"Paris is the city that invented the idea of the city — and has never stopped perfecting it."
Paris has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any city in the world, the finest art museums in the world, and an architectural coherence — the result of Haussmann's 19th-century boulevards and a strict height limit — that makes it the most beautiful large city on earth. It is also, simply, the most influential city in the history of Western culture: the city that gave the world Impressionism, haute couture, the croissant, and the concept of the café as a place to think.
The best Paris experience is built around the arrondissements — each with its own character, its own restaurants, its own rhythm. The 1st and 2nd for the Louvre and the Palais Royal; the 3rd and 4th for the Marais; the 5th and 6th for the Left Bank; the 7th for the Eiffel Tower and the Musée d\'Orsay; the 8th for the Champs-Élysées and the palace hotels; the 11th for the natural wine bars and the bistros. A great Paris trip moves between them, on foot, stopping for coffee and croissants at every opportunity.
"The croissant at Du Pain et des Idées — the finest in the world, and worth the detour to the 10th."
TastesOf Editorial
At a Glance
What Not to Miss
The Louvre
The world's most visited museum — 35,000 works spanning 9,000 years of human creativity, housed in a former royal palace on the banks of the Seine. The Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo, and the Mona Lisa are the obvious highlights; the Richelieu Wing's French sculpture and the Islamic Art galleries are the hidden ones. Book timed entry in advance.
Dining in Paris
Paris has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any city in the world — from Guy Savoy's three-star temple of French haute cuisine to the natural wine bars of the 11th arrondissement. The city's bistros, brasseries, and bouillons offer some of the finest value dining in Europe. The croissant at Du Pain et des Idées is the finest in the world.
The Marais
Paris's most characterful neighbourhood — a dense grid of medieval streets, Renaissance hôtels particuliers, and contemporary galleries in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. The Place des Vosges, the Musée Picasso, and the Musée Carnavalet are all here; so are the finest falafel in Europe, on the Rue des Rosiers.
The Eiffel Tower at Night
The Eiffel Tower at night — when the iron lattice is illuminated and the light show runs every hour on the hour — is one of the great spectacles in the world. The view from the Trocadéro, across the Seine, is the finest vantage point. The view from the top, at night, is extraordinary.
Versailles Day Trip
Louis XIV's extraordinary palace — 700 rooms, 2,000 acres of formal gardens, and the Hall of Mirrors — is 35 minutes from Paris by RER. The gardens at Versailles in summer, with the fountains running, are among the finest formal gardens in the world. Book tickets in advance and arrive early.
The Musée d'Orsay
The world's finest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art — Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, and Cézanne — housed in a converted Beaux-Arts railway station on the Left Bank. The clock room on the top floor, with its views of the Seine and the Sacré-Cœur, is one of the most beautiful spaces in Paris.
Where to Stay
Le Bristol Paris
Palace HotelOne of the great palace hotels of Europe — a 1925 building on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, with a rooftop pool, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant (Épicure), and service that is the standard against which all other Paris hotels are measured.
Hôtel de Crillon
Historic PalaceAn 18th-century palace on the Place de la Concorde, beautifully restored by Rosewood Hotels. The Jardin d'Hiver bar is one of the finest in Paris; the Les Ambassadeurs restaurant is extraordinary.
Hôtel du Petit Moulin
BoutiqueChristian Lacroix's extraordinary boutique hotel in the Marais — a former boulangerie converted into 17 rooms, each designed differently by Lacroix. The most characterful small hotel in Paris.
The Verdict
The world's most beautiful city — eat at Le Bristol, walk every arrondissement, and never stop for anything less than a perfect croissant.