The Beautiful City Hostel is situated in a six-story cream-colored building with wrought-iron Juliet balconies and a graffitied bottom floor. The property is straight-forward and low-frills, offering simple, clean accommodations and few extra on-site features. The lobby is small but pleasant and modern with a faintly industrial vibe. Gray walls are accented by bright red, yellow, and orange walls and furnishings. A foosball table sits in the center of the room, while a reception desk and tall cafe tables are surrounded by red and yellow metal stools. The only other common space, a basement breakfast area and kitchenette, offers similar decor with long industrial gray tables, a red kitchen counter top, and exposed-stone walls. Unlike many Parisian hotels and hostels, this one has an elevator and air-conditioning. With private and shared dorms for up to six people, few common areas, no bar, and no organized hostel events, this property attracts quieter, less party-oriented budget travelers. 

The hostel is situated on a quiet and fairly uninteresting residential street in Paris' 19th Arrondissement. In about five minutes, guests can walk to the main street in the Belleville district, which is home to plenty of bars, shops, and inexpensive Asian restaurants. The Belleville Metro stop is also a five-minute walk. Some guests find this area a little questionable, especially at night, with prostitutes loitering around the station, though they don't tend to bother anyone. From the hostel, guests can walk to four different subway lines and a Vélib bike rental station within 10 to 15 minutes. From the Belleville Station, guests can get into the heart of Paris in as little as 15 minutes. It's about 20 to 40 minutes to the majority of Paris attractions.

• Five-minute walk to Belleville Station (lines 2 and 11)
• Five-minute walk to Buttes-Chaumont Park
• Nine-minute walk to Colonel Fabien Station (line 2)
• 10-minute walk to Buttes Chaumont Station (line 7B)
• 12-minute walk to Pyrénées Station (line 11)
• 22 minutes to Gare du Nord via public transport
• 23 minutes to Moulin Rouge via public transport
• 28 minutes to the Louvre Museum via public transport
• 35 minutes to Arc de Triomphe via public transport
• 47 minutes to Eiffel Tower via public transport
• 25-minute drive to Charles de Gaulle Airport (without traffic)

The hostel's 27 shared and private rooms offer accommodations for one to six people, and each room has its own bathroom. Dorms are simple with green linoleum floors, cream-colored walls, white bedding, and black metal bunk beds and chairs. While there's little in the way of decor, rooms are clean and contemporary, and tend to have large windows for natural light. Private Singles and Doubles are small but feature a few more decorative frills, like bright-orange accent paint, and gray-and-white polka-dot comforters. Bathrooms are small and simple with square sinks and wet-room-style showers. 

There's a reading light for each bed, and all rooms come with bedding and towels. Wi-Fi is free as well. Bathrooms include shower gel/shampoo dispensers. Dorm rooms have lockers, though guests should bring their own locks or rent some from the front desk. Rooms are fairly quiet, air-conditioned, and cleaned daily. 

The hostel's features are basic and functional. An extremely simple continental breakfast (croissants, cereal, milk, and coffee) is served in a funky basement room. Also in the basement is a small kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, sink, and microwave, and a small sitting area with a TV. The lobby has a foosball table, a coffee vending machine, several stools, and a 24-hour reception desk with helpful staff. There are few other common areas and no hostel-run events, giving this property a more low-key, less party-like atmosphere than many of its competitors. Padlocks are available for rental for in-room locker storage. There's also a locker room available for guests needing extra space. Wi-Fi is free.