Paris is, as they say, always a good idea. To me, thanks to my Parisian father, it is always home. Though we long ago decamped to London, the city of lights has an inescapable allure, perhaps most especially for a half-Frenchie in exile across the channel.
On my frequent trips back, I have curated my own collection of local spots, favoured museums and even preferred sunny-day strolls, as well as the perfect choices for date nights and Sunday lunches (also, don't miss our edit of ). Away from the pyramids of the Louvre, the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower and the crush of crowds on the Champs-Élysées, you'll find the streets I adore strolling down, the in-the-know restaurants and the cosy boltholes that make the French capital so special. Visiting now, as a tourist, these are the spots I never miss and, you'll be pleased to hear, neither do many Parisians.
Like many of Paris’ cooler enclaves, Pigalle was once viewed as seedy, a little dangerous, a bit, well, cheeky. It is, after all, the arrondissement which houses the infamous Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge. The traces of this naughty pedigree remain in the city’s hottest bars and hotels and a tree-lined island cutting through boulevard Rochechouart is named after one of its most famous transgender performers, Coccinelle.
It is along this road that you will find the Art Deco charm of . A large slice of its appeal lies in its proximity to the eternal delights of Montmartre, with the Sacre Coeur visible fro.
