The most striking feature of St. Christopher’s Inn Gare du Nord is its bold style and mix of pop art and graffiti. The lobby is more subdued, with black-and-white tiled floors, leather antique couches, and odd pieces such as vintage wooden pianos and foosball tables. Hallways have bold red or yellow and white color schemes and are decorated with pop art renditions of celebrities or places. By contrast, the stairways have colorful graffiti of abstract figures, cities, or nature scenes. Most guests are younger backpackers and budget tourists. And some past guests have complained about odor lingering in the hallways and overzealous security. 

Like the name implies, St. Christopher’s Inn Gare du Nord is located just a four-minute walk from the Gare du Nord, a major train with a number of metro lines as well as the RER B (with connections to both Charles de Gaulle and Orly Airports). Though it’s easy to explore the city from the station, the area surrounding it may be a bit sketchy for some. The Place de la Republique takes 20 minutes to reach on foot, and Sacre-Couer is a 23-minute walk away. However, there are plenty of restaurants and small shops on surrounding streets. Attractions such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower can be reached on 20-minute to 40-minute metro rides. Charles de Gaulle Airport is a half-hour drive away.  

Designed for budget travelers, rooms at this hostel are largely unadorned, with few extra frills. Dorm rooms are basic bunk-style lodgings with patterned wallpaper, hardwood floors, and tan-and-silver metal bunkbeds with white sheets and pillows. Each bed comes with privacy curtains, outlets, USB ports, and lights mounted to the headboards. There are storage lockers beneath the beds, though no air-conditioning in the rooms. Wear-and-tear shows through on the walls and floors, and some guests complain of a lack of cleanliness. These dorm rooms come with sinks, and some have en-suite shared bathrooms, but some of the bathrooms are external, usually with two toilets and two showers per bathroom. The external bathrooms lack hand soap, and there’s been reports of bad odors and cleanliness issues with them. Note that bath towels are not included with rooms, but they can be rented or purchased from reception.

Private rooms are slightly more stylish, with red headboards and black-and-white pop art on the walls. The headboards in the private rooms have lights, outlets, and USB ports. Electric tea kettles are provided. These units have their own en-suite bathrooms, but they’re tiny, with small showers and little counter space. However, small toiletries in packets are provided. Light sleepers should bring earplugs -- the rooms are plagued with noise from the downstairs bar and restaurant, especially on the weekends. 

The best feature of this hostel is hands down the restaurant and bar, Belushi’s, located on the first floor of the building. It’s a fun, hip place with pop art, pool tables, flat-screen TVs, and even a smoking room. The hostel gives guests discounts to eat and drink, and there’s a free breakfast every morning. Guests can grab snacks from the snack machines any time of day or night. The Chillout Room has a pool table and multiple access terminals, but only a few chairs. There’s also a foosball table in the lobby. The building is nonsmoking, but there’s a quaint patio with tables and colorful chairs for hostel guests to use. There’s also a laundry room on-site with multiple washers and dryers that can be used for a fee. Wi-Fi is free and there are lockers for rent. The hostel also provides a free city walking tour.