Paris, France

From the top of Montmartre to the tip of the Eiffel Tower, in the Louvre or on the Left Bank, Paris is stylish to its bones: not merely cool and chic, but seriously creative. Between its Gothic cathedrals and grand avenues are flashes of futuristic bravura: the Pompidou Centre and L’Institut du Monde Arabe, proving the revolutionary spirit is alive and relevant. It’s the layers of old and new, privilege and punk, that give Paris its ageless verve – the 8ème and 16ème arrondissements are tops for couture-clad swanking; diehard romantics will always have Montmartre (trendier than ever, these days); and Montorgueil is the up-and-coming area to watch.
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Areas in Paris

When to go

Paris shuts down (and relaxes) in August, a national holiday. Go in spring, when the blossom’s out, or autumn, not least for Nuit Blanche, an all-night culturefest.

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    Found your stay cheaper elsewhere? We’ll match the price and give you a $75 voucher.

  • Smith Extra on arrival

    Enjoy extras such as a picnic lunch, champagne or spa treatments, on the house

Getting there

  • Planes

    BMI Baby (www.bmibaby.com) | British Airways (www.ba.com) | Air France (www.airfrance.com) and EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) fly to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport from the UK. Most major French regionals have flights into Paris Orly (www.airfrance.com). A taxi from Charles de Gaulle international airport to the centre costs about €50; buses and trains run regularly into town at a fraction of the cost. RER/TGV trains run from CDG to Gare du Nord every 15 minutes from 5.30am to 10.30pm | and take 35 minutes.

  • Trains

    There are six main stations in Paris, all of which are central and link to the fantastic Métro underground system (www.ratp.fr). Eurostar is by far the best way to travel there from London: trains from Kings Cross St Pancras (and mainland Europe) arrive into Gare du Nord. From the Mediterranean coast, TGV services connect via Marseille or Perpignan and, in the west, Biarritz and Bordeaux (www.tgv.com).

  • Automobiles

    You’re better off without one. Many hotels charge for parking, and why risk the passion-killing traffic? Determined drivers need to steel themselves for the infamous périphérique ring road.

  • Taxis

    Can be hailed in the street if you’re more than 100 metres from a rank (these are all over Paris and have phones if no taxi is waiting).

Végétale suite at Hotel Particulier Montmartre, Paris, France

Végétale suite at Hotel Particulier Montmartre, Paris, France

Housed in a hidden garden on the Montmartre hillside, Hotel Particulier is an unexpected bubble of tranquillity in one of Paris’ most thrill-a-minute districts. Visually speaking, it’s a treat, littered with icons of design (chairs by Arne Jacobsen and Mies van der Rohe and their ilk), and inspired by artists of all media. What really makes this hotel stand out, however, are its bedrooms. The owners recruited five contemporary artists to imbue each suite with their signature styles. The walls of Martine Aballéa’s ‘Végétale’ Junior Suite are papered to resemble a light-dappled forest canopy – it’s like sleeping in a Monet.

Find out more about Hotel Particulier Montmartre
Paris

Paris

When it comes to street scoffing, Parisian’s have deemed the baguette démodé, in favour of, well, the humble burger. Gauche, perhaps? Mais oui; however, the Gallic take on McDonalds is typically chic.

What’s cooking? Sizzling wagyu patties, bubbling gruyère and Tomme de Savoie, and authentic French fries.

Don't miss

• Le Camion qui Fume, Paris New York and Big Fernand’s atelier take on a burger joint makes their queues almost worthwhile. Find speedier meaty succulence with blackened red peppers and bleu cheese toppings at Cantine California on Marché St Honoré.
• It 's a long way from the Yorkshire Dales, but Paris is barmy about Ginger Pig's short-horn cattle and Tamworth pigs – well, eating them anyway. Takeaway Frenchie To Go insouciantly slaps its bacon and brisket between pain, resulting in an effortlessly on-trend snack.
•  Burgers not your bag? Quai d'Austerlitz’s Wanderlust performance space hosts three-day feast Super Barquette, one of Paris’s trendiest food-truck love ins. Alix LaCloche’s feather-light fried chicken and Fricote’s Bahn Khot are stand-out eats.

Stay at Saint James Paris to swap kerbside munching for Michelin-starred cuisine come nightfall.
 

 

Madame de Stael room at La Belle Juliette, Paris, France

Madame de Stael room at La Belle Juliette, Paris, France

Life is like a box of Ladurée macaroons – if you’re staying at La Belle Juliette, that is. Rooms are styled with sugar-sweet shades – strawberry and raspberry, cherry-red and violet; and deeper darts of blackcurrant, chocolate and liquorice. The end result is as feminine and romantic as roses wrapped in ribbon. In the Madame de Stael room (a Deluxe Romantic Room), the hotel’s bright colour palette is softly subdued with intricate stucco-work, and guests are treated to amour-boosting chocolates, a glass of champagne each, rose petals and a bath bomb.

Find out more about La Belle Juliette
Virginie Basselot

Virginie Basselot

Where The Restaurant, Saint James Paris

Cuisine Modern French

What's the inspiration for your cooking?
I was born in Normandy and love to cook products of the sea – always fresh and in season.

Favourite ingredient right now?
Coriander flowers.

Best breakfast?
Breakfast at the Crillon hotel with chef Jean Francois Piège, especially a coddled egg with spinach and a Parmesan cheese emulsion.

Where do you like to eat out?
I love to have diner in small Parisian bistrots belonging to friends.

More about Saint James Paris