A hostel located high up on a mountain with a view of Nice. The location is about 15 minutes from downtown by bus and this particular bus line runs infrequently and stops running entirely after about 9:00 PM (21:00). But there is also a night bus that will get you part of the way there. There is a common area with tables. Arrive very early in the morning to get a bed in the high season (before 9:00 AM is best).
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Comment by , US
June 2008
I loved staying at this hostel. I didn't want to leave! The staff were really great especially Nico. He was really nice and very accommodating! The location is a bit out of the way. You have to take the bus and the last on is at about 8 p.m. So forget Nice at night. I didn't mind it though because the atmosphere at the hostel was so great. Everyone that stayed there really cool. I met a bunch of pretty awesome people. I'd recommend this hostel for sure.
Comment by Engin & Josine
July 2005
Our stay started funny at Mont Alban Auberge de Jeunesse. The receptionist lady claimed we were from Germany, because we put "Dutch" under nationality. Trying to explain the difference between Dutch and Deutsch did not help much. We had to change it to "NL" for her to understand.
Besides that, it's a very clean and neat hostel. You have to change buses to reach the hostel from the Nice train station, but it's worth it, the view is magnificent. They also have a big refrigerator and a big kitchen. The showers are acceptable. They stop working after 30 seconds, and you have to push the button again. Bed sheets are not included in the price.
Comment by Sirui
July 2005
This hostel seriously has the worst staff we have ever come across. On the first day upon our arrival at Nice, we inquired about directions to the hostel via the night bus. The receptionist was impatient and did not provide any details, asking us to take a taxi despite our repeated attempts at telling her that we wanted to take a bus. We ended up with no choice but to take a taxi up to the hostel.
On the next night I came back to the hostel finding my lock on the locker sawn apart and my locked pack broken into. My money was stolen from this "safe, locked up hostel" which didn't even provide each room with its own dorm key. Hostel staff provided not much explanation, citing that there were no visible signs of forced entry and it must have been an inside job. Who else but the hostel staff would have the ease of access and luxury of time to break into and explore the contents of the many lockers?
The following night, we took a wrong train, which landed us in Marseilles, and we phoned the staff to inform them that we could not make it back in time for the curfew. They told us they could wait for us till 12:30 a.m. and we took a taxi from the train station to avoid being locked out. However we found ourselves locked out when we reached the hostel, despite rushing via a taxi and reaching it before 12:30 a.m. Calls to the reception counter yielded no response.
On our checkout day, with a train to catch, we asked the staff for directions for a bus to the train station and they offered no help except that there are signs at the bus stop. With difficulty in deciphering the French texts, we missed the first bus, which did not stop outside the hostel during that time and therefore missed our train timing.
Definitely my worst experience with a hostel in France.
Comment by hutbooker
January 2005
I stayed here many times and really enjoyed it each time. I met many lovely people. It has self-catering and breakfast is included.
Comment by Seamus
November 2004
A friend has just come back from Nice, which has reminded me of this superb hostel I stayed at in 1985. Do they still have the hut with extra bunks on the roof that I stayed in? It has an incredible view of the city and sea in the morning. It was a bit of a hike up the steps to the hostel.
Comment by Amanda
July 2004
Awesome for the backpackers on their own. Here's why: there's a great big kitchen and a great big room for socializing, though it isn't too comfortable, and the rooms are great and the place has a great view. You must take the bus, but it doesn't take long to get to the place, though the buses are not frequent enough. But at the end of the day, if you don't want to party but you want to be social, this place is ideal. The lock-out is rough, but the breakfast is awesome.
Comment by Marjolein
May 2004
This hostel is a bit far from the city centre, but therefore, you get a great view!!! It's a small hostel, and it has a warm ambiance. It also has a kitchen, so you can cook your own meal, because you have to take a bus before you can eat something in the city centre. This hostel is certainly recommendable!!! Nice is also a great city. It has a nice beach, beautiful old city centre, and you should visit the 'public gardens'.
Comment by Travis
April 2004
This is, by far, my favorite hostel in all of France. I stayed here in the summer of 2000 during the summer solstice, which is, if you haven't heard, the premier time of year to be in Nice. The year 2000 was, like 2004, a EuroCup year, so on top of the festival of the sun there was football fever in the air. It was electric. The location of this hostel is impeccable. It's clean, and it's off-the-beaten path locale attracts interesting types. Ask for Ricardo and see if you get any laughs...
Comment by bOrKy
February 2004
Terrific view. Unbelieveable experince. A very friendly ambiance. But it's too far from the city, so at night you're imprisoned to the hostel, but as I said a wonderful friendly ambiance. But they better improve their breakfast.
We do not validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.