May 29th, 2010 by admin

Let’s be honest: No one needs another guide to Paris.You already know what you want to see, where you want to stay and what you want to eat. But let us tell you about some of the new hotels, restaurants and shops you might not have heard about yet.

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Let’s be honest: No one needs another guide to Paris.You already know what you want to see, where you want to stay and what you want to eat. But let us tell you about some of the new hotels, restaurants and shops you might not have heard about yet.

SLEEP

Everyone can find the Georges V, Le Meurice and the Hotel de Crillon, but here are a few boutique hotels scattered across the city that will provide a much more personalized (and affordable!) sojourn in the City of Lights.

The most talked-about hotel in the city these days is Mama Shelter, a sort of Thompson Hotel for the hostel crowd on the eastern edge of Père Lachaise Cemetery in the 20th arrondissement. What it lacks in location it makes up for with hipness (and WiFi), as does the new Banke Hotel in the 9th, which just made Condé Nast’s 2010 Hot List.

Then there are the Five Hotel and Hotel Le Seven for design freaks with some extra spending cash. On a more moderate price tier is the family of Hotels Paris Rive Gauche design hotels that includes the Hotel de la Sorbonne and the Hotel du Panthéon.

Hotel Bel-Ami is in quietly fashionable (and central) St. Germain des Près, and the Hotel des Académies et des Arts is a design hotel in bustling but non-touristy Montparnasse.

The boutique Clos Medici is a clandestine treasure just off the Jardins du Luxembourg, the Hotel Gabriel Paris Marais is in the heart of the trendy Marais and Villa Hotel Majestic and Spa is off the beaten path in the leafy 16th arrondissement.

Hotel de Sers is bringing sexy back to the fusty neighborhood right around the corner from the Georges V on a tiny, picturesque street, also near the Prince de Galles, which is just as elegant as the Georges V, but still manages to stay under the radar despite its membership in the Starwood Group.

EAT/DRINK

There’s no shortage of fine food in one of the world’s culinary capitals, but here are a few of our favorite restaurants that will make your taste buds cry out “magnifique!”

Le Maxan is on an unassuming street in the 8th arrondisement, but the cuisine here is daring, novel and utterly delicious. Alfred Wine Bar is a cozy redoubt tucked into a quiet corner of the 2nd arrondisement. Bistro de Breteuil is another quiet find in the tranquil backwaters of the 7th. It has a sumptuous setting and an all-French crowd.

With its Art Nouveau décor, Bouillon Racine is an actual national historical monument (and the food is great) near the Place de L’Odéon, where you’ll also find Le Comptoir, which is, deservedly, one of the hardest tables to get in town.

Clubgoers pre-game at Alcazar in the 6th, but history dorks will make a pilgrimage to one of Paris’s oldest restaurants, the nearby Le Procope, which was founded in 1686 and was a favorite haunt of Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Younger folks might prefer the hipster crowd at Les Philosophes or Le Petit Fer à Cheval in the Marais.

What Le Saut du Loup lacks in friendly service, it more than makes up for with a stunning setting, situated as it is between the Louvre and the Tuileries. For some fun, head to Le Refuge des Fondues in the shadow of Montmartre for an evening of fondue and friend-making, but for a high-class dinner of escargots, nowhere in the world beats the century-old L’Escargot Montorgueil, which lies at the entrance to a wonderfully vibrant pedestrian-ized street with plenty of other cafés and bars.



SEE/DO

You don’t need us to tell you to visit the Louvre (though if you head in the opposite direction of the rest of the tourists to the Denon Wing’s Apollo Gallery, you can see the French crown jewels) or the Musée D’Orsay. Instead, we’ll tell you about some of our favorite smaller museums and activities.

Head to the Grand Palais on the Champs Elysées for special exhibitions like a recent Warhol retrospective, or the Centre Pompidou for its rotation of contemporary art and child-friendly exhibits. Among the city’s smaller museums, the Musée Rodin has some of the loveliest gardens in the city; the Picasso Museum’s collection is unparalleled; and the Victor Hugo Museum in the writer’s apartment in the Place des Vosges is a hidden gem.

Touristy as they are, the famous Bateaux Mouches are still a great way to see the city from the river.

SHOPPING

Paris has no shortage of fine stores, from the floral artists of the sleepy 7th arrondisement, to the home goods of the 6th, to the designers on the Champs Elysées and the enormous department stores that now crowd along main thoroughfares.

Definitely stop by some of the famous 19th-century stores like the Galéries Lafayette and Printemps just to see the Art Nouveau installations. Rather than hitting the Champs Elysées for your Chanel and Louis Vuitton, though, consider one of its offshoots, Avenue Montaigne, for less-frequented franchises of the same brands.

What’s more, Paris is a cook’s wonderland, so hit the historic Maille store off Place de la Madeleine for fancy mustards and vinegars, then pick up some petit fours at the next door tea salon, La Durée. At Christian Constant you will find chocolates and sorbets that will break even the strongest will, and we dare you to leave Lavinia without sampling at least a few of the wines dispensed from their enomatic machines.
For the latest jewelry, try Harraca near the Centre Pompidou, but for the most fun, spend Sunday haggling at the famous Marche Au Puces (or flea market) on the northern outskirts of the city.



SECRETS/FINDS
Paris used to be filled with covered shopping arcades and galleries—kind of like the precursors to modern malls—but few of them still exist. One exception is the beautifully preserved Galérie Vivienne in the 2nd arrondisement, a short walk from the Louvre. There you will find everything from children’s bookstores to ladies’ tailors to a famous wine store named Legrand Filles et Fils that stocks some of France’s finest wines. An afternoon spent here is like living out a scene from Gigi.

Want to experience Paris’ classical music scene? Get tickets to a candlelit evening concert at one of the city’s most visited sites, Sainte Chapelle, a tiny former royal chapel near Notre Dame that is famed for its stained glass windows. Not only are they inexpensive, but some of France’s best musicians play here.

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Paris Louvre Pyramid: Tibchris
Tour Eiffel: Al Ianni
Arc de Triomphe:  Bruce Tuten

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