Auberge Internationale des Jeunes (AIJ)

It's not worth its salt
I stayed there with a friend for three nights end of july. The hostel was even worse than my so far worst hostel in St.Petersburg in Russia! The staff is ok -- "friendly" is something different. I was quite shocked to pay 25 EUR per night. You get a lot more in other countries, even in eastern Europe or Russia. The rooms are very simple, naked flaggings, basins and mirrors with a film all over, and blankets without any cover (my friend had an old red CocaCola blanket, written in cyrillic letters). That's not feeling very well to sleep under such blankets. The toilets are ok. But there's no basin to wash your hands. You have to go back to your room or to the showers, different rooms. There are three showers for each floor. No gender separation. And the room where the showers are has no real door. It's a door like in a saloon -- you can look in. So it's not possible to leave the shower to put on some clothes without being seen by the people walking by on the floor. The breakfast? Baguettes, jam, coffee, on kind of tea, butter. No plates. You put you baguette directly on the tablet. And there's not very much space for all the people. You sit on plastic chairs. Well, next time I'd like to pay a bit more to get something much better! I strongly don't recommend this hostel when you at least want to get a minimum of comfort like clean blankets or showers.

I would never recommend it!
The people who are not in a group have no rights! Even if you have a reservation, it is not respected at all! After the sixth night I was banished from the hostel, although I had a booking for eight nights, the lady informed that it was not possible and that I had stayed for a long time in the hostel. After some time the reception lady said that I could go to the other hostel in the Louvre area, as if I were a package that she could move as she wanted! I was very disappointed because I had a confirmation for the Quartier Latin hostel, not the Louvre one, so I would have to move all my luggage at my own expense due to a disorganization of their service. The rooms are not well cleaned at all -- if you stay more that two nights you notice that they only take out the garbage of the room, nothing more! The staff is not helpful with exception to a young bond lady! But if you want to have a nightmare in Paris, go to this hostel!

Ok
I cant say it's very clean but the location is quite good. it's very near to the metro station and to bastille where you can enjoy at nights. the breakfast was just jam, bread, butter, and coffee. but the staff was kind and you can enjoy in front of the hostel even if you had nothing to do at anytime of the day. also it is very cheap especially when you compare with the hostels in paris.

Cheap, basic, and clean
I've stayed here a number of times in Paris, and it is/was the cheapest decent bed in town. Right near a metro stop, and no frills. It's not a real party hostel or anything, but if you just want a bed it will suit anyone fine.

Stayed here in summer '06. Overall, I had a good experience and I do recommend it. It is not the cleanest but it wasn't gross by any means. The shower was one of the push button ones that will only stay on for a short amount of time and then you have to press it again -- although a bigger issue was that it flooded the bathroom floor severely after each shower. Well, anyone who has lived in the dorms and dealt with gross bathrooms should be able to deal with this without too much concern. No problems with bedbugs either. Then again, sterile hostels are usually the least fun. Best thing about this hostel -- a great place to meet people. Everyone really seemed to mix and mingle -- the dining room area is not huge or anything but it was usually filled with at least a few new people to meet. Try to stay on the first floor, where you have an outdoor hallway rather than an indoor one. (That's where we stayed!) Also, that is a plus during the summer because I heard the upstairs rooms got very hot. I will admit that the hostel was not as organized as they could've been. One weird thing is that there is only one key to the room -- so the last person to leave the room is responsible for leaving the key at the front desk, then if anyone needs it you show your receipt at the front window. It didn't turn out to be a big problem, although it was an inconvenience. The location of this hostel worked very well for us. There is a really nice pizza place nearby (I am so craving that pizza!), a sandwich shop, Chinese take-out, and also two grocery stores. That is a huge plus -- although be careful because like everywhere else abroad the hours are limited -- opening at 9 or 10 and closing around 9. One great tip -- this was hilarious -- so if you have traveled in Europe you know that you can't buy cold beer or wine at a grocery store -- they just keep it on the shelf! So, on your way out in the morning -- throw some cans of beer hidden in one of the fridges by the cheese, then on your way back to the hostel you can find them and buy them -- cold! Also works for water! I am sure I wasn't the first person to think of this but with two groceries nearby it is an extremely great place to try this if you haven't before! Last thing about this hostel -- the staff. They ranged in personality from rude to professional to quirky. (One of the staff seemed drunk one night and was hitting on the girls.) So, it really depends on which staff member you get here. Just be polite and everything will be fine! I would return to this hostel especially because the price was the cheapest we could find in all of Paris!

This hostel is ok, the staff were friendly, but there were things i did not like about it, for example you can't enter your room from 10 to 3, you have to put your bags in the cellar, where anybody can come in and take whatever they want, there is no lockers in the room, and there is only one key per room, so if you're staying in a room for four to six people it can be annoying. i would not return here, however i have stayed in far worse hostels.

"This hostel ruined Paris for me." The staff is friendly and it's cheap but even with very low 17-Euro-per-night-expectations, it's extremely bad. I am very surprised by the comments that award this hostel with five stars. The beds are uncomfortable, people who are alone and check in late are put on the floor as a fifth person in a four-person bedroom. The toilet is pretty much open and next to the sleeping area, it's very noisy, the hostel is full of signs with regulations wich are ignored by everyone (staff included). There is only one key per room. So if you come home late and the key is already taken by people who sleep in your room, you have to wake them up in the middle of the night to get in. Comment of the staff: "that's ok, just wake them up." The beds were worst, ok it's not the Hilton, but the blanket was greasy with other people's body fluids. I am not extremely fussy, but chose to sleep in my clothes, because the blanket was to disgusting. That the hostel isn't luxurious is understandable and perfectly allright and Paris is an expensive place (in all of Germany you get wonderful hostels for the same price), but there is no good reason for the dirtiness and lack of good management (no good fire-exits, for example).

I spent three nights in this hostel during December 2005. First of all, I did not see or feel any bed bugs. The room where I stayed, a four-bed room, was very clean and although not very large, was spacious enough. The staff were quit friendly and the place seemed very safe. It is in a good location, just a few blocks from Bastille. The breakfast was made of coffee with a piece of bread, butter, and jam. Not bad if you paid only 13 euros for your bed. Given its price and location, I would strongly recommend this hostel.

Good location and nice staff. If you want to party though, this isn't the place to stay. They have a curfew (which often forced us to stay out all night) and kick you out a little early, especially if you have stayed out all night.

I've been 4 times in the hostel, almost one month in total, and I still love it. ok, the old beds were too soft, uncomfortable and noisy, but lately they have been renewed and their quality has improved. and I never got bugs, despite sleeping without sleeping-bag and without my own sheets. ok, the luggage room is very uncomfortable if you have heavy suitcases, as there's no lift. ok, breakfast is always the same and you'll probably get enough of it after 3 days. but you can eat all the brad you want, and have all the cups of whatever you want, in order to have energy to visit paris. ok, there is no lift and if you're room is on the 4th floor you may get tired to reach it. ok, you have to press the showers every 15 seconds to keep having warm water, and there's no place to put your clothes... BUT...WHERE'S THE PROBLEM, ACTUALLY? for me, nothing of all this mattered. if you're young and have few money to spend, this is your place! it offers you a lot: it's so well situated, just near the metro station, with shops, gardens, pubs... It's safe (maybe too much: every , EVERY time you get in, you have to show your receipt to the reception, and there are some security video-cameras). you can meet a lot of great people there. you're given warm showers where you can stay as long you want. nobody will bother you or will steal your clothes if you let them near the shower. there are 2 toilets each floor, it seems few but they're always free and clean. you can have a security box at the reception where you can leave your money and documents, for free! I feel very grateful to this place that gave me the possibility to feel at home in the center of the best town in the world, by paying so few! julietpunk@virgilio.it

I suppose there has been a change of management here. In August, I read the reviews, looked at the price, gritted my teeth, and booked for a week. A veteran traveler, I had a sleep sack and blankets out of habit. I had little trouble with the staff; my basic French and their excellent English got me by just fine. The place was as clean as could be expected considering the guests. Hostels are not Hyatts; students and backpackers are most certainly not the cleanest bunch. The showers worked, the beds were thin but functional, the rooms small but practical, and the breakfast was made much more filling by the addition of Nutella. While it may not fit someone's romantic idea of what a hostel should be, it's cheap, clean, and full of interesting people. One complaint: coming from chilly Alaska to a hot spell in Paris, I would have appreciated a more functional air conditioner.

This place is a nightmare! I have traveled through Europe and stayed at several different hostels and this was by far one of the worst. The beds are uncomfortable and are dirty. There were five people staying in my room including one on the floor (he had a mattress). There is no ventilation and the hostel sits on a busy street, so bring earplugs if you stay here, or else you won't be able to sleep. This hostel really ruined Paris for me.

Glad I didn't read the reviews or I would never have gone. Maybe it's changed owners as it was spotlessly clean — and very well run, if a little authoritarian. It lacks a kitchen but there's a bathroom in every room. And they close the common area every night at 12 spot on. The only downside is the noise from the street. I can sleep upside down with my head in a bucket of ice, but even this defeated me. Also, book in advance for your whole stay or you will end up having to change rooms every day. But for the price, it's great.

I just got back from spending four nights at this hostel, and I was surprised at how nice it was. The staff are friendly, even though one of them tried to persuade me and my friend into trying drugs and offering us gigolo services in our room! Otherwise, the rooms were clean and there were NO bedbugs, thank God. :) I would like to recommend this hostel to everybody, because you get loads for less money.

I just came back from that hostel. The staff are friendly. The hostel is indeed clean. They cleaned the rooms everyday, which I never saw before. By the way, I have already experienced 10 different hostels. I didn't have the bedbug problem. But you'd better take your own linen; otherwise you can sleep on the mattress. Maybe you can rent linen from the hostel. We lived in a two-bed (bunk bed) room. It's quiet for your sleep.