Though there’s never a bad time to visit Paris (August excepting), La Ville Lumière truly sparkles in the early summer months. If you’re planning a city sojourn, try adding these scenespots to your agenda.
Stay
Christian Lacroix’s fantastical flutter of fancy is not one for minimalists, but for sheer opulence and personality, coupled with a spot-on Saint-Germain situ, Le Bellechasse is a hands-down winner. Bed down in one of 33 rooms, each adorned with Lacroix’s OTT flourish, drawing on neoclassical and bohemian influences; the Discovery rooms are the more contemporary option. Breakfast is served in your chamber or the dinky courtyard, there’s a lobby bar, and while it lacks a resto, there are plenty of sip n’ sup spots close by – the corner cafe overflows with the political elite from the Assemblée Nationale up the street.
Eat & Drink
Lunch: Flit with the city’s pretty kitties at Rosa Bonheur in the lovely Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Go for the brunch then stay for drinks at the garden party with live tunes spanning choral to killer DJs – it’s shoulder-to-shoulder SRO on a sunny days. For more alfresco frolics, zip to the second branch sur Seine. (37 quai d’Orsay)
Drinks: Traditionalists pull up a pew at Hemingway haunt La Closerie des Lilas and scenesters zip to the original Experimental Cocktail Club, but Le Mary Celeste is still the most fashionably relaxed joint in town for its primo sips and Asian-inflected tidbits.
Dinner: The Parisian chef’s chef, Alain Passard pulls in more than just hungry herbivores at Arpège, his much-lauded, Michelin-spangled and mostly meat-free paean to the humble vegetable (plucked from his private garden just outside the city). Book ahead to nab a coveted spot upstairs. Paris has bistros aplenty, but for hipcat vibes and nostalgic Parisian cooking with a modern twist, hotfoot it to the low-key deco-esque darling Bistro Volnay. The 200-strong wine list is superb.
Read more: Paris for Fashion Fiends
See
Palais Galliera, the city’s definitive musée de la mode is host to a rotation of temporary exhibits paying tribute to the most important figures and eras in the world of fashion from C.18th to the present day. This spring sees the first-ever major Maison Margiela retrospective, covering the low-key and influential Belgian designer’s career between 1989 and 2009. Runs until 15 July.
Shop
For original made-in-France souvies you actually want to take home with you, Gab & Jo is your honeypot. Owned by husband-wife duo Alexis and Fanny Leroy, and named for their children, this distinctive boutique (billed as the city’s first-ever concept store) specialises in independent brands and artisanal products both retro and modern; the stash runs the gamut from homeware and apparel, to children’s toys, chocolates, and stationery. Can’t decide what to buy? Boss-dad Alexis is at the ready to oblige customers with a curatorial helping hand. Français et fabuleux!
Got your sights set on La Ville Lumière? Nab copy of the LUXE Paris guide, and you’ll be sashaying like a Parisienne in no time…
