New hostel opens on the Seine

The first youth hostel in Paris for 15 years has been opened by a British company.

Saint Christopher’s Paris, which offers beds from €12, opened this week by the Bassin de la Villette in the north-east of the city.

It is run by a subsidiary company of UK-based Beds & Bars.

Hostel general manager Genevieve Knowles said company director Keith Knowles (no relation) had always wanted to open in Paris.

“The Paris council realised that there were not enough cheaper beds in Paris and we came along,” she said.

She added the help of the council had been useful in overcoming bureaucracy.

The hostel, which has 275 beds, was opened by Paris mayor Betrand Delanoë who said the city needed to do more to cater for young people travelling on a budget.

Built on the site of former warehouses and shops destroyed by fire in 1990, the complex is in a part of the capital undergoing radical transformation.

The hostel hopes to attract other tourists and local residents with public facilities including a restaurant, bar and internet cafe.

Photo: Francois Guillot