An ‘Oh La La’ weekend escape to Paris
Few cities can symbolize many cities, in just one, a luxury trip to the capital of France is always a new experience for a simple reason: every time you visit this city, there will be new trends, new places to discover and your attitude and reason to go will be different.
A weekend in Paris goes a long way, in three intense days you can stay at one of the most mythical hotels, enjoy a good espresso in a café in the Marais district, go shopping in streets as elegant as Saint Honoré or visit one of the most recent temples of art, culture and design, the Louis Vuitton Foundation Museum.
Whether it is a first contact with the city or not, no one should stop visiting such important places as the Arc de Triomphe that, built by Napoleon, holds the title of being the greatest triumphal arch in the world. The Sacré-Coeur, probably the most mystical corner from which to see the city at your feet. And from one side of the city to the other, we continue our journey to the Georges Pompidou Center, a daring art center that is also a fictional gateway to the Le Marais neighborhood, and also my favorite.
A visit to the Pompidou is a must, as is a dinner or a cocktail at its Georges restaurant, located on the roof of the imposing building that seems to be built upside down. From Georges you get some of the best views of the city to the imposing Eiffel Tower, the most recognized monument in all of France. But before this, you may stop along the way to walk and get lost in the neighborhood of Le Marais.
Where to sleep in Paris?
Hotel Lutetia
One of the most special hotels in Paris today, has been the Hotel Lutetia, an authentic lodging accommodation located in the heart of the Parisian neighborhood of Saint-Germanin-des-Prés. When the Boucicaut family opened the first modern department store, they changed how Parisians, and then the world, do their shopping. Once they had transformed retail commerce, their decision to innovate hoteliery was almost an afterthought. Their store was such a runaway success, that their many suppliers, bringing luxuries from afar, needed a comfortable place to spend the night. Visiting customers from across Europe also needed an enticement to stay longer. The board of ‘Le Bon Marché’ decide to open a modern, palace-inspired, luxury hotel in Paris, directly across from their famous store.
Attentive service, complete breakfast and 184 guestrooms, spread over seven floors, including 47 suites.
Where to eat?
By creating the elegant interiors of Monsieur Bleu, the talented and famous architect Joseph Dirand is inspired by Art Deco glamor, the work of Yves Klein and the minimalist style of Adolf Loos. The result is spectacular, green marble, velvet banquettes and geometric chandeliers, rectilinear Michel Boyer dress space.
Honoring the art deco style and perfectly combining elegance and chic, Monsieur Bleu is undoubtedly a major asset, a “must visit” for people wishing to fully appreciate the Parisian way of life.
Mandatory stop at Fauchon, one of the best-known chocolate and pastry shops in Paris.
Have dinner at Le Relais in Venice, famous throughout the world for its mythical entrecôte with potatoes and a “secret” sauce with which to lose consciousness. Unique dish in the menu.
I hope this was useful short guide for a weekend in Paris, and, even though you have already visited the city of love, I encourage you to visit again, because you will always have Paris.
Carmen Caballero is Founder of Exotik Traveler. Exotik Traveler is a luxury travel design and consultancy firm which creates unique experiences for luxury travelers, tailored to their needs.
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Carmen Caballero
Carmen Caballero is the founder and luxury travel consultant behind Exotik Traveler, a luxury travel design and consultancy firm which creates unique experiences for luxury travelers, tailored to their needs. Globally-based in Madrid, Spain, and about 7 years of hard work developing her company, Carmen has worldwide loyal clients and is grateful to have a growing clientele that proudly recommend her services and repeat. Carmen focuses on the design of luxury travel experiences around the world, maintaining high quality standards for demanding worldwide customers and servicing above their expectations. Carmen has traveled notably, and currently continues her way with over 315 luxury hotels and over 38 countries, and continues to follow her passion which is to travel, and curate luxury experiences for her clients. Moreover, with over 70.000 followers in Instagram, Carmen helps some businesses in the luxury travel industry enhance their social media exposure. Her personal experience has taught her how to grow clientele in social media, conscious of how important brand image and first impression are in social media channels. Carmen knows in depth the needs and demands of the luxury travel industry and of high-demand clients.
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That’s a great opening line … “Paris, the city of love, light, fashion, croissants and Champagne toasts.”
Even though I personally prefer brioche, they are a little more substantial, I love the way that croissants sneak into the listing ahead of the Seine, Norte Dame and the can-can. That’s some achievement for a humble breakfast pastry!
There is so much to like in Paris! Thank you for you comment!
Whenever I can, I stay right at the heart of the action. For me the hotel Lutetia sounds to have a great central location.
The Lutetia is perfectly placed. I like to do my shopping in stages, a little bit at a time. There’s nothing worse than having armfuls of shopping getting in your way. I like to look around a department, take my purchases back to my room, have a coffee and then return later in the day. I’m far from a shopaholic and I have to inject some pleasures along the way to break-up the shopping.
Definitely a great area and hotel to stay in Paris!!! Thank you for your comment
This article made me take a trip down the memory lane. Back in 2015, I visited the place with my fiancé. And what a wonderful escape it was!!! Will never forget the breath-taking views, the spectacular museums, the scent of the flowers and the endless shopping sprees.
The only thing I regret is visiting this heaven in July which was like the peak season. As a result, we had to let go off the golden opportunity of taking an elevator ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. At the Notre Dams again, we were stuck in a long queue for what seemed like an eternity (though the visit inside was worth the wait). At the malls and streets too it was quite a deal to make our way past the throngs. Nevertheless, I would still recommend others to visit this city of lights and indulge in once in a life-time experience.
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Gosh!!! That’s a pretty pathetic situation to be in!!!
I for one, prefer tranquillity and serenity. So, can you tell whats the best time to visit Paris?
I was planning to celebrate my honeymoon here in July. So, thanks for shedding light on this little-known aspect of the city.
Well, if you wish to enjoy the calm side of Paris, then perhaps the off-peak season is March to May and then September to early November because in summer and winter holidays (which fall in June, July and December) tourists starts flocking in. However, November, January and February are best to visit if you are travelling on a budget and wish to save on some bucks Lastly, if you are looking for the ideal months keeping in mind, the mild and pleasant weather conditions then travel between April to June and September to early November. Anyhow, regardless of the month, the fun activities and things to do, sightseeing and nightlife are doable all the year round. So I guess, it all depends on your priorities.
This has been a major saviour. You know what? I have been saving for a vacay in Paris since a while now and wanted to surprise my boyfriend coming July (since we will be getting holidays from office). But now definitely gonna travel sooner.
In my mind, Paris will always be the city of love. It epitomises luxury and chic appeal, even though my view is probably very romanticised. I’ve never been but I’d love to go one day, even if just for a long weekend to do the big touristy things, like checking out the Eiffel Tower, and I’d add the George’s Pompidou Centre to the itinerary. Al fresco dining and sipping wine on a veranda of somewhere fancy are also musts to complete my oh la la vision of Paris.
I encourage you to make it happen! you won’t regret even if you just go for a weekend it is so worth it! Thank you for your comment!
I’d probably head for the chocolate shop, I’m not a big fan of fancy restaurants. That said, I’m so curious now what the “mythical entrecôte with potatoes and a ‘secret’ sauce with which to lose consciousness” is!
To give you a hint, it’s potato fries over steak. This sounds basic but wait until you try the “secret” sauce as this makes all the difference. I bet you’d forget your name for about 10 to 15 seconds once you’ve taken your first bite. Trust me when I say it’s worth more than a basket full of chocolates! Let me know how it goes for you.
The “Oh la la” always seems to sum up the amazing diversity of this great city. There’s a little suggestion that it can all be a bit Moulin Rouge risqué yet at the same time the Parisian people largely have such an air of sophistication about them. It’s a city of culture and supremely stylish people but there’s always the air of exciting nightlife around too.