HI - Quebec - Auberge Internationale de Québec Hostel

Quebec City

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Address	19 rue Ste-Ursule, Quebec City Quebec, Canada Map
Price	starting at 28$ + taxes Check Current Prices by Date Here

Location/Contact

Details

This is a Hostelling International (HI) hostel. A membership card isn't required, but an extra fee will apply for non-members. You can get a membership card before your trip here.

Their Description

Features

Kitchen
Lockers
Bar
Gameroom
Lounge / Common space
Pool Table
BBQ
Food/Restaurant
TV
Book Collection/Exchange
Washing Machine (laundry)
Clothes Dryer
Travel information provided
Bike Rental
24 Hour Free Hot Showers
Phones (public or in room)
Currency Exchange

The Hostelz.com Review

Auberge Internationale de Québec is honestly more beautiful than the vast majority of the one hundred dollar-plus hotels we've stayed in. Located in the heart of the Old Upper City, getting there by car is, ahem, somewhat challenging, but there is parking available nearby for twelve dollars a day. And you won't need a car once you've arrived, because everything you want to see is within walking distance.

What looks like a small, unassuming brick building from the outside reveals itself as a palace of hosteldom on the inside, complete with hardwood floors, glassed-in walkways, and stained glass windows. There's a bistro, kitchen, TV room, patio, library, and even an auditorium (a boys' choir staying in the hostel gave us a free concert one afternoon). One of the lounges features an old-fashioned phone booth -- great for mushy private phone calls to significant others back home. The rooms are spacious and open, with broad windowsills perfect for sitting and reading, daydreaming, or just watching the world go by. The sound of horses' hooves on the cobblestones below is commonplace. It feels like you've stepped into another world: a perfect feeling for the amazing city of Quebec. The hostel runs all kinds of programs from city tours to pub crawls for anyone looking to be social.

We were impressed by the keycard system for getting into the rooms, until our cards decided to stop working every couple of hours. FYI, "mon cle ne marche pas" is how to say "my key doesn't work" in French -- if you're in one of the larger rooms where the system overloads, that phrase will come in handy. One more dependable security feature is a lockable cabinet for each guest, a welcome change after many Canadian hostels with only coin-operated lockers. The bathrooms were fairly standard, although a few more shower stalls would've come in handy for the morning rush.

So often when you stay in hostels you feel as if you've missed out on the atmosphere and beauty of the city you're in for the sake of saving money. This hostel ensures that you can experience Quebec even if you can't afford to stay at the Chateau Frontenac. Have fun and bon voyage!

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2006

Ratings & Comments

4.6 Average from 20 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Comment by Pete, US

August 2009

Clean and Professional
Very well managed and clean hostel. The staff were all very helpful. I was impressed with the free earplugs since I was put into a room with two loud snorers. The location is perfect. Because the place is run so well, you won't only find backpackers but also families. The best time to meet people, besides your own room, is during breakfast when the dining area fills to capacity. Breakfast is not free, however. Parking passes can be purchased at the hostel for $14 per day, giving you access to the city's underground parking lot close by. If you don't purchase through them, it'll cost you more.

Comment by can1, Canada

March 2009

History comes alive in the heart of the old city!
This is one of the best hostels i've ever stayed in! Great location (close to transportation, to train and bus stations, and close to all of the main attractions!). Hostel is clean and spacious. Great self help kitchen and good breakfast. One of canada's best hostels for sure.

Comment by austin, australia/usa

July 2008

Ok, not great
Twelve years ago i had laptop stolen at this hostel, so was a bit weary of staying here again. got private room, as was busy weekend and short notice, so very attractive room, reminded me of many historic hotels in paris. however, i experienced BedBugs, and wasn't at all happy, though the reception dealt with very professionally and thoroughly. however the next day i asked for refund, as i only got a few hours sleep even though they had moved me to a room that was vacant. didn't get a very positive response. and felt i really had to push for it, or even call up my credit card company to request stop payment. i don't believe that i should have to push so hard, after having suffered such an awful night, never mind the following day still getting over the itchiness and drowsy, which pretty much ruined most of the next day -- and half of the weekend!

Comment by Anonymous, ON, Canada

March 2008

Excellent price, service, and location!
Best hostel I've ever stayed at! It was right in the middle of everything and the staff was super friendly -- and made some good recommendations as to what to see. Overall a great place to stay!

Comment by Timon (21, Switzerland), Switzerland

December 2007

All in all, ok
had a good time there -- nice location (in the middle of town) and young friendly staff! (a little bit of french will make them more friendly). the pub is also a cool thing! well, there are some drawbacks -- not only one sharp knife in the kitchen, the rooms are narrow. and there are only two sockets for the six people in it. but all in all a nice place!

Comment by Alex Jang, Republic of Korea

July 2007

What a great place this hostel is! Cheap but more than expected!
The Greatest place of my recent trip (Montreal, Boston, NYC, Osaka). cheap price but most comfortable. (think about maximizing, principle of economics). spent three nights (eight beds, two nights, four beds, one night). Ten minutes from Quebec Bus and Viarail terminal. (Actually when I go to the hostel first time, it took more than ten minutes -- like mountain climbing. Really kind staff. One place "Turf" that the staff recommended was great place to have a drink and really good food. Every room has a security card so don't worry about your stuff. Room (eight beds, four beds) is comfortable to sleep. Shower room is comfortable to use. You can reach every "Vieux Quebec" within fifteen minutes' walk. small convenience market is near the hostel. One thing you should keep in mind is to make a reservation ahead. Many students and tourists are waiting for that hostel (Especially party people). If I hadn't have the Redsox ticket vs Giants at Boston, I would spend more time in Quebec, I mean it!

Comment by Kirb, Canada

May 2007

Wow. This hostel is really nice. I had a private room, and I think they gave us a family room, because it had a table and two sets of bunk beds. The bathroom was huge with a new shower and everything. Everyone gets free breakfast, and it's fairly good for free! My advice, don't bring a heavy bag, because you will likely have to lug it up over four flights of stairs. Not fun. But it's not weird or scary on the streets, it's really easy to get anything by walking, there's lots to see. We went in may, so it wasn't very busy, with the street outside being lined with hostels and hotels. I loved this hostel, and my sister even stayed there again with a group of her friends. So worth it!

Comment by Jack, usa

May 2007

great staff, comfy room, great location, great price for value, even a bar on the premises! FYI the best food in the area is actually in the neighborhoods outside of the walled city away from the tourist joints. Best ice cream I've ever had.

Comment by M & T

January 2007

We stayed from Dec. 29 '06 to Jan. 1 '07 and had a lovely time both at the hostel and in Quebec City. Hostel was clean, well-heated, well-staffed, and rate and reservation discussed over the phone a month in advance was honoured. Good location of hostel -- easy to find and close to major attractions of the old city. Will definitely return.

Comment by Michael

January 2007

I stayed at this hostel during Christmas and it was absolutely great! The staff was exceptionally helpful in helping us find different places to sight-see and different restaurants. The rooms were very clean and had a cupboard that you could lock some of your stuff in. Also, you needed a key card to get into your room. The location is right by the main drag of Old Quebec (rue Saint Jean) so everything we needed was walking distance away.

Comment by Ariel

August 2006

Very clean and comfortable environment. The front desk was helpful and they want to accommodate everyone's needs. If you don't speak French, they can speak English with you or another language. Also, when I needed a band-aid, they were eager to help.

Comment by Disappointed traveler x2

May 2006

Hostel staff refused to honor booking confirmation price paid. The guy kept saying he needed to add a 15% tax but he was trying to add more like a 40% tax. He was extremely rude about it and didn't give us breakfast coupons or proper change on purpose. Other than the rudeness and a huge group of abnoxious teenagers, the hostel cleanliness was ok. Location was excellent in the old city. I would not recommend this hostel simply because of the hostel staff -- they leave much to be expected!

Comment by Steve

September 2005

I promised to post more after going there for New Years - well, it's a little late, but here it is! The Auberge has improved itself drastically since the two-year renovation project was completed. In some ways, a bit of the ambience may have been paved over, but it was in the interest of making the overall experience that much better. Gone are the original hardwood floors and doors, and instead we have heavy, secure doors, narrower carpeted hallways (larger rooms!!!), and rather than keys, card-access door handles for every room. The security, already fine for a safe city like Quebec, is much improved as a result of these changes. The bathrooms have also been renovated, expanded, and modernized. Gone are the jail-like little concrete dividers with flimsy plastic curtains between stalls (at least that's what the men's room was like): in their place, rather towering doors leading to tile-lined shower stalls that are, for a hostel, quite large and exceptionally private. AND, as a result of the stalls themselves having doors instead of curtains, no more leaving your clothes outside of the shower only to have them drenched by splashing water — a nice change. The rooms retain much of their individual charms — the ones my party had at New Years still had hardwood floors, and one especially, at the very end of a hall in a corner of the building, was quite large. The bedding has all been replaced since last I was there and was both clean and comfortable, though of course the beds remain rather small and quite firm — still, a cut above most other hostels I've stayed at. The cleanliness of the place still astonishes me! The bathrooms were sparkling, even when the place was booked to capacity at a busy holiday, and the rooms were impeccable. Public areas no longer look as shabby as they did, and the whole place has a little bit of sparkle to it that really picked things up from a sort of drab shabbiness before the renovation. The kitchen, as somebody else noted, is massive and has every utensil you could imagine, and an entire wall of refrigerators — not just one little unit to cram everything into. There is a bar/cafe downstairs now as well that wasn't open while we were there, but looked like it could be fun. The location of course hasn't changed, and might best be described as...well...perfect! It is smack-dab in the heart of the Old City, yet not so far from the walls that a jaunt down the more modern stretch of Blvd. Laurier is a grueling hike - a nice option to have if the closeted stuffiness of the old city starts to get to you. There still exists no curfew, though you have to be buzzed in after 23h [11 p.m.] (I think it's 23h, it might be midnight). I had very engaging chats in German and Japanese with other travelers staying at the Auberge -—the sole topic of conversation being the Asian tsunami. I don't know what other reviewers mean when they say that it seems a little "impersonal." If they mean that random drunk naked people can't wander into your room at 3 a.m., that's true. But there's more to hostelling than that. I would say the hostel reflects the city — much like Quebec itself, the Auberge is friendly and accommodating, comfortable, clean, safe, and perhaps for all of that a little bit reserved. Nothing wrong there. Overall, CISQ has been one of my favorite hostels for six years and the renovation has only improved things. This place is an absolute dream, as hostels go, and with the renovation and the expansion of private rooms as well as dorm-style, I can't imagine that I won't keep returning here over and over when I go to Quebec.

Comment by Victoria

August 2005

Excellent place. It's the best hostel I have ever been in so far. Security is great — they have access cards for each room. The kitchen is full of utensils and they allow you to cook almost the whole day. Staff are friendly, know English, and were very helpful with the questions I had. Toilets and showers are very clean. There is Ping-Pong, a pool, free Internet and a bar downstairs. Excellent location, about a five-minute walk to the old city. I lived in female dorm for eight people. It was a little bit small, though. I would advise everyone to stay there.