Mr & Mrs Smith

You're close to the Michelin-starred Hélène Darroze restaurant on rue d’Assas (+33 (0)1 42 22 00 11) – there's also the Salon d'Hélène downstairs, serving a lighter menu of contemporary tapas. You'll need to book well ahead to get a table at either. About a 10-minute walk from Le Placide is Sensing, celeb chef Guy Martin's restaurant at 19 rue Bréa (+33 (0)1 43 27 08 80): a four-course dinner including a half-bottle of wine and coffee will set you back about €75 a head; if you feel like splashing out, try the seven-course degustation menu: €95, or €140 with wine pairings. Call in at La Société, a glamorous yet relaxed brasserie on Place Saint-Germain, to admire Peter Lindbergh photographs, sculptures and a marble bar. There’s even jazz for your ears (+33 (0)1 53 63 60 60).

You can't visit Saint-Germain without stopping at one of Paris' venerable triumvirate of café-brasseries: Café de Flore (+33 (0)1 45 48 55 26) and Brasserie Lipp (+33 (0)1 45 48 53 91) on Boulevard Saint-Germain; and Les Deux Magots (+33 (0)1 45 48 55 25) on Place Saint-Germain des Prés.

Saint-Germain is a fun place to stroll around, with plenty of shops, cafés and restaurants to keep you occupied; thanks to its university heritage, it has historically been the haunt of artists, poets and intellectuals, and there are still plenty of great bookshops and galleries to help kick-start your grey matter.

The Jardin du Luxembourg park is a great spot for a picnic or breakfast on a sunny day: buy your supplies from the venerable Pierre Hermé patisserie at 72 rue Bonaparte (+33 (0)1 43 54 47 77), or from nearby star-serving bakery, Bread & Roses at 7 rue Fleurus (+33 (0)1 42 22 06 06). The park also has a boating pond, if that floats your miniature yacht.