The People - Paris Marais
400-bed flagship of The People chain in the Marais, with a terrace overlooking the Seine
The People Marais sits at 17 Boulevard Morland, on the southern edge of the 4th between the Marais and the Seine. It's the largest hostel in The People's Paris family (around 400 beds) and the most-reviewed on Booking, with the biggest rooftop terrace in the chain — views reach east across Île Saint-Louis and south over Gare d'Austerlitz. A 14-minute walk to Gare de Lyon, 5 minutes to Bastille, right in the backpacker sweet spot.
The People Marais opened in 2018 on a former office building and is the flagship of the four-hostel Paris chain. It's the biggest and the most-booked — around 400 beds in a ten-story building with ground-floor café, rooftop terrace and three lounge floors. You're on Boulevard Morland, a stretch that's technically 4th arrondissement but quieter than the Rue Vieille du Temple heart of the Marais: residential on one side, the Seine and Île Saint-Louis on the other.
The rooftop is the most-photographed feature on travel Instagram for a reason. It's a proper multi-level terrace with wooden decking, wine-bar seating, and views that reach east across Île Saint-Louis toward the Panthéon and south over Gare d'Austerlitz and the 13th. Cocktails run €8 to €14, wines by the glass from €5, local beers €6. On Thursday-to-Sunday evenings it fills with a mixed crowd of hostel guests and local 4th-arrondissement twenty-somethings — Paris doesn't have many rooftops open to the public, so the hostel bar effectively becomes a neighborhood bar.
Inside: 4-, 6- and 8-bed dorms with ensuite bathrooms, female-only dorms on two floors, privates that range from a small twin to a three-bed family room. Bunks have reading lights, curtains, in-bed lockers and USB. A full shared kitchen is on the ground floor (rare at this size in Paris), plus a separate laundry room and luggage store.
Location is the reason most people pick it over the other People hostels: 5 minutes walk to Place de la Bastille and the Rue de Lappe bar crawl, 8 minutes to Place des Vosges and the Marais heart, 12 minutes to Notre-Dame across Pont de Sully. Métro Sully-Morland (Line 7) is on the doorstep. Gare de Lyon is a 14-minute walk for onward trains, or two stops on Metro 1.
- 01Biggest rooftop bar in central Paris open to the public, not guests-only
- 02Ensuite bathroom in every dorm, rare at this density in the Marais
- 03Walking distance to Bastille, Île Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame and Gare de Lyon
- 04Full shared kitchen on the ground floor, unusual for a 400-bed property
- 8.2 rating across 9527 Booking reviews, most-reviewed hostel in Paris
- 5-min walk to Place de la Bastille and the Rue de Lappe bar circuit
- Multi-level rooftop terrace with views east over Île Saint-Louis
- 400 beds across dorms, female-only dorms, privates and family rooms
“I stayed in hostels in 4 different countries this spring break, and this was the best one. The rooftop views, clean dorm and walkable location to everything I wanted to see in the Marais.”
“Location, room was clean, bathroom was clean and shower had hot water with good water pressure. Rooftop is the real deal, worth coming up at sunset.”
“Facilities were clean and bedding was comfortable. Rooftop bar is great but busy, expect to wait on Friday night.”
- Place de la Bastille5 min walk
- Sully-Morland (Metro 7)2 min walk
- Île Saint-Louis6 min walk
- Place des Vosges8 min walk
- Notre-Dame Cathedral12 min walk
- Gare de Lyon14 min walk
