The Mecca of the intelligentsia of the beginning of the 20th century, focal point of the artistic avant-garde, the emblem of those values with which western democracies have been endowed…The influence of Paris in the transformation of European history has bestowed it with that character of almost universal space in which everything has been forged. The second half of the 20th century revived the St. Germain quarter where one can find some of the city’s most famous cafés, where, at some point in time, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus would have been seated there… The halo of intellectuality is perpetuated in the numerous art galleries and reaches its peak in the Musée d’Orsay, the temple of impressionist painting installed in the former Orsay railway station, built in its day for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, as was the omnipresent Eiffel Tower. 
That rational Paris which emerged together with the Eiffel Tower is the same superstitious Paris that heaps tales on the gothic cathedral of Notre Dame. It is the same bohemian Paris that one breathes in the Montmartre district, the cradle of impressionist painters who, amidst the night-time bustle must have trodden those steep streets crowned by the basilica of the Sacré-Coeur. The same Paris, always wishing to offer its best appearance, exhibited in the luxurious shop windows of the Rue Foubourg Saint-Honoré, close to the Place Concorde where the international fashion houses are to be found, or in the jewellery shops in the Place de la Vendôme. Very close to this square is where we find one of the most important art museums, the Louvre, which demands a visit, as does the Pompidou Contemporary Art Centre.
Paris was the first European city to install electric street lighting, but if this gives the impression that the city has a thriving night life, we are mistaken: night owls will only be able to find refuge around the Champs Elysées-

Apicius:
An excellent restaurant in the hands of gastronomist Jean-Pierre Vigato. The products, ingredients, preparation, and the cooking of the dishes achieve perfection.
Villiers, 122

Carré des Feuillants:
The cook Alain Dutornier shows that simple regional cooking can become grande cuisine when it is done delicately and with great attention to detail.
Castiglione, 14

Le Train Bleu:
There is no more beautiful restaurant than this one located in the Lyon train station. The dining rooms of this restaurant on the first floor of the station are a pure recreation of La Belle Époque, with leaded glass, crystal chandeliers, beautiful stuccos, and academic frescos.
Place Louis Armand, Gare de Lyon.

Le Bristol:
Eric Fréchon’s cooking is imaginative and classic, an intelligent mixture of tradition and nouvelle cuisine, innovative and classic at the same time. Asian variations and the best dessert menu in the country.
Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 112

Astrance:
One of the best expressions of nouvelle cuisine is this restaurant, formulated around dishes with unheard-of combinations. The menu uses everyday products along with unusual flavours. Minimalist and exuberant.
Beethoven, 4   

Spoon:
French fusion cooking, this restaurant offers a mixture of Chinese flavours, Japanese manners, and Thai spices.  Its dishes are characterised by the perfection of the art used to calculate the best balance so that an exotic dish will seem familiar.
Marignan, 14

Allard:
This spot is a favourite with the journalists of the Latin Quarter, with an atmosphere that has remained unchanged since the 1920s. Bourgeois cooking is served.
Saint-André des Arts, 41

Lucas Carton:
Creative cooking is served in this restaurant that is always on the lookout for innovations, such as its plats et vin menus, where each dish is combined with the wine that best enhances its flavour.
Place de la Madeleine, 9   

Pierre Gagnaire:
This cook heads one of the most unique experiments in French cooking. He has put in place a molecular gastronomy with the aim of revealing the authenticity of products through chemical processes.
Rue Balzac, 6   

La Régalade:
Regional cooking is served here with a sophisticated touch that seduces the most demanding palates. Yves Cambdeborde is the head of the kitchen of this successful restaurant.
Jean Moulin, 49

Hemingway:
This very chic bar is located inside the Hotel Ritz. Ernest Hemingway’s favourite spot, it reminds one of a black-and-white movie.
Place Vendôme, 15

Bubbles:
This spot’s main attraction is its champagne, of which about 200 varieties are offered in this elegant setting, where even the colours of the decoration recall this bubbly drink.
Edouard VII, 6

Le Coeur Fou:
Ideal for having a trendy appetiser. This establishment is frequented by the wealthy, beautiful, and fashionable.
Montmartre, 55

Moulin Rouge:
One of the city’s legendary spots, even better known since the film starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, it continues to offer cabaret shows every evening.
Boulevard de Cliché

La Scène:
Located in a former butcher’s shop, this spot offers clients a very cool, elegant lounge bar and a concert hall.
Tailandiers, 2

Nirvana Lounge:
The hottest night spot in Paris, it has geometric designs and creative drinks, extravagant divans and chairs, and a variety of cocktails, from the most classic to the most original.
Av. Matignon, 3

Mezzanine de l’Alcazar:
This number 1 spot, always in fashion, was until 1990 a famous cabaret managed by Jean Marie Rivière. It is now a trendy loft, with large glass windows, visited by the most chic people in Parisian nightlife.

Plaza Athénée:
A meeting point for actors and actresses, rock stars, and young royalty, this spot has a refined, quiet atmosphere where one can have a drink, with Louis XVI chairs and glass covering the walls.
Avenue Montaigne, 25

A la mère de famille:
This 19th-century establishment offers marrons glacé, refined sweets, and Agen plums.
Faubourg Montmartre, 35

Debauve & Gallais:
Founded by Luis XVI’s doctor when chocolate was considered a medicine, today the shop is famous for its chocolate bars and Marie-Antoinette drops.
Saint-Pères, 30

Au Verger de la Madeleine:
A wine and liqueur shop, among the French wines, its Sauternes Château d’Yquem stands out. Winston Churchill used to buy his cognac here.
Boulevard Malesherbes, 4

Be:
Apart from all sorts of bread, here one can buy cakes, sandwiches, prepared dishes, and 350 artisan products, such as crisps, Angelette cider, and champagne paté.
Boulevard de Courcelles, 73

Fromagerie de Montmartre:
This shop offers a wide range of cheeses typical of the region. A real gem among cheese shops, it is a beautiful place.
Poteau, 9   

Marché Belleville-Ménilmontant:
This food market has an exotic atmosphere, similar to that of a bazaar, where fruit, vegetables, and ethnic foods are on sale.
Belleville

La Grande Epicerie de París:
The delicatessen in this establishment offers the best traditional Parisian products: cheeses, fish, spices, coffee, fruit, legumes, and sweets.
Sèvres, 48

Cremerie Caves Miard:
An elegant milk shop founded in the 19th century, today it is a bistro that also sells wine.
Quatre-Vents, 9

Christian Dior:
Haute couture, cosmetics, perfumes, and accessories.
Avenue Montaigne, 30

Hermès:
The historic boutique of a great firm founded in 1837, when Thierry Hermès opened a horse harness shop in Paris. Leather goods, handbags and suitcases, prêt-à-porter, scarves and ties.
Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 24

Jean-Paul Gaultier:
This French designer, daring and ironic, is today’s enfant terrible of international fashion.
Avenue George, 44

Loulou de la Falaise:
Sophisticated fashion and handbags. Art Nouveau-inspired jewellery.
Bourgogne, 7

Yves Saint-Laurent :
This French designer founded the haute couture clothing brand name. He has gone down in history as one of the youngest designers to successfully start out in haute couture, and for being the first designer to exhibit in a museum.
Saint Honoré, 38

Isabel Marant:
This French designer is a young rising star in the design world.  Her collections, for functional women, define a poetic rock & roll style.
Charonne, 16

La Boutique Sentimentale:
Based on 20 models, one can choose the fabric, the heel, the type of sewing, and the colour, to get a unique pair of shoes.
Roi-de-Sicile, 14

Annick Goutal:
A perfume boutique, it sells sophisticated essences and perfumes, unheard-of creations. Annick Goutal was one of Paris’s great master perfume-makers.
Saint-Suplice, 12

Cecile & Jeanne:
They reproduce historical jewels and produce their own pieces with original designs.
Saint-Honoré, 215

Baccarat:
Don’t forget to visit one of the great glass or porcelain maisons. Elegant objects for the home.
Place des Etats Unis, 11

Champs Élysées:
Paris’s main avenue, the most famous and luxurious one. It has a monument to the country’s battles, and the sculptures that decorate it illustrate memorable events in the history of the French capital.

La Défense:
The site where French soldiers defended the city during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, today it is a modern business district. A platform more than a kilometre long, over which a number of skyscrapers tower.

River Seine:
This romantic river is the longest place to walk in the city, as well as the quietest and most beautiful. Over 2000 years of history define this river, included by the UNESCO among the world’s great places.

Eiffel Tower:
Built for the 1889 Universal Exposition, it was built provisionally in two years, only for the Exposition. It was not popular, and was hated and criticised by the majority of the French artistic community.  Today, however, it has become the undeniable symbol of the city of Paris.

Cathedral of Nôtre-Dame:
One of the earliest French Gothic cathedrals, surrounded by the waters of the River Seine, it is located on the Isle de la Cité. Official events, weddings, and coronations are held here.

Louvre:
This is one of the most important museums in the world, as well as being one of the largest. It was Richard V (1594) who installed the first ancient art collections here, as well as the works of the court painters. Today it offers an itinerary of over three hours to see the best works, among them, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Montmartre:
This is a neighbourhood of creators, Impressionists, the neighbourhood of Parisian artists, a lively, picturesque commercial district. It is also famous for the busy nightlife that goes on in cabarets such as Moulin Rouge.

Basilica of Sacré-Coeur:
It is located on the highest point of the district of Montmartre. Although it is very controversial, it is one of the city’s most frequently-visited monuments, inspired by Roman and Byzantine architecture.
   
La Bastille:
The fort that protected the eastern side of the city, it was later the prison where Voltaire and the Marquis de Sade were held. Today it is the city’s bohemian neighbourhood.