The beauty of Paris is that it can be discovered again and again; there’s something for every persuasion. You could set headquarters right on the Place de Concorde in the 8th arrondissement, an area immersed in epoch-defining history and filled with icons of architecture. Or maybe you’re more in tune with the elegant 16th, darling of the fashion and design crowd. Or the non-conformist enclave of Montmartre, hangout of actors, poets and painters.
To help find your match, we’ve selected the 10 best hotels in Paris based on your priority, whether that’s unfettered romance, retail therapy or a night at the Moulin Rouge.
FOR A ROMANTIC BREAK
Monsieur George
The relationship between Paris and romance can feel a little cliché — which is, after all, a word coined by the French. But a hotel that marries the city’s glamour with the allure of faraway shores? Now that has a place in our hearts. A minute’s walk from the Champs-Élysées, Monsieur George has interiors by designer Anouska Hempel, who pays tribute to Parisians’ love of beautiful things from countries near and far, from English gardens to Indochinese art.
If there’s an overriding theme, it’s best described as ‘the great indoors’, with Hempel conjuring up forests and gardens with tiles, marble and fabrics in deep shades of green. It’s less of a hotel to be seen at and more of a place to retreat to — the perfect curtain call for a day in Paris, like a French 75 at dusk.
Best room for romance Dressed in black wood and green velvet, the decadent garden suite is a favourite for a romantic weekend break. It’s spread over two floors and opens onto a gloriously private courtyard garden with a wall of snaking greenery.
Design details Anouska Hempel has founded several hotels, created furniture for the Louis Vuitton flagship store (a short stroll from Monsieur George) and designed interiors for townhouses, country manors and palaces around the world.
Something to eat French chef Thomas Danigo presides over the hotel’s destination restaurant, the Michelin-starred Galanga. The menu nods to the relationship between Paris and Indochina, played out across five- and seven-course tasting menus. Dishes come and go, but you can expect Franco-Asian fusions like grilled Challans duck with shiso and green pepper.
See the sights You’re well-placed for romantic pastimes. For a little oh là là, book tickets for an evening cabaret show at the Lido de Paris. On a warm day, fill a picnic from local delis and sprawl out on the lawns of the Parc Monceau, founded in the 18th century by the fabulously wealthy Duke of Chartres. For a dinner to remember, hop aboard one of the luxurious vessels owned by Yachts de Paris, which hosts dinner cruises along the most scenic stretches of the Seine.
FOR SPA SPOILING
Le Roch Hotel & Spa
Modern, mellow yet devilishly well-dressed, Le Roch Hotel is the place for luxurious self-care. It’s in the heart of the 1st arrondissement, minutes from the Louvre, Palais Garnier and Place de la Concorde. Parisian designer Sarah Lavoine knows exactly how to give a space that seductive je ne sais quoi — just look at the restaurant, with its walnut panelling, blue-velvet banquettes and vast circular skylight.
So, we know it’s well dressed, but it’s what lies beneath we’re most interested in. Namely, the sleek, subterranean spa, where bespoke Codage products crafted in France are used in a full sweep of treatments. There’s a pool, too, sculpted from black-lava rock and surrounded by candles. Down here, far below the bustle of the boulevards, it’s so calm you’ll almost feel sorry for disturbing the water. Almost…
Best room for private pampering Swing for one of the suites, all of which have private hammams with Moroccan zellige tiles. The star of the show is the Saint Roch Suite, with its vast dressing area, wine bar and terrasse overlooking the rooftops of the 1st arrondissement.
Design details Love the hotel’s look? Designer Sarah Lavoine has her own design studio and a string of Parisian boutiques, filled with covetous furniture, crockery, cushions and more.
Something to eat Excellent Gallic fare leads the way at Maison 28, Le Roch’s seasonally-minded restaurant. Expect dishes like braised lamb with dauphinoise potatoes, pot-au-feu, and chicken casserole served with yellow wine and morel mushrooms.
See the sights At the end of the street are the Tuileries Gardens, primed for a promenade with stops at the Musée de l’Orangerie and Jeu de Paume (for postmodern photography). Across the Seine is Beaux Arts station-turned-gallery Musée d’Orsay, while the perma-cool Marais district lies to the east.
FOR SHOPPING
Grand Powers
The clue’s in the name at Grand Powers, a sartorially-blessed stay sent to tempt you into Sun King-levels of expenditure. Not that the hotel is overpriced; no, it’s the neighbours that are the culprits, namely maisons Celine, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton and co. Such are the hazards when your hotel is positioned in the jewellery box of an area known as the Golden Triangle, a section of the 8th arrondissement between avenue Montaigne, avenue George V and the Champs-Élysées.
Resistance is futile: all who enter Grand Powers fall under the spell of its art deco finery, Eiffel Tower-spying balconies and Holidermie-toting spa. It’s not all about giving in to excess, though — Asian-influenced Café 52 is big on healthy, plant-based dishes and the bar staff can whip up rejuvenating juices, ginger shots and kombuchas in a flash.
Best room for post-splurge recovery Just evaporated €12,000 in Hermès? Deep breaths, deep breaths… It’s just as well you booked the Executive Room with a Balcony, where you can gulp in lungfuls of air and be soothed by the sight of your golden-hued ‘hood.
Design details Grand Powers is a vision of Haussmannian heritage, with a Lutetian limestone façade, high ceilings, wood parquet flooring and decorative fireplaces.
Something to eat Crispy halloumi with pistachio yoghurt, miso ramen with brown rice noodles, gluten-free pasta with black truffle and vegan cream… Maxime Raab’s plant-based menu at Café 52 turns French cooking traditions on their head — and we’re all for it.
See the sights Time for a little retail therapy. Covetous leathers and luggage can be found at the Louis Vuitton flagship, scarves and bags steal the show at the cavernous Hermès headquarters, and a curated collection including Jil Sander, Dries Van Noten, The Row and Maison Margiela awaits at fêted concept store L’Éclaireur. For art, architecture and visions of Parisian high-society living, explore Nissim de Camondo’s former home or the Musée Jacquemart-André.
FOR CULTURE
Saint James Paris
Saint James Paris, in the much-loved 16th arrondissement, is the only hotel in the city that lays claim to an entire château. Hidden behind stone walls, this 19th-century hôtel particulier was built to steal hearts — and still does today, with its fragrant gardens, sweeping staircases and chinoiserie-style suites.
Whether you’re having coffee and pâtisserie at wrought-iron tables on the terrace, sipping night caps in the wood-panelled library or kicking back amid the floral wallpapers and art deco accents in your room, Saint James will have you feeling like you’ve stepped into a scene from Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.
Best room for cultured sorts Each room is different, designed like the home of an eccentric art-lover; you might find Japanese-style wallpapers, parquet flooring and sumptuous velvety fabrics. We’re fans of room 101, one of the Junior Suites, which has three large windows overlooking the manicured gardens.
Design details Saint James Paris holds the distinction of being the only château hotel in Paris. Originally built as a private residence for President Adolphe Thiers, it’s undergone multiple design transformations, the most recent by Laura Gonzalez.
Something to eat French fine-dining restaurant Bellefeuille goes big on seasonality, with chef Grégory Garimbay sourcing much of the produce from the hotel’s own garden in Île-de-France. The menu changes frequently, but you might find milk-fed lamb with Kombu seaweed, anchovy sauce and Swiss chard, or scallops and abalones served with hedgehog mushrooms.
See the sights Make a beeline for the banks of the Seine, the lifeblood of Paris. Few activities speak to the flâneur’s soul like a walk along its mythologised banks, studded with all sorts of Parisian icons, from Notre-Dame to world-famous bookshop Shakespeare and Company. Spy iconic works of French sculpture at the Musée Rodin, get a sweeping view of Parisian art and history at the Musée Carnavalet, then explore the city’s relationship with the wider world at the L’Institut du Monde Arabe.
FOR NIGHTLIFE
Hôtel Particulier Montmartre
Famed for its iconic cabaret club, the Moulin Rouge, Montmartre is laidback, saucy, and the logical choice for night owls. Which is why Hôtel Particulier Montmartre is such a surprise, hidden among trees in a hushed and cobbled courtyard that feels more like a village than central Paris.
There are just five suites, all designed by Morgane Rousseau and packed with personality — one might be clad in animal prints, another styled like a Far Eastern boudoir. Downstairs, there’s a salon-esque restaurant serving French classics (Breton clams, Burgundy snails, Charolais beef) and a sultry bar decked in gold and red velvet, where you can charge your glasses before heading off into the night.
Best room for night owls Plump for the Tralala Suite, with its carmine-hued walls, velvets, tasselled furnishings and mirrors. The bathroom is equally splendid, with a red-marble tub and windows overlooking the verdant garden.
Design details The hotel’s coveted garden is the work of landscaper Louis Benech, whose work includes the renovation of Paris’ iconic Jardin des Tuileries. Here, he’s created a serene and leafy space with shady nooks and a fountain.
Something to drink Kick the evening into gear with an absinthe-laced Montmartre Juleps, or the elderflower, mandarin and basil-scented Impérial Martini.
See the sights The legendary Moulin Rouge is a 10-minute walk away (in a somewhat seedy area of the city, but that’s only fitting). During daylight hours, brush up on your surrealism at The Dalí Paris and browse the endless stalls at the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, one of Paris’ largest flea markets.
FOR A BUDGET-FRIENDLY TRIP
Mob House
Looking for a new side to Paris? Then marche on to Mob House, an eco-conscious outlier in up-and-coming Saint-Ouen, home to a treasure-trove marché aux puces (flea market). The Philippe Starck-designed rooms are unmistakably contemporary in looks, but the sandy throws and drapes, cool marble, straw lampshades and wooden wall panels ensure nature gets its due.
Parisian chef Jérôme Banctel is behind the eco-conscious (and largely plant-based) menu at brasserie Feuille de Chou, cocktails come courtesy of star mixologist Nicolas de Soto, and the hotel has one of the best outdoor pools we’ve ever seen in Paris — a 20-metre-long heated number that’s open from April to October.
Best room on a budget If you’re keeping those purse strings tight, go for one of the entry-level rooms with a balcony, which come in at a respectable 21 square-metres and overlook the gardens.
Design details Philippe Starck’s design choices mingle Parisian traditions with eco awareness. You’ll find concrete alongside wooden parquet, handmade French tiles, and wall paints made from straw and clay.
Something to eat From Saturday lunch to Sunday evening, restaurant Feuille de Chou serves up its organic feast (Grande Bouffe). It comes in at under €30 a person and nets you a mixed salad to share, roast chicken, homemade fries and a dessert (we recommend the chocolate mousse).
See the sights More than five million people descend on the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen each year (thankfully not all at once). It’s made up of 12 covered markets, five streets and myriad stalls, meaning you can spend hours there without seeing it all. Don’t miss Paul Bert Serpette, the largest antiques market in the world with more than 350 dealers selling treasures spanning whole epochs of history.
FOR ALL-OUT LUXURY
La Réserve Hotel and Spa Paris
If you want the best Paris has to offer, follow in the footsteps of a Bonaparte. Quite literally, in the case of La Réserve, which inhabits a house built for Napoleon’s brazenly ambitious half-brother, the Duc de Morny. In spite of being the illegitimate son, Charles Bonaparte amassed a considerable fortune, purchasing a handsome Hausmann hôtel right by the Champs-Élysées.
It’s gone through a few costume changes since the days of the Republic, but the grandeur remains. You’ll find herringbone-parquet floors, antiques, busts, brocades and classical works of art throughout its rooms and corridors. Modern additions include a two-Michelin-starred restaurant and a spa using Nescens-Swiss products developed by Professor Jacques Proust, a pioneer in anti-ageing.
Best room for indulgence The vast Imperial Suite is infused with the spirit of Napoleon and styled in homage to the French Empire, with gold filigree, precious inlays, Damascene silk and brocade wall-hangings. From the private balcony, you’ll have ravishing views of the Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais and Notre-Dame’s steeple.
Design details Legendary hotel designer Jacques Garcia oversaw the renovation of the hotel, which included painstaking work to recover old ornamentation, woodwork, moldings and forgotten cornices, especially in the Louis XV Salon.
Something to eat La Réserve has twin aces up its sleeve: the three-Michelin-starred Le Gabriel and spice-loving La Pagode de Cos. Le Gabriel’s tasting menu is a tour de force of French cooking: expect dishes like Louvigné pigeon and fermented turnip, squid tagliatelle served with a duck jus and Kristal caviar, and confit mango with spicy sorbet and peanut cream.
See the sights Take a stroll through the city’s most famous garden, the Tuileries, where you can spot statues by Rodin and Giacometti, before admiring the works of Monet at the Musée de l’Orangerie. Next, step back in time to the Second Empire at the opulent Musée Jacquemart André, a hôtel particulier built by Henri Parent for the wealthy André family.
FOR EIFFEL TOWER VIEWS
Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon
Iconic. The word gets tossed around a lot in Paris, but the Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon is one of the few to truly earn the title. Positioned on the Place de la Concorde, this neoclassical landmark was home to Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI; counts Ernest Hemingway, Teddy Roosevelt and Andy Warhol among former guests; and has likely witnessed enough fine wine consumed on the premises to overflow the Seine.
The terraces embedded between the Corinthian columns have borne witness to revolutions, regicide and armed occupations. Today, the greatest commotion is likely to come from a tooting horn on the street below, but you’ll be more interested in the skyline, where postcard-perfect views of the Eiffel Tower dominate the scene.
Best room for Eiffel Tower views Many of the Atelier d’Artiste rooms have glorious views of the Iron Lady, but our favourite vantage point is the terrace of the Bernstein Suite, where American composer Leonard Bernstein used to stay.
Design details After being open for more than a century, Hôtel de Crillon underwent a four-year restoration to modernise its interiors and preserve its 18th-century heritage. One of the designers brought on board was honorary Parisian Karl Lagerfeld, who designed the Grands Appartements.
Something to eat The hotel has three restaurants, the fanciest being L’Écrin, with avant-garde chandeliers, seven-course tasting menus and a wine cellar running to several thousand labels. You can expect the best of the best here: Limousin pork, Burgundy beef, blue lobster, spider crab…
See the sights The Musée d’Orsay, Petit Palais, Bourse de Commerce, and contemporary photography gallery Jeu de Paume are an easy walk away, as is the Palais Garnier for operatic evenings. The Clefs d’Or concierge can arrange private tours of the Louvre, guided visits to Versailles and exclusive access to fashion ateliers.
FOR PET-FRIENDLY BREAKS
JK Place Paris
For all its hauteur and history, Paris is more pet-friendly than you might think. Most bistros, cafés and bars are only too happy to accommodate four-legged guests, and they can ride on public transport without an issue. Things can get a little trickier when visiting sights (many museums and galleries only accept guide and service dogs), so if it’s your first visit, it might make sense to leave your pooch at home. Beware that Paris’ smaller, gated parks are often closed to dogs, so you may need to do some planning ahead before walk(ie)s.
Pets are very welcome at JK Place Paris, a hotel that makes it possible to experience la dolce vita and la bonne vie at the same time. Having already taken Capri, Florence and Rome by storm, the JK group swooped on a former embassy at 82 rue de Lille, a Seine-spying address in the stately 7th arrondissement. Just let the hotel know in advance that you’re bringing a pet, and they’ll leave bowls, beds and treats in your room.
Most pet-friendly room All room categories are pet-friendly, and there’s no size limit or charge for dogs. For the sake of floorspace, we’d recommend going for the JK Deluxe or one of the Junior Suites, which have handsome parquet flooring and marble-clad bathrooms.
Design details Designer Michele Bönan’s interiors balance Italian flair with Parisian restraint. In the rooms, he’s used soft colours, sumptuous fabrics, eclectic artwork and Fellini-esque photographs to create the impression of a chic Parisian apartment.
Something to eat The food at Casa Tua is distinctly Italian, featuring homemade burrata, tagliolini with caviar, whole roasted branzino, Milanese and other classics.
See the sights So where’s good for a walk? The Bois de Boulogne is one of the biggest parks in Paris and dogs can be unleashed at leisure. Other top contenders include the Bois de Vincennes, the gardens of the Champs-Élysées and Parc Monceau. The glorious Galerie Vivienne is dog friendly, meaning you can browse its boutiques, tea rooms, antique bookshops and wine merchants with your pooch in tow. Trainline-turned-park Coulée Verte René-Dumont is another dog-friendly favourite, as is a timeless stroll along the banks of the Seine.
FOR FEELING LIKE A LOCAL
L’Eldorado
Paris has its share of green assets — the Tuileries and Park Monceau among them — but nothing beats a glass of vin in a garden of your own. Enter L’Eldorado, a verdant stay in Batignolles, an untouristy, largely residential pocket of the 17th arrondissement that has held on to its local character. Closely tied to the Impressionist movement, Batignolles was once home to Edouard Manet, who frequently met fellow artists like Renoir, Sisley and Degas at a local (but since vanished) café. The area remains a bohemian hangout to this day, as does the hotel, with its English gardens, bustling brocantes and a thriving café and bistro scene.
This painterly quality is echoed at the hotel, which brings a slice of the countryside to the city with rooms that wouldn’t look out of place in a Rossetti painting. Floral wallpapers, botanical patterns and cane furnishings call to mind a Victorian glasshouse — a teaser, if you will, for the hotel’s coveted courtyard garden, where the tables are shaded by palms and the walls wrapped with vines.
Best room for feeling like a local Let’s be frank: if you want to be mistaken for a Parisian, you need to start sipping your morning coffee à la terrasse. Which is why we strongly recommend swinging for the Terrace room or a balcony-blessed suite. They’re private, furnished with cane chairs and face into the courtyard garden, full of palms, campanula, hydrangea and camellias.
Design details L’Eldorado is unashamedly maximalist, with botanical prints, floral House of Hackney wallpapers and mix-and-match furnishings from various historical eras (Victorian hangings, Twenties lights, Sixties latticework cabinets).
Something to eat Spread between a vintage-styled dining room and verdant terrace, the restaurant looks like a beautifully furnished winter garden. Dining is fairly casual, with small plates (trout rillettes, oysters, seasoned snails…) and more substantial dishes like sole meunière; vol-au-vents stuffed with clams, asparagus and lemon; and fillet steak with dauphinoise potatoes.
See the sights The bohemian bustle of Batignolles has plenty to tempt you. See arthouse films at the Pathé Cinema and Cinema des Cinéastes, dive for bric-a-brac pearls at the Marché des Batignolles, and take a guided tour of the splendid mansions built by the Menier family, a dynasty of chocolatiers that settled around Parc Monceau.
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