Generator Paris

Generator Paris opened in 2015 as the French flagship of the Generator chain — a design-led European hostel group also running Berlin, Amsterdam and Barcelona. The building is huge (950 beds, 10 floors) on Place du Colonel Fabien, directly above the namesake metro station on Line 2. Architect Anda Andrei designed it with local references throughout: a Jean-Paul Gaultier-style stripe mural, neon, mirrored surfaces, and a deliberately curated 'Paris grunge' aesthetic.

There are two bars and a club. Ground floor Café Fabien does brunch, coffee and bistro-style dinner. The rooftop bar (open evenings, drinks-only) is the reason most guests book — floor-to-ceiling glass with south views over the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, east to the Belleville hills, cocktails from €12, beers €6. Capacity tops out around 200 and it fills Fri-Sat from 20h onward. In the basement is The Khayma, a Moroccan-themed club with DJs 7 nights a week, electronic music Thu-Sat, more eclectic weeknights. All free to guests, with overflow tickets sold to locals.

Rooms run the gamut: 4- to 12-bed mixed dorms with in-bed curtains and USB, 4- and 6-bed female dorms, private twins and doubles with ensuite, and 'Penthouse Privates' on the top floor with their own terrace access. Dorms are basic but functional — the party atmosphere downstairs is the feature, not the rooms.

Location is one of the best in the city for nightlife access: Canal Saint-Martin's picnic and bar stretch is 8 minutes walk, Oberkampf's bar circuit 12 minutes, Belleville's cheap eats 10 minutes, and Gare du Nord / Gare de l'Est both 10 minutes on Metro 2. Not central-tourist (Louvre 20 min by metro), but perfectly placed for young-traveler Paris.