When planning a trip to Paris, it is far too easy to rapidly fill your must-hit-list with attraction, after landmark, after museum, after instagram-hotspot.
But what makes Paris truly magical, what compels people from all over the world and from all walks of life to live there, are those little spots of magic. Those not-really-hidden, not really broadcast gems of ‘magique’ which you leave just feeling RICHER from (albeit often taking a momento with you).
The optimal balance: at least 50 per cent of your trip, should be spent aimlessly roaming, indulging the senses, or sitting and obvserving the innate beauty unfolding all around you.
These are the top 5 places, that will add that ‘je ne sais quoi’ to your trip. You know … those moments that make you feel like you REALLY visited Paris.
1. NOSE
20 Rue Bachaumont, 75002 Paris, France +33 1 86 47 72 76
Mon – Sat (11 am – 5.30 pm). Sunday closed.
One of my early lessons after moving to Paris and working in fashion, was that EVERYONE had a signature scent. And no, you cannot just buy any off-the rack parfum to define your very essence of being. You need to have something more intricately constructed and layered to leave people unpacking you and wanting more.
So let’s start with the name ‘NOSE’. France is FAMOUS for its power-house parfums and behind each powerhouse, is not just a team of genius chemists and branding, there is often ‘a NOSE’.
A ‘nez’ as they say in french, is a person whose expertise is in composing perfumes. The notes, the layers, the sources, scouring the world to source the best of the best vanilla from madagascar or sandalwood from south-east asia.
NOSE Paris is a french concept store specialising in parfum, cosmetics and other homeware luxuries that explore over 700 + fragrances. But what makes this visit DIFFERENT, is you can attend the boutique and undergo an ‘olfactory diagnosis‘ where you respond to queries about your preferences and responses to different scents and are recommended a signature scent based on your unique set of preferences.
I discovered NOSE one day out to get lunch, as my work was around the corner. I was intrigued by the bottle-line walls and incredible aesthetic and returned with a friend one day so that we could explore together. I have returned many times since, often bringing visiting friends or family members so that the souvenir they take home is one that will truly bring back their nostalgic memories from Paris.
RECOMMEND: visiting early and wearing your new scent throughout your visit to Paris so that forevermore this scent will bring you back to these memories.
Can’t make it to Paris? Take your online ‘olfactory diagnosis’ with Nose online here.
2. CAFE KITSUNE x JARDIN PALAIS ROYAL
51 Gal de Montpensier, 75001 Paris, France. +33 1 40 15 62 31
Open every day. Mon – Sun (9.30 am – 7 pm).
So given the nature of coffee, we probably should have written about this first. Nevertheless, and despite the ‘late’ start in Paris, there is no better way to start your morning than a coffee, matcha or tea from CAFE KITSUNE that you can bring with you as you stroll through the JARDIN PALAIS ROYAL.
Browse the perimeter of specialised boutique and vintage stores or even better, pull up onto one of the iconic green park seats and listen to the sounds of the birds or fountain as you absorb the fact that you are in Paris today!
The benefits of this visit are two-fold:
‘Good’ coffee in Paris, although a growing market, is still not easy to come by with ease such as in british/australian counterparts and CAFE KITSUNE is one of the originals serving good brews with options such as almond milk (oh and takeaway cups).
Secondly, JARDIN PALAIS ROYAL in itself, is an iconic landmark, at the forefront to the neo-classical palace that historically housed many members or royalty or aristocracy and is a peaceful sanctuary in the middle of the first arrondisement of Paris.
The surroundings of historic architecture and landscaped symmetry will fill you with inspiration whilst calming your soul, and is one of those special places in Paris that will leave you with a feeling that only this city can. And the small cafe itself, is built in an ancient fabric store with the historic storefront and name still showing today.
RECOMMEND: Yes, there are other Kitsune locations across Paris, but it is this special location inside the walls of the Palais Royal in combination with the silent hum of the gardens that will really make your morning caffeine ritual truly unique.
Place Georges Pompidou, 75004 Paris, France. +33 1 44 78 12 33
Wed – Mon (2pm – 6pm). Closed Tuesday.
Art. That is free. Central. And will only ever be on display in Paris?
These are the works of Constantin Brancusi.
Brancusi was an artist and sculptor who moved to Paris in 1904 and created and collaborated here until he died. In 1956, Brancusi bequeathed his entire collection of completed works along with his studio, sketches, furniture, tools, library, record library, photographs, etc.) to the French state, on the condition that it reconstructed the studio just as it was at the artist’s death.
Come here to admire the large sculptures he created from wood, plaster, brass as well as tools and paintings. But what is truly magic about this stop is how everyone leaves here feeling centred and inspired. It being semi-underground just at the base of the Pompidou Modern Art Museum also makes it feel like a hidden secret and despite it’s free-and-accessible-ness, it sort of still is.
173 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris, France. +33 1 42 60 74 13
(mon – sat 11 am – 7 pm. sun 11 am – 6 pm)
What you need now, is to step off a busy street and into a dark but intrinsically beautiful, aesthetic haven where every piece feels like a creative discovery and where you can quite literally take a piece of Paris home with you.
Astier de Villatte is an iconic artisinal ceramic store whose cool-toned white hand-made ceramics are made from black terracotta clay from Paris with each piece finished in a milky white glaze.
Time is easily lost in this boutique where you will find yourself marvelling and trying to choose which piece you just can’t bare to live without. You will also find printed notebooks which use the old press technique, candles, fragrances, books and other homewares. Truly the best spot to pick up a uniquely Parisian momento, here you will find something for everyone from the art-lover to the entertainer, the pensive thinker or the minimalist.
There are multiple stores in Paris however the Rue Saint-Honore has my heart.
12 Av. George V, 75008 Paris, France. +33 1 47 23 32 32.
Book tickets here: lecrazyhorseparis.com.
What would a trip to Paris be without a little blatant sexual expressionism and nudity. And everyone needs one WILD night in Paris (note I did actually visit Crazy Horse with my family, so you prudes out there, no need to shy away. It is more art than vulgarity).
Le Crazy Horse Paris is a parisian CABARET known for its nudity performed in a location of former wine cellars in an Haussmanian building (12 cellars actually).
But even for the most prudish of friends, this show is artistic and entertaining and will be forever memorable as an evening out in Paris. Each performance will blow you away with just how talented these french femme performers really are.
RECOMMEND: visit the nearby LE BAR at the Four Seasons Hotel George V (31 Av. George V, 75008) for a pre-show NEGRONI to really get into the mood of old world glamour as you ponder how entertainment used to only ever be by live performance far before Netflix. (Oh and if only to visit the Hotel George V, as that in itself is an experience of awe and wonder).
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So yes whilst the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Tuileries and Arc de Triomphe will always be must sees in Paris, speckling your trip with these recommended places will leave you coming away from your trip feeling with a truer sense of the city and the treasures that lie behind every corner.
What are your must-see spots in Paris?
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