Paris? This is a world! Each of its neighborhoods is explored as a country, from Montmartre the villager to the Latin Quarter and the cradle of the Ile de la Cité. And every stone tells us about art, from the centuries-old Louvre Museum to the futuristic Louis Vuitton Foundation. Because Paris is a permanent holiday for culture, including gastronomy. It is not Christelle Brua, the best pastry chef in the world restaurant who will contradict us!
Highlights of your visit to Paris
The best way to visit Paris is to start with the Ile de la Cité, the cradle of the ancient Lutèce. It is here that Notre-Dame de Paris, a jewel of Gothic art that has watched over the Seine for more than 850 years. In the nearby Latin Quarter, the vestiges, baths of Cluny or arenas of Lutèce, unfold the thread of ancient history while the streets, Mouffetard in the lead, evoke the Middle Ages. You can enjoy the village atmosphere between cafes and good food stalls.
Compare with the Montmartre plots, another Parisian «village». While climbing on the Butte, one continues to the basilica of the Sacred Heart: from the dome, the view of Paris is as prodigious as that of the Eiffel Tower!
Symbol of the French garden, the Tuileries garden is a good guiding thread for an artistic walk. One meets statues of Maillol or Rodin before exploring the rich collections of the nearby Louvre museum. And we walk across to one of the Grand Palais exhibitions. We can also simply salute the perspective: from the Place de la Concorde, the avenue des Champs Elysées stretches between terraces and chic shops for nearly 2 kilometres up to the Arc de Triomphe…
Cultural Paris is also about innovation: in the Villette district, the city of Science and Industry, the largest scientific museum in Europe, is a mine for the curious. And in the middle of Boulogne wood, a strange vessel of glass and steel dropped anchor: signed by Frank Gehry, the Louis Vuitton Foundation is the new icon of contemporary art that penetrates all the way to the classic Château de Versailles!
The art of living in Parisian style
Coming to Paris is a taste of the Parisian way of life. You can start your breakfast with a delicious hot baguette and butter croissants, before wearing Repetto ballerinas for a round of haute couture shopping on Avenue Montaigne, or Saint-Ouen flea dealers. In the afternoon, an obligatory break at the Café de Flore, the capital of all literary Paris. In the evening, we take out our Louboutin pumps to listen to an opera in the modern setting of the Bastille Opera or under the ors of the Opera Garnier. You can also go to the Moulin Rouge or the Lido to applaud the dancers of the new French Cancan. Then all that remains is to return to one of these furiously Parisian hotels, like the Crillon.
Paris, augmented city
To get up to speed, nothing like Paris, the smart city! You can smell the wildest trends of urban tourism, between perched vegetable gardens and immersive exhibitions. And one watches for the new places that are inventing themselves, giving the beautiful part to young creators of all kinds, of stylism or night: the Ateliers de Paris, dedicated to the crafts of arts, design and fashion and their ephemeral boutiques, hangars turned into electro clubs or “popu” balls in former Municipal Funeral Home!
Paris, city of great gastronomy
In Paris, there is no question of sulking gastronomy, especially in a sweet version! At Pré Catelan, Christelle Brua, the best pastry chef in a restaurant in the world, brilliantly reinvents the classics. And in the shrines of the French pastry, you can enjoy delights full of history, flans, lightnings, Saint-Honoré or Opera, conceived in homage to the dancers. In Beaupassage, the Parisian temple of gastronomy, one eats in macaroons signed Pierre Hermé, after having nibbled the Barthelemy cheeses, accompanied by a Thierry Marx baguette!
Like princes in Paris
What if we decide to live like a prince in Paris? Nothing could be easier: with 11 palaces, and the opening of new hotels, the capital aligns exceptional quality of service and personalized welcome. And to dream of a Paris even more Art Deco, unusual or intimate, we dive into the fabulous pools of its great hotels!