Hotel les Chansonniers
113, Boulevard de Menilmontant   
Paris, France

Doubles €55-68

We love scouting out small, quirky hotels in Paris. Happily, the city is full of independent, charming hotels that offer rooms at very reasonable rates. One that we have an especially deep “crush” on is Hotel les Chansonniers (”The Singers”). Located a bit off-the-beaten path, this cheery hotel has a whole lotta heart and soul, and 40 clean and cheap rooms.

If you stay at Les Chansonniers, be sure to say hello to the lovely owner, Madame Sellam. She has a passion for music and takes pride in rooms touting the lives of great songstresses like Edith Piaf. The minute you step inside the note-worthy lobby and hotel bar, you’ll swoon.

What do we mean when we say “off the beaten path”? The property is in the Republique neighborhood, a bit northeast of the main sights, but very well connected by the Metro. The area is busy and working-class. It’s not Latin Quarter touristy, but brims instead with local activity. In short, it may not be right for first-time travelers to Paris who want a hotel steps from the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame.

Read our full review of Hotel les Chansonniers.

Cheapo tip: Try to stay in one of the two top-floor rooms that come with Jacuzzis!

Find more budget hotels in Paris and read our budget guide to traveling in Paris. 

Popularity: 10% [?]

At EuroCheapo, we’re all about hotels with a little extra flavor. And when in Rome, why settle for a normal night’s sleep?

These three hotels in Rome have traipsed through history, from ancient history to 19th-century, but all of them today offer modern amenities so you can sleep comfortably.

1) Casa Banzo
Campo de’ Fiori
Doubles from €110

This bed and breakfast, with just three rooms, screams, “location!” Housed in a 15-century palazzo near Campo de’ Fiori, this family-run establishment is far enough from the crazy Campo crowds, but close enough to easily walk to the Vatican, Spanish Steps and other Roman highlights.

Each of the Casa’s rooms are chockablock with vintage accoutrements. Think oil paintings, mahogany surfaces, and lots of marble. And, we haven’t even mentioned the frescoes! Just keep in mind, book early if you want to stay here. With only three rooms, the hotel fills up quickly.

If you do stay here, tell Antoinette (the owner) and her husband we say hello!

2) Hotel Navona
Piazza Navona
Doubles from €135

If you’ve ever dreamed about sleeping in ancient Rome (and who hasn’t?), this is your chance. The ruins underneath the spick-and-span rooms and bathrooms at Hotel Navona are literally the baths of Agrippa and date back to 33 B.C.!

Stucco walls, terra-cotta flooring, a family-run feel, and plenty of 18th and 19th-century antiques (many taken from the family’s palace in Venice) give the rooms a top-notch vibe. Near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, you can start off your day by touring the hotel (whose main structure is a 13th-century palace). And yes, this hotel has frescoes, too.

3) Suore di S Elisabetta
Santa Maria Maggiore
Doubles from €64

The quiet Suore di S Elisabetta is a convent that offers low-priced rooms on a peaceful street south of Santa Maria Maggiore. If you don’t mind an 11 p.m. curfew or a bedroom ornamented in crucifixes and the like, then get thee to this nunnery!

Rooms are as simple as a nun’s habit. For example, none of them have televisions. But, the breakfast room sparkles under light of hanging chandeliers and a dome of painted frescoes. An added bonus? The rooftop terrace—with inspiring views of Rome—is quite simply, divine.

Also see:

Our favorite theme hotels in Amsterdam

Popularity: 11% [?]

Directly outside of the Saint Peter’s Metro station is the delicious Federici B&B. Aside from the fabulously convenient location, rooms are big and bright, ranging from €80 to €120 for a double.

Francesco and Roberta (an adorable couple) run the the place with their son, Fabio, who speaks a smooth Australian English. The hotel is located inside a giant palazzo, with an entrance from within an inner courtyard.

They’ve also got apartments at negotiable, reasonable rates near the Vatican and in Trastevere. Our recommendation: check Federici out!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Okay, so they’re not always that cheap. But if you sign up for The Hoxton Urban Lodge’s newsletter, you’ll be alerted when they do have room sales. Just click here, and get on the mailing list to be alerted when £1 rooms are up for the taking. Hell, even when rooms aren’t a pound, they usually hover between £59 and £79—cheap in London.

The Hoxton is on Great Eastern Street in London’s hip (if a bit too trendy) East End. Some of the best nightlife in town is within a ten minute walk. All rooms have super soft Frette sheets, free Wi-Fi, coffee, milk, water, and tea, and a heavenly waterfall shower head (plus soft towels and Pears soap.)

Room Service is reasonable and there’s a 24-hour shop in the lobby just in case you’ve forgotten anything. Rooms come complete with mini-breakfast so you won’t be starving before you leave either. And newspapers are free, to boot. Sign us up.

Popularity: 13% [?]