The Backpacker’s Guide To The Best Hostels in Nice, France | Our Favorite Nice Hostels

The French Rivera isn’t exactly known as a “budget” destination but the beautiful French city of Nice is the top place to stay if you want the best deals—especially if you’re staying in a hostel. In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of the best hostels in Nice based on price, location, atmosphere, and overall quality.

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Nice, France Hostels: Quick Facts

The French city of Nice has around 15 hostels (which isn’t a ton) and about half of them get solid reviews while also being reasonably affordable considering that the South of France is one of the most expensive parts of the country. We recommend checking out Hostelworld to see the most up-to-date reviews and rates.

Note: Nice is a very popular summer travel destination so the best hostels go quickly during these busy months.

Average Nice Hostel Prices

During the high season, the average price per night in a hostel in Nice, France starts between €28-€45 per night. Some hostels raise their prices slightly on Friday and Saturday nights.

Naturally, prices will be cheaper if you visit outside the summer months.

Check Hostelworld to get prices for your exact dates.

More Tips About Nice Hostels

• Book Early For Best Prices: Nice has a fairly small inventory of hostel beds so the best hostels get booked up quickly. If you want to snag the cheapest beds in the best hostels then you’ll want to book somewhat early — especially during the summer when all the French people vacation in Nice.
• Dorm Room Bed Configuration: Expect hostel dorm rooms to have anywhere from 4 to 12+ beds. In general, the cheapest beds are in the rooms with the most beds.  
• Private Rooms: Just about every hostel has a few private rooms. These can be for two people (either a single bed or two beds) but some private rooms have three-five beds (for groups traveling together). Private rooms are a little expensive but it’s a nice option if you want a little more privacy if you’re traveling as a group.
• Female-Only Dorms: Most hostels have at least one female-only dorm room but those get booked quickly as well. 
• Hostel Location: Central Nice is divided between two parts — Old Nice (i.e. medieval Nice) and the New Town (which is still pretty old). Prices are higher in Old Nice since the atmosphere is cuter. Hostels in the new town tend to be around the train station.
• Hostel Atmosphere: Each hostel develops its own vibe — from party-focused to super quiet. It’s important to pick one that matches your travel style.
• Look For Extras: Some hostels offer free breakfast, some have self-catering kitchens, some organize walking tours or other events, etc. These little extra things can truly add to the overall experience so keep those in mind when booking.
• Check-In Times and Cleaning Times: Most hostels have late check-in times (around 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.) but nearly all will let you store your bags if you arrive before check-in.

New To Hostels? Check out our Guide To Hostels in Europe to learn everything you need to know about finding the perfect hostel.

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The Best Nice, France Hostels: Our Top Picks

We’ve stayed in a lot of hostels over the years so we know all the little things that separate bad hostels from good hostels and good hostels from great hostels. Below are the things we look for when evaluating potential hostels.

How We Rank Hostels

• Overall Quality: We try taking a holistic look at the hostel to see the positives and negatives. Our goal is to find amazing hostels that are still affordable.
• Location: We try pointing out if the hostel is located in a cool part of town and how close it is to the city’s highlights. 
• Price: We try to filter out the super-expensive hostels to help find the best price-to-quality ratio.
• Vibe/Atmosphere: Every hostel has a personality. Some are party hostels and some are quiet. We try to note the atmosphere so you can find a place to stay that matches your travel style.
• Past Guest Reviews: Every guest has a different experience so we look at the good and the bad. We suggest you take a few minutes to read prior reviews. This is where Hostelworld excels since they only publish the previous six months of user reviews.

We encourage you to check out Hostelworld to do a bit of searching for yourself.

Hostel Meyerbeer Beach

Hostel Meyerbeer Beach has been voted the best hostel in France for three different years so this would obviously be our top pick if the price/availability lines up with your travel plans.

First of all, they’re located close to the beach so the location is excellent — they’ll even loan you beach items to borrow. The staff is also helpful and they do a great job of keeping the hostel clean. This isn’t an overly social hostel but they do help organize things like pub crawls and have free breakfast which brings people together.

Some past guests mentioned that the beds were a little squeaky and the lack of a kitchen is a bit disappointing. But, overall, it’s hard to find too many negative things about the hostel.

• Price: Starts around €28/night (via Hostelworld):
• Location: See on Google Maps
• Read More Reviews: Read Reviews From Former Guests

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La Maïoun Guesthouse Hostel Nice

La Maïoun Guesthouse is built in a cool old building that dates back to 1855. It’s a fairly small hostel and it gets excellent reviews so it does fill up quickly.

This hostel is more upscale than most hostels so it’s also a little more expensive than others — plus breakfast consisting of typical french pastries and homemade goodies is also included in the price.

La Maïoun Guesthouse is run by a couple and they do a great job of making you feel welcome, they keep the place spotless, and the amenities are nice. It feels more like someone’s home than a standard hostel.

Furthermore, it has a great location that’s a short walk to the beach and Nice’s Old Town.

• Price: Starts around €42/night (via Hostelworld):
  Location: See on Google Maps
  Read More Reviews: Read Reviews From Former Guests

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Villa Saint Exupery Beach Hostel

Villa Saint Exupery Beach is located very near to Nice’s old town and the beach so you’re right in the heart of the action. This is a lively hostel thanks to its on-site bar so it’s nice for meeting other travelers — but it might not be the best for light sleepers. They do organize things like bar crawls and other social events if that’s something you’re into.

The facilities get about average ratings but the beds are comfortable. There is a very small kitchen and a small gym as well. Breakfast isn’t included in the price but it’s still reasonably priced.

• Price: Starts around €22/night during the week and €40/night (via Hostelworld):
• Location: See on Google Maps
• Read More Reviews: Read Reviews From Former Guests

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Antares Hostel

Antares Hostel is one of the most popular hostels in Nice and it gets a lot of love from past guests. First, it’s located across the street from the train station so that’s nice if you don’t want to lug your luggage all over town. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the beach.

They provide free basic breakfast and organize some happy hour activities so that’s a plus. Overall, it’s a cozy hostel with a fairly social atmosphere. It’s also one of the cheapest hostels in Nice.

• Price: Starts around €21/night (via Hostelworld):
• Location: See on Google Maps
• Read More Reviews: Read Reviews From Former Guests

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Hostel OZZ & Bar By Happyculture

Hostel OZZ By Happyculture is a fairly new hostel that has a cool look, is clean, has a friendly staff, and is located near the train station. They also help organize walking tours of the city. There is a nice outdoor patio as well as other common areas that help keep the hostel fairly social.

They don’t have a kitchen or free breakfast, but they have free coffee and they provide a 5€ breakfast.

• Price: Starts around €25/night during the week and €29 on the weekend (via Hostelworld):
• Location: See on Google Maps
• Read More Reviews: Read Reviews From Former Guests

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Hostel Pastoral Nice

Hostel Pastoral is another hostel that’s a short walk from the stain station and around a 15-minute walk from the beach. It receives high praise for its affordable prices, friendly staff, clean rooms, and nice outdoor area.

Additionally, all the beds are new and they have a small but usable communal kitchen. That said, this is a quiet hostel so it’s not the place to stay if you’re looking for atmosphere/social interaction.

• Price: Starts around €24/night (via Hostelworld):
• Location: See on Google Maps
• Read More Reviews: Read Reviews From Former Guests

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Hostel Baccarat Nice

Hostel Baccarat is another one of Nice’s most popular hostels — partially because of its close proximity to the train station and low prices. Overall, it’s a perfectly fine place but there are nicer hostels in Nice.

• Price: Starts around €21/night (via Hostelworld):
• Location: See on Google Maps
• Read More Reviews: Read Reviews From Former Guests

Photo credits: Hostel Meyerbeer Beach, La Maïoun Guesthouse, Villa Saint Exupery Beach, Antares Hostel, Hostel OZZ By Happyculture, Hostel Baccarat

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More Nice, France Budget-Travel Tips

Nice is one of our favorite cities in France because it offers so many things to visitors and it’s an excellent home base for exploring the rest of the French Riviera.

Learn more about Nice on our Nice, France Travel Guide — it covers everything you need to know about exploring and eating your way through Nice! Also check out our Nice, France Travel Price Guide to see how much to budget for your visit.

Even More Budget-Travel Tips

• Backpacking Europe Packing List: What/how to pack when staying in hostels.
• Travel Insurance 101: How to choose the right travel insurance.
• The Best Travel Backpacks: Our favorite travel packs.
• The Best Travel Shoes: Keep your feet comfortable while looking fashionable.