Le Village Hostel

Good hostel, bad location
Le Village is an ok hostel. It is in Montmartre, so the area around it is not very nice, and it is loud at night, so sleeping can be an issue. The rooms are small, and the showers suck, but breakfast is free, and a lot of the rooms open onto the patio, which has a view of the Sacre Coeur. The staff are very friendly, and the patio is a great place to socialize, but the building could use some renovating. Overall, just an alright place to stay -- I would try somewhere else next time I go to Paris.

Dont Go!
They stole my Eurail pass and refused to replace it, even though their security camera showed they were at fault. Terrible staff and management. Avoid at all costs.

We'll always come back!
We just got back from a truly wonderful stay at Le Village hostel. We stayed for our first five nights in France and our last five nights in France (we traveled elsewhere in the country in the interim) and experienced two double private rooms and one dorm. All of the rooms were comfortable, clean, and well-appointed. We loved having our own bathrooms. The fact that there is no curfew was great for us. I would never want to stay somewhere that expected us to be in at midnight or something. The lockout (11 to 4) is no big deal if you are active types. The breakfast is nice, as it is included in the cost, especially because the coffee and chocolate are good. However, you may get sick of the stale-ish bread and so-so croissants and wish to buy something else. We are cheap, so took advantage. Everyone who works at Le Village was awesome. We are native English speakers, but one of us speaks some French and the other some Spanish and we were always able to communicate with the friendly front desk folks in the language of our choice -- if we wanted to practice, they let us and if we wanted our home tongue, no problem there either. Other than with the front desk folks, French is best spoken, but they are also great guys. We looked forward to coming "home" and seeing Mateo or Romain or any of the other people that made us feel so welcome. We are a mid-twenties couple, not college kids, and we did not want a dorm-like crazy atmosphere. Le Village offers many opportunities for social interaction, if you want them, but, if you prefer to keep to yourselves as we mostly did, that is not a problem. The terrace and the kitchen are usually populated until fairly late, if you want to meet people, cook and eat dinner, and have a few drinks. We tended to be out and go back to our room to sleep. (However, it is a huge plus that drinks, including beer, are there for purchase on the premises. Also, there is a full supermarket with a bakery and extensive wine selection directly across the street.) We saw people ranging from children to sixty-somethings enjoying breakfast in the mornings. I would say that most people staying there were from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, or Germany, but there were also Spanish, Japanese, French, South American, and Italian guests, among others. Finally, though many friends warned me against staying in Montmartre, we found the location ideal. Though we only went out in the neighborhood a few times, we had some wonderful nights out in Montmartre, saw the sights there, and, best of all, caught the #4 Metro from Barbes station which took us everywhere. The Metros in Paris are amazing (we're from NYC, so that's saying something) and the #4 is an excellent line, so being located so nearby is tremendously helpful, even if you find Montmartre isn't to your liking. We felt completely safe at every hour. We couldn't recommend a hostel more highly. As long as you know it's a hostel, not a five-star hotel, we think you'll be very glad you booked it.

I have visited Le village two times, and I think this is a very good hostel. The rooms are clean and you get your own bathroom. The staff is very kind and helpful and the house-cat as well! I highly recommend this hostel, since the area is very safe. There are lots of tourists, so there might be some pick-pockets but that's about it. The breakfast is ok, but not very large, but as there are several cafés and restaurants within walking distance there's no problem.

This was my first experience of staying in a hostel (I went from 26-29 March, 2007), and it was a very good induction. It was a little expensive, but the facilities more than made up for that. I stayed in a double room and it was sparkling clean, and cleaned everyday; the lock-out did make you go out and explore paris (i didn't travel to paris to look at the walls in the room), but it could be a little irritating knowing that you couldn't have a lie-in - not a major problem though. The free breakfast was particularly amazing and one of the many selling points of Le Village hostel -- a croissant and a bread roll with butter and different types of jam may not seem like much, but trust me, it really is. The price of using the internet was extortionate relative to other internet cafes, you have to wander round looking for the cheapest deal as they are everywhere. The receptionists' temperament differed according to who you got -- the guy was really friendly, as was one of the women, but the other woman's mood seemed to vary with the weather! But, again, you're not there to worry about that really. I had preconceptions before I even touched the bed because of the reviews and was convinced that there were bedbugs, but it was probably all in my head -- although that's probably just due to my stupidity! Take it with a pinch of salt, though. Overall, a very good hostel, very, very good location -- you're in paris, enjoy it!

The area was dodgy -- definitely not to be wandered around alone at night. Bed were very creaky and mattresses limp and uncomfortable. That said, the rooms were clean, staff was great, facilites (terrace, bar) were great, and the hostel is close to the subway. Overall a good hostel.

I stayed here on two occasions and it's good, fairly clean but noisy. The breakfast is croissants and coffee. I just found the location a little shady and was a little scared to wander at night alone.

I stayed in this hostel from March 1-7. It was my first hostel experience and it was absolutely fantastic. This hostel is located very close to the Anvers (M2) metro line right and borders Pigalle. Best of all, it's literally at the base of the Sacre Coeur. In fact, my favorite thing was to wake up in the morning, step onto the terrace and see the Sacre Coeur. If you get back to the hostel before 1 or 2 a.m., you're fine as there are still people walking up to the Sacre Coeur. I did feel a bit scared one night as I was walking back from La Cigale -- but only when I turned on the alley streets. The main road is fine. I do not recommend getting off at the Pigalle or Barbes Rouchechouart stops at night. The latter is particularly sketchy. In the daytime, you'll have no issues and Montmarte is just a completely different area to explore -- I love it. Also, there is a cafe open quite late as well as many, many places to get crepes/baguettes. Most conveniently, there is a supermarket called Ed (I love Ed) across the street. You can load up on 3 euro wine, 39-cent waters, and more. The hostel has a kitchen so you can cook (I didn't, but I smelled all sorts of yumminess coming out from there). I believe this hostel was recently upgraded as the bathrooms were nearly spotless. Yes, the shower is a bit of a pain because the water is time, but I found that if you just press your hand on it and stand facing the door -- you'll be fine. My room (I stayed in an eight-bunk and four-bunk room) was cleaned daily. The kitchen is also spotless. I know each bed is different, but mine was very comfortable. Or perhaps I was exhausted and didn't care. The bunks were squeaky so I'd try to get the bottom if possible and if you get the top bunk -- sleep still! I woke up on the first night thinking there was an earthquake, but realized it was just the guy above me. Again, not an issue. I thought the blankets were decent and the sheets clean. I did have a sleepsack so I didn't care too much. The staff here is very friendly and helpful. I had no issues with them. I loved the fact that breakfast was free -- it gives you the boost you'll need to walk the zillion miles throughout the city. Breakfast consists of a croissant (yum), a baguette (sometimes harder than others, but still decent), jam/butter, and unlimited coffee (weak, but you can drink it black), milk (whole), and orange juice. You do have to pay for the Internet -- I think it was 5 euro for thirty minutes or maybe 2.50.

Nice clean hostel and friendly staff. Well situated near the Anvers Metro station. Best take a couple of heavy duty elastic bands for the shower, as the push button stopped the water straight away which got a little annoying! Also the foam mattress of my friend was a little dodgy, although I found mine ok. Would stay here again!

liked this hostel heaps. Spent several pleasant evenings sitting on the terrace drinking cheap wine with good people. Was there for a week in june, during the world cup, it was hot. Stayed in a six-bed dorm which was clean (no bugs) and had its own shower and toilet. Liked the area, grocery stores and supermarkets, near the station, couldn't ask for more, really. Would definitely stay there again.

Le Village was a great hostel. the staff are friendly and helpful, and in general has a pretty good atmosphere. i stayed in two separate rooms, one of which the shower was a bit whack, and the other which was great, so it a little bit hit a miss but everything else besides that was fine. i will definitely be going back there at the end of my trip. rooms are clean and the location is pretty convenient. only thing i would have to mention is that it doesnt have lockers in the room. definitely a good place to stay though and much better than other Paris hostels i have stayed in.

Overall I was pretty happy with this hostel. Certainly very clean and bright, and I like the three-bed room. My only complaint is that the shower was completely annoying -- very little water throughput, and the water that did come out what shooting off in every direction. Oh well, you could certainly do much worse.

Not bad, close to the Metro. Our room was fine and clean. Good free breakfast! Very friendly staff. I would stay there again.

I checked into this hostel last minute, as other plans fell through, and I was impressed. It was super clean, and the room I was in had its own bathroom, which was really nice. I did not experience any bugs in my room, but I did visit in early May. I believe that maybe it is a summer thing, and I noticed there is a trend in all of the bug complaints. However, I had no problems with bugs when I was there. I am a 20-year-old female who traveled alone, and felt perfectly safe, I might add. The people were very nice as well. For 22 euros a night, there's not a whole lot more that a girl could want.

This is a very friendly and welcoming hostel — both the receptionists and the people staying at the hostel were nice and helpful. The Metro is really close, but the neighborhood doesn't seem too safe (at least not for a female traveling alone). The bathroom and toilets were clean and the kitchen facilities satisfactory. It's probably the best you can get for 23 euros per night in Paris!