel.
This hostel is located in the 19th arrondissement and is centrally located between 3 metro stations. The Hostel has a bar and lounge area where you can buy food and drinks. This bar area is open to the general public in the evenings, but occasionally offers reduced pricing for the hostellers. They also have a common room for hostel guests to chat and eat.
They have extra storage available in the basement of the hostel. You are able to pay for a locker for 4 hours up to 24 hours at a time for only a few euros. This is convenient if you have luggage you don’t need or want to take up to your room. Or if you arrive early before check-in or after you’ve checked out and you still want to explore the city you don’t have to lug all of your bags around!
I stayed in a six-bed women’s dorm. The rooms were clean as well as the communal showers and toilets. There were multiple bathroom and shower rooms available on each floor. Each bed has a privacy curtain, which is ideal for me when it comes to dorm style lodging. One minor con I would mention is their use of metal storage lockers underneath the beds. They are not always the quietest and might disturb others in the room when you’re trying to open them.
But overall this hostel has all the essentials. And even with the downstairs bar, I’ve never been disturbed by noise while staying here. Even when I’ve stayed on the second floor. I’ve always felt safe at this hostel. There is a security guard on the first floor and 24/7 reception available at the front desk able to help out. Each floor and bedroom is secured by locks that you can access by your key card. This means you can’t access someone else’s floor in the hostel, which also helps me feel safe.
Outside of the hostel itself, it’s located right on the Bassin de la Villette, Paris’ largest artificial lake. In the warmer months people enjoy boating and kayaking through the canal. You can find people reading, talking, picnicking, biking and playing pétanque (a game similar to bocce ball) around the canal.
The hostel is also located less than a 15 minute walk to the Parc de la Villette. The surrounding areas of the hostel are lined with cafes and restaurants. There is a Franprix grocery store within walking distance as well.
On my most recent stay at the St. Christopher’s Inn Canal Hostel there was a children’s street fair that happens every Sunday in the summer and there were lots of activities like face painting and arts and crafts.
There was lots to see and do around the areas of the hostel. And since there are multiple metro stations located nearby there’s convenient access to all the famous sights of Paris. I definitely would recommend this hostel to other travelers. I think it’s perfect for women traveling in groups or solo.
Pros
- Clean
- Safe
- Social areas available
- Quiet rooms
Cons
- Metal lockers under the bed
- Bar downstairs open to public
During my three day stay in a 6-bed women’s dorm I paid €78 ($76 USD) or €26 ($24) per night. But prices have gone up slightly since then as covid restrictions have eased and people are traveling more frequently. Today, the same room runs for about $34 USD per night. Which is pretty standard, with most hostels in Paris running from about $30-45 USD per night.
I book all my hostels through Hostelworld. They have good cancellation policies for booking, in case you aren’t 100 percent sure about your accommodation plans. And it’s nice to have all of my future and past hostel information in one place on the Hostelworld app.
I enjoyed my time at the St. Christopher’s Inn Canal Hostel and I’ve met some lovely people during my time there. Definitely let me know if you stay at this hostel next time you’re in Paris!
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