The 3 Ducks Eiffel Tower by Hiphophostels
Legendary Eiffel-Tower-side party hostel running since 1988
The 3 Ducks sits at 6 Place Etienne Pernet in the 15th, a 12-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower and the oldest hostel in the Hiphophostels chain — running since 1988. It's a genuine backpacker hostel with colorful dorms, a shared kitchen, a small on-site bar that serves cheap beer and a terrace where pub-crawl groups gather before heading out. Classic, scrappy, sociable.
The 3 Ducks opened in 1988 as one of the first backpacker hostels in Paris, long before the Hiphophostels chain existed. It still feels like that: scrappy, colorful, un-designed-looking. Dorms have bright painted walls, wooden bunks, and small hallway bathrooms with shower cubicles. The building is a 1930s apartment block at the top of Place Etienne Pernet, a small square with cafés around it — and it backs onto the Félix Faure metro stop (Line 8, 2 min walk) for direct access to Bastille and Opera.
The ground-floor bar is the real reason to stay. It's small, loud on weekends, and runs happy-hour from 18h to 20h with €4 pints and €6 cocktails. Staff organize weekly pub crawls (Thursday and Saturday) meeting at the bar at 21h, plus occasional live-music nights featuring local bands. A small terrace at the back lets you drink outside in summer.
The shared kitchen is basic — two hobs, a microwave, a small fridge — but functional. No included breakfast but staff will sell you a coffee and croissant for €4 at reception, or point you to Le Café Pernet across the square for €3 espresso with locals.
The 15th arrondissement is underrated. You're a 12-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower via Avenue Felix Faure and Avenue Suffren — most guests skip the €15 paid access and just walk to the Champ de Mars for picnics. Rue du Commerce is a 5-minute walk and has a proper Parisian market, boulangeries and neighborhood wine bars. For nightlife, you're 4 metro stops to Bastille and 6 to the Marais — closer by train than many 'central' hostels.
- 01Running since 1988, the original Paris backpacker bar hostel
- 0212-min walk to the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars picnic lawn
- 03Happy hour starts at 18h, earliest in any Paris hostel we've rated
- 04Félix Faure metro 2 min walk, one stop to La Motte-Picquet hub
- 8.0 rating across 1746 Booking reviews
- Running since 1988 in the same 1930s building
- In-house bar with pub crawls Thursday and Saturday
- 12-min walk to Eiffel Tower, 5 min to Rue du Commerce market
“Everything was great, very easy to check in, very friendly staff. Was able to leave bags after check-out no problem. The bar downstairs had a proper pub feel.”
“Amazing place, really recommend visiting. Friendly staff and perfect location, the walk to the Eiffel Tower was lovely.”
“The service was super. Everything was clean, 2 minute walk to the metro, 24 hour front desk when I arrived late.”
- Félix Faure (Metro 8)2 min walk
- Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars12 min walk
- Rue du Commerce market street5 min walk
- Parc André Citroën15 min walk
- La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle (Metro 6, 8, 10)8 min walk
- Montparnasse district6 metro stops on Line 8
