Best Hostels in Nice

By Peter15 mins read

One of France’s largest cities and a big destination spots located along the Mediterranean coastline, Nice is notorious for its azure blue waters, boardwalk, stony mountains overlooking the city and buzzing Old Town. Not only is Carnival in Nice one of the world’s biggest and best Mardi Gras celebrations, with plenty of sunshine, great nightlife, and rich cultural diversity, Nice is sure to prove an interesting destination for all kinds of travelers–but especially for those with a backpacked strapped on. In fact, this French Riviera town is home to one of the top-ranked hostels in the entire world (no–not city, not country, WORLD). If you are a backpacker, young person, or traveler on the cheap;

Here Is a List Of Some Of The Best Hostels In Nice

Hostel Villa Saint Exupery Beach – Best Hostel Overall

This hostel has ranked not only as one of the best hostels in Nice but has continually made the list of best hostels worldwide. This includes an article by London newspaper, the Guardian, which rated the Villa Saint Exupery as one of the 10 best hostels around the world and said, “quite how this place isn’t classed a boutique hotel, I’ll never know”. The hostel is housed in a converted monastery and sits up on a hill above Nice. While the Villa Saint Exupery may not be located across from the train station or have the easiest access to the beach and nightlife, the rooms are stone-floored and have fantastic views of the pine and olive trees, the Mediterranean and Nice below.

The communal area at this hostel also has a great bar, located in a converted chapel boasting beautiful stained glass windows and high ceilings and which is usually buzzing with travelers each night and has a “legendary” free breakfast of French bread, cereal, coffee, and tea. The hostel is also known for being well-maintained and clean and has free internet access and computers to use.

Hostel Villa Saint Exupery Beach Best in Nice

Rates

Single with bathroom (en suite) €35.00 (€35.00 high season)
Twin with bathroom (en suite) €27.50 (€40.00 high season)
Triple with bathroom (en suite) €25.00( €31.00 high season)
Dormitory with bathroom (en suite) €16.00( €25.00 high season)
Dormitory with shared bathroom (no ensuite) €16.00 €24.50

Contact

06100 Nice, France
Tel: +33 493 84 42 83
Fax: +33 492 09 82 94
Web site: https://www.villahostels.com/

Hostel Smith

This brand new hostel located in the heart of Nice may not have years of experience under its belt, but it does have brand new facilities and a to-die-for location. Situated at the heart of Old Town Nice just off the Place Rossetti, where you can The hostel is just off Place Rossetti, one of the main squares in the old town where you can sit and have a leisurely coffee or glass of local Provencale wine while taking in the colorful Mediterranean sights. The hostel is also located just a stone’s throw from Nice’s main square and flower markets—an area brimming with cafes, restaurants and the best bars. With its dynamite location, this hostel could not be any better located for both day-time sightseeing activities in Nice as well as great dining and nightlife options.

If that wasn’t all enough, this hostel is also located just blocks from the beaches, has a free breakfast, flat-screen television in the common room, a kitchen, free wi-fi, and is just 5 minutes from the bus station.

Rates

22 € per night for dorm room
40-45 € for a private room and en suite bath

Contact

20 Rue Droite in Nice Old Town.
Tel: +33 (0)6 0914 5347 or +33 (0)6 2020 6232
Web site: http://www.hostelsmith.com/

Directions:

From the train station- Gare SNCF: Turn left out of the station and walk down to Nice’s main shopping avenue, Avenue Jean Medecin. You will see the tram stop there. Get a ticket (costs 1 Euro) and take the tram line number 1 (direction Pont Michel) the stop called “Cathedrale Vieille Ville,” which is 4 stops away from the station. Get off the tramway and enter the old town down Rue Centrale, walk for a moment until you see a grocery store on the corner then turn left into Rue de la Loge. Two streets on the right are Rue Droite, and Hostel Smith at number 20 is opposite the Museum Palais Lascaris. (2 minutes walk from the tramway)

From the airport: Bus n°98 will take you to the Terminus Gare Routière. Walk out onto the Old Town side of the station. Cross the tramway’s lines and go to the stop called “Cathedrale Vieille Ville” and then follow the instructions above.

Altea Hostel

If you are looking for a hostel where you’ll have the highest probability of being able to sleep through the night than the Altea hostel is probably where you’ll want to stay. This hostel is also located just a 5-minute walk from Old Town Nice (where you’ll find all the best shopping, dining, bars) and a 15-minute walk to the beach. There is no free breakfast here, but you will find wi-fi and both dorm-style and private double rooms.

Directions

From the train station:

Once you get out of the train station, turn left and go down ‘avenue thiers’, cross ‘avenue jean medecin’ at the tram’s station, and keep going straight ahead on ‘boulevard raimbaldi’.

The hostel is located at the end of the right side of the boulevard on an angle.

From the airport:

Arriving from the airport: take the bus N° 23 or 99 to the train station and follow the same indication from the train station to Altea Hostel

Antares Hostel

Travelers should find this friendly, clean, yet no-frills hostel perfectly comfortable during their stay in Nice. The hostel has air-conditioning (which you’ll be really excited about if you are traveling to Nice in the summer), free wi-fi, linens, a shared kitchen, luggage storage, and computers with free access to the internet for guests. However, perhaps the best part of this hostel is that it is located directly across from the train station in Nice and is also super close to the bars, shops and restaurants in Old Town and the beach.

The billiards room with a pool table and foosball is sure to keep you entertained as well. Overall, this is the perfect hostel for the stopover traveler in Nice—if you only have a night to explore Nice, you can’t beat this hostels proximity to the train station and all of the best sights in Nice. If you are feeling like you might have a major break-down after maybe one too many hostel experiences in Europe, there is also the Hotel Antares located just next door.

Rates

Double private room with en suite bathroom starting at 40 €
Beds in Dorm Rooms starting at 20 €

Contact

From the train station, turn left and walk about 100 meters.
From airport catch a bus number 23 or 99 and stop at the main train station.
Telephone +33 (0)4 93 88 22 87
Fax +33 (0)4 93 88 22 87
Website: https://antareshostel.com/

Backpacker’s Hostel Chez Patrick

For those budget travelers looking for a place to stay with a great location close to the beach, Chez Patrick’s Backpacker Hostel is probably your best bet. While the facilities aren’t as luxurious as those at the Villa Saint-Exupery, Chez Patrick is situated right in the heart of Nice. In fact, the hostel is a mere 5-minute walk to and from the train station (and since that’s how most travelers arrive and leave, it’s super convenient). The hostel is also only a 15-minute walk to the beach and is located super close to Vieux Nice—where you’ll find a plethora of shopping, dining, and nightlife options. Another bonus at Chez Patrick? It’s air-conditioned, which can be an absolute lifesaver on those hot summer days in Nice.

Rates

High Season
Rooms w/ 4-6 beds – 24 €
Double Rooms – 55 €
Low Season
Rooms w/ 4-6 beds – 17 €
Double Rooms – 40 €

Contact

06000 Nice, FRANCE
Tel: +33 (0) 04 93 80 30 72
Fax: +33 (0) 04 93 79 61 45
Web site: http://www.chezpatrick.com/

Hostel Faubourg Montmartre

If you are looking to party when you get to Nice, than this is the hostel for you. While you may find families at the Villa Saint-Exupery and perhaps even at Chez Patrick, this hostel is strictly for those ages 18-30. The proprietor, a woman nicknamed the “Pink Lady” (for reasons I am not sure of) is also as much the experience as all the late-night drinking you may do. However, while this hostel is a great place to meet fellow young travelers and those looking for a good time, it is not the cleanest (to say the least) of hostels you are going to find. In fact, reviews are littering the internet about this place and the large number of cockroaches and bed bugs.

The floors here are notoriously sticky, and the bathrooms are, well, NOT the cleanest. If you are planning on celebrating Carnival in Nice and know you’ll be raging well into the morning hours anyways (or being too drunk to care about the sticky floors), this hostel is in a great location to bars, no curfew and tends to attract other guests who like to get down.