Grand Hôtel Magenta

Location is the one clear advantage here. You’re practically on top of Gare du Nord, so you can get from the train to bed in about four minutes, luggage and jet lag included. That’s handy for an early Eurostar or a late arrival when you don’t want to navigate public transport. You’re paying for that convenience, and the under-€100 price is realistic for what you get. The hotel is run down, with peeling paint and dodgy plumbing. Rooms are so small that opening a suitcase takes careful planning. Noise comes straight through the windows: cars, people shouting, and late-night revellers all become your roommates. The area is loud and dirty, with honking traffic and pedestrians weaving through the road. The general chaos feels almost like an attraction in itself. Maybe that’s typical around Paris hotels, but soundproofing, heating, and working wifi all seem like luxuries here. What did you expect near Paris’s busiest train station for under €100? It’s no Ritz, barely a Travelodge. Two and a half stars: one for the location, one for staying in business, and half for pricing that doesn’t pretend to offer luxury. It might suit transit passengers who put convenience ahead of comfort and can sleep through an urban symphony. Bring earplugs and low expectations.

The location is very convenient, just a five-minute walk from Gare du Nord. Staff are helpful and easygoing, and they let us leave our suitcases at reception a few times before check-in and after checkout. That meant we could eat breakfast and lunch nearby without dragging our bags around. The key is an old-fashioned manual one, and you leave it at reception when you go out. The small lift fits three people and three small suitcases if you stack two of them. Our room was roomy enough for three, with a newly added bathroom and steady hot water pressure. The floor, linens, pillows, and blanket were clean. There’s easy-to-use Wi-Fi with no password. No toothbrushes or air conditioning, but there’s a fan and hair dryer. The reception area is small, and the staircase is quite old with narrow turns, as you’d expect in an old building. There’s also a thank you to Monsieur, whose name I didn’t get.

I only stayed one night because this place is near the train station, but I really wouldn’t recommend it. The room and shower were dirty, there was no air conditioning, and my sheet had burn holes. People staying at the hotel were very loud in the hallway. 0/5.

The location was convenient, a short walk from Gare du Nord, and the room had a small balcony. Those were the only good things. After one night we left and booked a new room a block away for the next night. This was the dirtiest, smelliest room I’ve ever stayed in, with dirt and mold everywhere. The bathroom window and shower were covered in thick black mold, and the smell filled the whole room. The shower door was broken, and we didn’t dare use it because it felt unsafe and unsanitary. The bathroom door and walls looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in months, maybe years. The light above the sink was broken and hanging by a wire, as was the wall phone. The soap tray had fallen off and was on the floor behind the toilet. The two bed pillows were covered together in one long sheet, which felt unhygienic. A nightstand had broken off the wall and been shoved in the closet. The closet had a random mix of two old wire hangers, a plastic one, and a suit hanger. The “upholstered” headboard was just wallpaper made to look like one. I’ve stayed in budget places before, but nothing this neglected. I’d absolutely never recommend it.