With Paris Fashion Week in full swing, the city is more glamorous than ever. The world’s top influencers, celebrities, models, magazine folk and executives have converged on the capital, and they’re sleeping in the best hotels, scoring hard-to-get restaurant reservations and checking out must-see museums. Want to travel like a fashionista? Here’s a look at editor-worthy addresses, from a historical palace-turned-five-star-hotel to two Michelin-starred restaurants and a pair of couture exhibits.
Imperial Allure
The Shangri-La Paris is a monument to romance and refinement. Not only is the hotel located in a magnificent 19th-century palace overlooking the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, but it earned a rare Palace distinction – the coveted rating even higher than five stars bestowed on just 12 properties in Paris. It’s also the swoon-worthy setting of Le Bal des Débutantes – where Apple Martin made her debut last year in custom Valentino – and more than 130 marriage proposals every year.
Built in 1896, the former residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte (Napoleon’s great-nephew) was acquired by the Shangri-La Group in 2006 and underwent a meticulous four-year renovation guided by architect Richard Martinet and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. Today, the landmarked mansion is an ode to old-world French grandeur and Asian elegance. Enormous Ming Dynasty-style vases flank the entrance to the marble-clad lobby, while the brass and forged steel “Stairway of Honour” leads to gilded Belle ?poque salons lit by crystal chandeliers.
Bonaparte’s stables, meanwhile, were converted into a glass-sided atrium housing a 56-foot swimming pool opening onto a leafy outdoor terrace. The adjacent wellness center, Chi, The Spa, offers a full menu of services, from the Signature Hydrafacial and hot stone massage to microneedling.
Also just an elevator ride away are a gourmet French-Asian meal under the enchanting glass dome at La Bauhinia; an inventive cocktail at swanky Le Bar Botaniste and a Michelin-starred dinner at Shang Palace.
Shangri-La’s guests revel in the luxurious rooms and suites bestowed with every amenity, from signature beds with patented body-contouring technology, heated bathroom floors and flat-screen TVs embedded in the bathroom mirrors to Guerlain toiletries. As for the prestigious location in the 16th arrondissement, it’s minutes on foot from major museums and sights.
This hotel is magical. To borrow a phrase from the fiancées: Yes, a thousand times yes!
Rooms from $1,940 at Shangri-La.com/paris.
Michelin Man
Feast on an elaborate banquet at the Shangri-La’s Shang Palace, France’s only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant. Hailing from Chengdu (Sichuan’s capital city), Executive chef Tony Xu worked for major international hospitality groups in mainland China for 20 years, and earned his first Michelin star in 2022. Last year, he relocated to Paris to helm Shang’s famed team of culinary masters from Hong Kong.
Inspired by his grandmother’s cooking, Xu makes sure that every dish tastes authentic. He has introduced innovations like sweet and sour foie gras and crispy pork belly to the menu while elevating the roasted Peking duck served two ways. The flavors are rich but surprisingly light, and the experience is exceptional.
The opulent space is accented with Chinese mahogany screens, sculpted jade panels and orchid-filled porcelain vases. You’ll want to dress up for this sumptuous dinner.
Happening Hideaway
Ch?teau Voltaire is low-key chic. A fashion and art world hub, it’s where Vogue editors, high-profile designers and painters meet, along with le tout-Paris and celebs like Kendall Jenner and Julia Fox. It might have insider style status, but this boutique hotel located halfway between the Opera Garner and the Louvre is warm, welcoming and ultra-comfortable.
Owned by Thierry Gillier, the globetrotting French entrepreneur and art aficionado who founded the hip contemporary brand Zadig & Voltaire, the five-star destination is housed in three adjoining 17th and 18th century buildings. The walls showcase pieces from his collection, including works by Cy Twombly and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Each of the 32 rooms and suites is different and iconoclastic. All are carpeted with 1940s-era, botanical-theme wall-to-wall and appointed with custom art, velvet sofas, bespoke wooden lighting and retro revival Roberts radios. The large, mirrored minibar holds a stainless steel Italian espresso machine for barista-level coffee, along with crystalware and a tempting selection of beverages and gourmandises.
Downstairs, a deluxe spa, mini-pool and sauna are reserved for deep relaxation.
With its cosy ambiance and thoughtful touches, Ch?teau Voltaire is like staying at a glamorous and hospitable friend’s house.
Rooms from $595 at ChateauVoltaire.com.
Bougie Brasserie
Leave plenty of room for dinner – not to mention continental breakfast and lunch – at Ch?teau Voltaire’s buzzy Brasserie L’?mile. Sit either at the marble bar and or on the solid oak banquettes and soak up the smart, lively and very Parisian atmosphere.
The “honest” menu features light takes on French classics, like Ni?oise salad, beef tartare or a carnivore’s delight: the Ch?teau steak with Kampot pepper sauce paired with, say, mashed potatoes and green beans. Splurge on the delectable chocolate mousse for one or two.
Then grab a nightcap at the seductive La Coquille d’Or bar (the Golden Shell), which serves chilled and warm cocktails, wine, aperitifs and small plates.
Sixties Sanctum
Everything happens by design at H?tel Norman. Its gorgeously layered, earth-toned, wood-clad interiors were inspired by 1960s modernism, graphic arts and the world of Norman Ives, the mid-century American designer and artist. French architect and designer Thomas Vidalenc oversaw the 37-key project, which is part of French magnate Olivier Bertrand’s portfolio.
Just steps from the Place de l’?toile and the Champs-Elysées, the 37-key haven has a stay-longer, clubby ambiance. And it’s a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, so it’s been visited and vetted by the consortium’s anonymous inspectors.
Accommodation ranges from a Cosy Room for two guests to the spectacular two-level, two-bedroom, two-balcony Sky Suite for four people. Some rooms can interconnect to make large suites, while others open onto terraces with Eiffel Tower views. All are fitted with marble bathrooms, polished rosewood and leather headboards and carefully curated art. Like the ground-floor bar with a fireplace and library, they’re swank and inviting.
After a busy day in the city, guests can take a dip in the plunge pool, meditate in the sauna, book a face or body service at the Spa by Omnisens or work out in the gym.
If this were a private club, there would be a waiting list.
Rooms from $445 at HotelNorman.com.
Tastes of Thailand
Thailand is one of the most in-demand travel destinations today, thanks to the new season of “White Lotus.” But you don’t have to go to Koh Samui to savor the complex flavors. Famed chef Apiradee Thirakomen, known as Thiou, crafts succulent Thai dishes made with the best French ingredients at her restaurant of the same name in H?tel Norman.
Born in Bangkok, Thirakomen came to Paris in the early ‘80s and ended up overseeing the kitchen at Les Bains Douches, the iconic nightclub, before opening several namesake eateries in the capital. Now she’s back with a new eponymous hotspot serving specialities like langoustine spring rolls, crispy soft shell crab and Crying Tiger.
When weather permits, guests can dine outdoors in the courtyard. And when it doesn’t, dining in the flower-filled room is part of the pleasure.
Star Turn
In a plot straight out of “Emily in Paris,” young, talented and handsome French chef Thomas Danigo has already experienced crushing disappointment and gastronomic bliss. In March 2020, he unveiled his first restaurant, Galanga, in Monsieur George H?tel, then shuttered it two weeks later due to the pandemic. After reopening in 2021, the establishment earned its first Michelin star three years later.
His ensemble cast is equally gifted. The glittering emerald green, black onyx and mirrored room, designed by hotelier, decorator and former Bond girl Anouska Hempel, is as bijou as a jewelry box. Service is attentive.
The five- and seven-course tasting menus are the main story. They are, quite simply, superb. There are many standouts, but the steamed scallops with shiitake, black truffle and sorrel butter deserve special mention, as does the salted butter caramel candied apple with buckwheat and Madagascar vanilla ice cream.
You couldn’t script a more delicious ending to a flawless meal.
Royal Treatment
Guests linger in Le Bar Long. After all, the lobby-level resto in Le Royal Monceau-Raffles Paris is a great place to hang out, order an amazing meal and people watch (you might see Pharrell, who hosts Fashion Week parties in the hotel). The Philippe Starck-designed space is cheerful, the seating is comfy, and the menu options so tempting you’ll need to ask the server for recommendations. To save you time, here are a few: The lobster roll served on brioche bread and dressed in mayo and lime butter is world class (it’s created in partnership with Homer Lobster). So are the smoked salmon with blinis and dill cream and the sea bream carpaccio with lemon olive oil, stracciatella and fresh raspberries. Mouthwatering desserts from award-winning pastry chef Yazid Ichemrahen hit the sweet spot.
And when you’re in the mood for a cocktail, order one at the long table in front of the backlit bar. Just don’t be surprised if Lady Gaga or Lionel Messi takes a seat.
Dazzling Dolce
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana
If you’ve ever doubted that fashion is art, a stunningly creative exhibit at the Grand Palais will change that view. “From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce & Gabbana” features hundreds of exquisite, handmade Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria and Alta Gioielleria creations, the house’s couture clothing, accessories and fine jewelry collections. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s reverence for their country’s craftsmanship and culture, from its mosaics and opera to film, is showcased in a dozen tableaux and a replica of the company’s atelier.
The glasswork gallery is one flight of fancy: Venetian glass chandeliers and mirrors from Barovier & Toso, the legacy lighting company founded in 1295, reflect the crystal-encrusted garments. It’s the Milanese version of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors. In the White Baroque room, the work of 17th-century sculptor Giacomo Serpotta inspired the bas-relief cherubs and flowers adorning a corseted gown.
In Dolce & Gabbana’s visionary world, beadwork, embroidery and appliqué are as evocative as paint on canvas.
Saint Laurent Finesse
A new exhibit at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, established in the designer’s legendary couture house at 5 avenue Marceau, is petal perfect. Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé, kept their homes and salons filled with bouquets and their gardens tended. “The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent,” open through May 4, highlights the theme across his work. Each section of the show displays quotes from Proust alongside the designer’s floral finery, accessories and drawings. Fashion fans will admire the applied embroidery on a spring dress of 1962 and silk gazar bridal blooms worn on the runway by Laetitia Casta in 1999. Most moving is the studio, where Saint Laurent sat and sketched his confections at a small trestle table, surrounded by his favorite books and magazines.
Pearl Passion
There’s French culture, and then there are cultured pearls. Fans of both will want to see “Paris, City of Pearls,” a lustrous exhibit at L’?cole, School of Jewelry Arts (near the Galeries Lafayette and the Printemps department stores). The show, open through June 1, traces the fascination with pearls of all types, from the late nineteenth century to the present day. On display are 100 shimmering pieces from the most distinguished lenders, including Van Cleef & Arpels (which supports the school), Cartier, Fred, the Albion Art private collection and Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris. The masterworks, like Van Cleef’s 1956 Gladiator brooch with baroque pearl, emeralds, rubies and turquoise, are enduringly elegant. As one visitor remarked while gazing at a 19th century diamond-and-pearl necklace, “I could wear that with a little black dress.”
