Four Saint-Denis bases for a cheaper match night
Staying in Saint-Denis or Aubervilliers rather than central Paris means a short trip to the ground and none of the crowded trains back into the city after the final whistle. What matters next is how you reach the stadium and where you leave the car. The four hotels below are close to metro line 12 or 13 or to a bus stop, three of them have parking, and three accept pets, so the budget goes on the ticket rather than on taxis.
B&B Hotel Paris Saint-Denis Pleyel is the most reviewed address here, 2,381 reviews with an 8.0 rating, a sign that it is a well-tested base for fans and concert-goers. It is a short walk from Carrefour Pleyel on metro line 13, which runs through Saint-Denis towards central Paris, and the hotel highlights good transport links to the Stade de France. Rooms are low-key, with flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi and air conditioning, and there is parking on site. It is pet-friendly, kid-friendly and has accessible features, so it works for a family trip around a France match as well as for a solo visit.
B&B Hôtel Saint-Denis Porte de Paris scores slightly higher, 8.2 from 1,445 reviews, and is the pick for drivers: it has secured parking, which matters on match days when the streets around the stadium are crowded. Rooms are simple, Wi-Fi is free, there is a bar and breakfast is served, so you can eat before setting off. The hotel suits families and travellers with pets, and public transport links nearby take you to the Stade de France and on into Paris. If I were driving, I would leave the car in the hotel car park and travel to the ground by public transport.
easyHotel Paris Nord Aubervilliers has the best score of the four, 9.0 from 1,431 reviews, and the most direct transport link: Front Populaire station on metro line 12 is a minute's walk from the door. Line 12 runs straight into central Paris, so a match in Saint-Denis can be combined with a day of sightseeing without changing hotel. The rooms are simply furnished, with air conditioning, and there is a breakfast buffet and paid parking. It suits families and travellers with pets, and the hotel highlights its easy access to the Stade de France as well as to the centre of Paris.
Hôtel Du Parc Canal is the least reviewed hotel on this list, with 102 reviews and an 8.2 rating, and the most low-key option. Its rooms are air-conditioned and smoke-free, Wi-Fi is free, and parking is available for a fee. The Charles Cros bus stop is a short walk away, giving a bus connection for events at the Stade de France, and the restaurant Le Transmontano is close by for a meal before or after the game. I would choose it when the three larger hotels are full, accepting a bus ride rather than a metro ride on match day.
Saint-Denis sits just north of the Paris ring road and is best known for two landmarks: the Gothic Basilica of Saint-Denis, burial place of the French kings, and the Stade de France, the national stadium built for the 1998 World Cup. On match and concert nights the La Plaine district around the stadium fills with fans arriving by RER B, RER D and metro line 13. Neighbouring Aubervilliers, along the Canal Saint-Denis, is linked to central Paris by metro line 12.
