15 Best places to stay in Paris

The delightfully eccentric Saint James is unique in Paris: a hotel that resembles a small château set at the end of an (albeit short) drive. In a smart western suburb, near the Bois de Boulogne, the St James is part hotel and part gentleman’s club, where you can dine surrounded by heavy painted portraits, or in the towering, wood-panelled library.

A tasteful revamp has seen the magnificent staircase and rooms decked with tartans and chinoiseries, perfect for playing out country house fantasies. There’s a North-African-influenced cellar spa for post-sightseeing pampering, and friendly, polished service.

The Grandes Ecoles occupies a special place among Parisian hotels. More like a country manor than a city hotel, it’s hidden down a cobbled lane in a gorgeous garden – yet it’s also beside a buzzy square and close to a food market in the convivial Latin Quarter.

The hotel’s 51 floral, antique-filled rooms are spread across the main house and three other buildings, and there’s a lovely, shady garden that’s an oasis of calm after a day’s sightseeing. It’s also a divine spot for a relaxed breakfast in summer – you could be in Provence rather than Paris. It’s friendly and family-run – many staff have been here for decades.

Step out of the hotel and you’re seconds from the pavement cafés of Place de la Contrescarpe and ancient, atmospheric Rue Mouffetard.

This is a wonderful location if you want to explore the historic Latin Quarter, with its famous universities, and absorb the aura of the area’s expat literary heritage – Hemingway, Joyce and Orwell all lived nearby.

Overlooking the glorious, statue-filled Luxembourg Gardens, this traditional Left Bank hotel is a romantic setting for first-time visitors looking to walk to all the main sights.

You’ll find a bucket list of stuff within a twenty-minute stroll, including the Louvre and the Latin Quarter, and once you’ve had your fill of sightseeing, the hotel’s bar, quaint inner courtyard and gym, are perfect for letting off steam.

The classic French breakfast will set you for the day ahead, and a myriad of excellent restaurants are also a mere stone’s throw away, with the friendly staff happy to make recommendations.

With its sensational views over the Tuileries gardens, this 19th-century palace hotel is unquestionably one of Paris’s grandest. Acres of marble and chandeliers provide the requisite sense of history, yet this is no museum piece; modern comforts abound, along with the odd surreal touch in memory of former habitué Salvador Dalí.

Don’t miss out on a meal in the gourmet restaurant – now in the hands of multi-starred chef Alain Ducasse – with wonderful cooking from his protégé Christophe Saintagne.

This is a dream location, between the dead-central Louvre and Rue St-Honoré – and the hotel manages to achieve a look of palatial splendour, while remaining completely unstuffy.

The gorgeous wood-panelled Bar 228 – named after the hotel’s address – serves up live jazz every evening, as well as some decadent cocktails.

Primarily called ‘Duo’ because it was originally created from two separate hotels, the hotel’s name also celebrates its location in the heart of gay Paris, and its warm welcome whatever your orientation.

The owners have cleverly married old and new, integrating minimalist contemporary design by interiors maestro Jean-Philippe Nuel into a handsome period building.

There are 58 smart bedrooms, and a stylish open-plan lobby that’s ideal for a peaceful drink away from the surrounding hubbub of the hip Marais, one of Paris’ most beautiful neighbourhoods.

The hotel is in a prominent corner spot in this lively district, in the heart of the city’s gay bar scene and a couple of minutes’ walk from the Centre Pompidou.

From the moment you walk through the carriageway entrance of this 17th-century mansion, you have some sense of the grand Parisian lifestyle of its historic inhabitants, as evidenced by the grandiose flagstone hallway and tapestry-hung salon.

The comfortable bedrooms have high ceilings and tall windows, some with beams and embroidered fabric canopies. There’s a courtyard patio for summer aperitifs, while a real log fire burns in the massive stone fireplace in the salon in winter – and it’s situated on a lively St-Germain street, ideal for mingling with the locals.

Relax to live jazz at the weekends in the hotel’s historic bar, Café Laurent. The ambience is chilled out but chic, and with the neighbourhood’s shops and cafés on your doorstep and the Louvre Museum just across the river, it’s ideal for both old hands and first-timers.

This is the city’s grandest grande dame and the fashionistas’ favourite Parisian bolthole. Nowhere is chicer or more effortlessly and glamorously gallic, right down to having a hotel cat, a white Burmese called Fa-Raon, who strolls its marbled halls like a red carpet.  

Its grand salons are as fabulously lavish as those in Versailles. There’s also a flower-filled, lattice-laced internal courtyard and a three Michelin-starred restaurant. The spa maintains those impeccable standards. Light-filled and with its own al fresco garden, its therapists are used to dealing with the most demanding of Parisian high society and are at the very top of their game.  

It’s all discreet, high net worth pampering from liquid gold body massages to white caviar facials.

And taking indulgence to the next level, its swimming pool is on the sixth floor and designed to look like a vintage wooden yacht. As you do laps, it feels as though you are floating over the city’s rooftops. You can’t help but feel on top of the world.

On a narrow street in the pedestrianised Montorgeuil district, this hip, Haussmann-style hotel is a fab base for anyone looking to mix sightseeing with shopping and nightlife.

For a start, it’s right by refurbished Les Halles, the city’s gentrified shopping hub, overlooked by gardens and the glorious St Eustache church.

The Louvre is just a ten-minute walk away, with the Seine beyond that for waterfront picnics and hand-held strolls.

Parisians cross the city for the Bachaumont’s glass-roof brasserie and two late-night bars: one covering France’s rich winemaking ‘terroir’, the other offering lip-smacking cocktails.

After all that activity, treat yourself to one of their luxury Codage Paris treatments.

Le Pradey has a subtle take on Paris’s style, using the quintessential materials – stone, zinc, concrete and wood – that make up the cityscape.

A floor of Hermes rooms features stitched leather and equestrian wallpaper, while a red Moulin Rouge room by lingerie designer Chantal Thomass is perfect for a romantic escape.

The classy location, between the Louvre and the luxury shops of Rue St-Honore, makes it ideal for business or pleasure – or both.

It’s central yet quiet, and there’s a peaceful library and all-day honesty bar to hang out in.

Of all Paris’s palace hotels, the Royal Monceau has the most individuality – especially since designer Philippe Starck transformed it into a Hollywood vision of artistic Paris.

Going for culture rather than classicism, the hotel comes complete with a cinema, concept store, art bookshop, gallery and its own art concierge.

The 149 sybaritic bedrooms range from compact to colossal, decorated with eclectic furnishings and artworks – giant island beds, lose-yourself mirrored bathrooms and dressing rooms are made for romance.

The extra-long ground-floor bar creates a buzzy hub, backed up by French and Italian restaurants. Reserve for dinner at Il Carpaccio, a dreamy Florentine grotto setting for chef Roberto Rispoli’s wonderfully simple Italian food. As an added temptation, Pierre Hermé conjures up the desserts.

Don’t miss a trip to the luxurious in-house spa, with a 28m pool, hammam, sauna and exclusive My Blend by Clarins facials.

The hotel is in a great central location, too – on a Haussmannian thoroughfare, running between the Arc de Triomphe and Parc Monceau.

This lovingly tended, family-run hotel is in the upmarket seventh arrondissement, with the fancy food shops of Rue Cler in one direction and the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars gardens in the other.

You’ll need to reserve some time in advance to bag a room; the hotel’s personal feel and the charm of owners Francois and Stephan Gourdal make it one of city’s most popular affordable hotels. Room rates are great value, considering the smart setting.

The 25 rooms, in yellow or cornflower blue, are light and fresh with floral prints and fresh flowers. Ask for a street-view room on the upper floor for a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

The friendly Relais Montmartre purrs with homely charm, yet is only steps from picturesque Montmartre, above, and the drag shows, clubs and concert venues of Pigalle below.

Floral fabrics and engravings give the 26 rooms a country cottage-style charm, while providing modern comforts such as air-conditioning and minibars.

But it’s the beams painted pink, orange, purple or blue that are particularly adorable. Downstairs, relax by the fire in winter or in the courtyard in summer. It’s great for exploring Montmartre and Pigalle, but you’ll need to hop on the metro for other sights.

Experience a truly imperial lifestyle in the former residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte (Napoleon’s great nephew) which has been beautifully converted by the luxurious Shangri-La brand.

The building still makes the most of lovely historic features, while being transformed into a cocoon of 21st-century comfort. Many of the 101 suites and bedrooms are done out in Empire style, some with incredible views of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine.

Book an Eiffel Room, Eiffel Suite or Eiffel Duplex at the rear of the building for the best views – some even have a roof terrace. There’s a choice of three restaurants: the Abeille restaurant serves superb French cuisine, while the Shang Palace serves authentic Cantonese food and the more casual all-day Bauhinia has an East-West mix.

The sophisticated, Empire-style Le Bar is the perfect place to sip a Pink Lady cocktail. The concoction was invented by eccentric Lady Mendl, one of the building’s former residents. Top-notch Shangri-La service completes the picture.

Set behind a heavy wooden door in pretty, pink-bricked Place de Vosges, this glorious, ivy-clad hotel feels like a secret, and makes a great base for both first-time and returning visitors.

The super location puts you in the heart of the shop- and museum-filled Marais, with Victor Hugo’s former home on the opposite side of the square and the Picasso Museum just a 7-minute walk away.

When it’s time to wind down, its celebrated restaurant, Anne, and basement spa and fitness area, tick all your boxes for pampering.

The hotel is romance on a stick, ideal for couples, but families are well catered for too, notably thanks to the play area in the square’s park just across the street.

From this intimate, literary-themed Latin Quarter hotel, it’s easy walking distance to all the big sites, including the Pantheon, the Luxembourg gardens and the Jardin des Plantes botanical garden and zoo.

The gorgeous, 19th-century inspired decor makes a chic and cosy setting for some post-sightseeing relaxation – as does the 15m swimming pool (a rarity in Paris) and sauna. Service is discreet and with a smile.

Add to that the copious breakfast of home-made pastries, the innovative restaurant and rum-focused cocktail bar (with over 700 rums), and you’ve got yourself a charming hotel for couples and (small) groups of friends alike.