Navigating your way around the couture capital can be a challenge, so I have created a list of ten of the most stylish places not to be missed when visiting Paris.
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and at Café PINSON, you are able to enjoy an amazing array of healthy, organic, vegetarian, vegan and wheat/ dairy free food. The first Café PINSON opened in the North Marais in December 2012 and has been designed and decorated by the talented French designer, Dorothée Meilichzon. It is a comfortable, welcoming venue with a menu that changes daily. The juices are fresh-pressed before your eyes, and the concoction of fruits and vegetables used to make these detox drinks also changes daily. The beautiful pastries are mostly vegan and gluten-free, and everything, including their vegan butter, is made in-house, overseen by American chef Cameil Kaundart. Café PINSON is unique in that as it is more than just a specialty restaurant for those with special dietary requirements, Agathe Audouze, one of the café’s founders, practices naturopathy, believing in the healing properties of fresh, whole, natural food.
Next for a spot of culture! Louvre Museum is one of the world’s largest museums and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement. The museum not only looks stunning from the courtyard, but is a wondrous space below too. Visit when you have a bit of time and get lost in the iconic artworks, including the Inverted Pyramid that features the concluding pages of Dan Brown’s international bestseller “The Da Vinci Code”.
Possibly the most famous shop ceiling in the world, the Galeries Lafayette has beautiful Belle Époque architecture and is also home to a department store shopping experience that will never be forgotten.. The men’s fashion space on the third floor, Lafayette Homme, even has a ‘Club’ area with Internet access. A vast new shoe department was unveiled in the basement featuring over 150 brands! On the first floor, Lafayette Gourmet has exotic foods galore, plus a vast wine cellar including its own Bordeauxthèque from 2010. A definite must for those who want to shop in style.
Time for a pit stop and more Belle Epoque architecture, Angelina has been the heart of sophistication and indulgence since 1903! The interior designed by Edouard-Jean Niermans, combines elegance, charm and refinement. Angelina is famous for its “African” hot chocolate which is created from a special selection of cocoa from Niger, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and it is an explosion of chocolatey-ness, topped with fresh cream! If you fancy a sweet treat to accompany your hot chocolate, it has to be the iconic Mont- Blanc, which is a pastry that combines meringue, light whipped cream and chestnut paste, it is a unique, unrivalled recipe has made it Angelina’s famous trademark pastry since 1903.
Paris’s fashion credentials not only appear on the catwalk. The city offers some of the world’s most intriguing dinner spots and bars, which attract a suitably stylish clientele. If you fancy a bit of celeb spotting, L’Avenue is the place to go with the likes of Cara Delevingne, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Lana Del Rey and Rihanna grabbing a bite to eat at this restaurant which is situated a few steps from the grand Plaza Athenée hotel with its top designer boutiques. L’Avenue is the go-to spot for big spenders and those who like to people watch or be watched! The brasserie style food is uncomplicated but of a good quality and very tasty. The restaurant has a buzzing atmosphere and with waiters and waitresses that could be models, what’s not to love!
Sex in the City fans will want to go for cocktails at Le Bar Du Plaza Athenee, it featured on the final episode of Sex and the City and of all the hotels in Paris, contains one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower. If you are anything like Ms Bradshaw, you will be pleased to know that bartenders here can make a very mean Cosmopolitan. If you are not a huge fan of “cosmo” there is a plethora of other cocktails that are varied and creative – with black Cosmopolitans and Mojitos offering up a unique spin on the original recipe. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights after 11pm, the calm blue bar transforms to rocking red and electronic rock starts to play.
Well- known for its art deco design, high-end cuisine and iconic view of the Eiffel Tower , Monsieur Blue is the best place to go for a late night dinner. The menu has something to please everyone from American classics including lobster rolls and fried chicken sandwiches to French specialties: frogs legs. There is also a full caviar and raw bar selection which you can enjoy with a glass (or bottle) of Champagne. Monsieur Blue is open every day until 2am and DJs come on for entertainment. If you book a later dinner reservation you could stay for cocktails and make the most of the night.
If you prefer something a little more racy, Crazy Horse cabaret bar is the evening entertainment venue of choice for super couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Dita Von Teese loves to perform here, too, and put on a series of burlesque shows, to great acclaim, in 2009. Founded in 1951 by Alain Bernardin, an avant-garde artist, “Le Crazy” shows feature “new rhythms, dynamic tempos and ever more entrancing choreography”, the silhouettes of its world renowned dancers amaze audiences more than sixty years after opening and this venue is one of the best-known symbols of life in the city!
Le Baron plays host to some of city’s best DJs as well as featuring live music acts and stars including Bjork and Sofia Coppola have frequented this hot spot. It is perfect for those who want to dance until the early hours of the morning. The club has an exclusive feel and is the place to be for the fashion forward.
I have just scratched the surface of the vast array of places to visit in Paris, but it should be enough to get you started on your exploration of this fantastic city.
