Location
Le Puy's hilly setting can make it a difficult town to navigate. Many of the "streets" in the center of town are actually footpaths with steps, so your best bet may be on foot. From the train station, turn left onto the Avenue Charles Depuy and go 4 blocks. Turn left onto the Boulevard du Maréchal Fayolle and go one block. Turn right on Rue Cadelade and take it until it meets the Rue du Général Lafayette. Follow the Rue du Général Lafayette 2 blocks, turn left with it, then take the immediate next left, Rue Jules Vallès. The hostel is on the right, through some large swinging doors into a courtyard.
Amenities
The hostel at Le Puy is best described as OK but a bit quirky. The reception is in a different building on the opposite side of the courtyard from the rest of the hostel. Check in is usually between 2pm and 11:30pm, but be aware during slow stretches reception may not be open immediately upon arrival and there could be a short wait. Also be aware that the courtyard doors lock at 11:30pm, preventing any late night comings or goings. The building door and room doors at the hostel are all locked with key codes, be sure to remember yours! The hallways on the upper levels housing the dorm rooms have a bit of a maze-like quality to them, but the stairwells and hallways on the lower levels can be even tougher to navigate because they are also poorly lit and may even creep you out some. Once you make it to the common room downstairs, however, things return to a more relaxing state. The kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms are all OK, but nothing really spectacular. Breakfast is standard fare for French hostels and is not included in the rate.
Atmosphere
While some hostels can have a quiet feel during the shoulder seasons, for some reason this one has more of an abandoned feel. It can just feel kind of dead. Perhaps it's the darkly lit stairwells and lower levels. In any case, patrons at the hostel range from students to adults, mostly French, and all are willing to strike up a friendly conversation.
Attractions
Le Puy-en-Velay is situated in a volcanic region of the Massif Central, and as a result the topography is best described as "lumpy". Lava cones dot the landscape, even in town, and the stones used to cobble the streets are the roundest globs of rock you'll ever walk on… don't twist an ankle! The towns main attractions are in the "haute ville", which is the upper part of town. Fortunately the hostel puts you practically in the middle of it. Upon the Rocher Corneille stands a giant statue of Madonna and Child (pictured) that overlooks the town and is generally regarded as the symbol of Le Puy-en-Velay. The Cathedrale Notre-Dame is unique in that it is on such a steep hillside that one of the exits begins near the center of the building and takes you down stairs that come out from under it! The gem of of the town, however, is the Chapelle St-Michel-d'Aiguille (also pictured), an 11th-century chapel built precariously atop one of the lava cones in town. Honest, who puts a church up there? And if you want to get out of town, the wonderful river valleys of the upper Loire or the Allier and its many tributaries (pictured) beckon!
Price
Hostel rates are comparable to those of other French hostels, and as a result are rather reasonable.
Overall Value
This hostel is a great budget accommodation to get you close to the center of all of Le Puy-en-Velay's attractions, but if you're fussy about atmosphere you may want to look into other options in town.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
May 2008
Location/Contact
3 Average from 1 Rating
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