1st Arrondissement

Louis Vuitton feels too modern? Maison Goyard has been crafting luxury luggage at #233 with care since Napoleon I was a neighbor. Continue along Rue St. Honoré and veer right onto Rue Jean‐Jacques Rousseau. Channel Catherine Deneuve’s Belle du Jour in a sanctuary of frilly, girly, brazen lingerie at Fifi Cachnil.

Also on Rue St. Honoré is Astier de la Villatte. This is not mom’s crockery. Hand‐glazed teacups and paper‐thin champagne glasses make the shop a must see, if only to walk away with a handsome gilt notebook. Hop across the street to Café Verlet for a quick custom‐ordered espresso.

Take a right onto Rue Richelieu towards the Louvre and stop. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs is among the most intriguing and playful museums that the city offers. Preconceived ideas about chairs as art, begone! Exhibits on fashion, toys, interior décor, and furniture are presented with a distinct touch of whimsy. Plus, the outdoor café offers a stunning view of the adjoining Tuileries gardens. Next door the Café Marly is prime for catching some rays in the shade of the Louvre pyramid. Just across the Rue Richelieu are the enchanting Palais Royal gardens and arcades. Don’t stop there! Push further into the recesses of rococo passageways, acclaimed restaurants, and hidden cafes to uncover the 1st arrondissement from Louis XIV to today.

Wander onto Rue de l’Arbre Sec; a culinary treasure trove virtually unknown to the umbrella‐waving tourist set. As her name suggests, Chez La Vielle Adrienne offers classic bistro cuisine in a rustic‐romantic 16th century edifice – with a seriously reasonable menu. The only thing missing is a fireplace to complete the city‐country illusion. Toddle down the street to wine bar Le Garde Robe for a nightcap of natural and biodynamic wine, and then east on rue St. Honoré to gaze at St. Eustache Church in its nighttime glow. Venture further into the 1st to Les Fines Gueules for super premium oysters, meat, fish, and natural wines from some of the country’s best purveyors prepared with a light hand.

CULTURE

Galerie Véro-Dodat
2 Rue du Bouloi / 19 Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau

The Véro‐Dodat passage lies on the grounds of the mansion of a nobleman, Antoine de Dreux d’Aubay, tragically poisoned with his two sons by his own daughter – the notorious Marquise de Brinvilliers. Heads up! The passageway’s ceiling features bucolic paintings dating from 1837. The galerie itself is part of a network of former «sidewalks» for the literally well‐heeled in the post revolution Restoration period. Now a well‐kept relic, Parisians once lined up to stroll Véro‐Dodat’s corridors.

Tuileries Gardens
Metro: Tuileries (1)

Main problem of the Tuileries Gardens: it’s big. Avoid the tourist trap cafés, and instead sail a toy‐boat in the pond and wander through the Maillol sculpture garden and Exèdre Nord fountains. The Tuileries gardens stand where the Tuileries palace used to ‐ until it was burned down in protest of the Paris Commune. Funny but true, the gardens created in place of the former royal stomping grounds were designed by André le Notre; architect of the famous Versailles gardens. A word to the wise; picnic on the benches, not the grass. You may abruptly chased away by a groundskeeper.

Musée des Arts Décoratifs
107 Rue de Rivoli
Ph. 01 44 55 57 50
Hours T‐Sun 11am‐6pm, TH 11am‐9pm
Metro: Palais Royal / Musée du Louvre (1)

Preconceived ideas about chairs as art be gone! The Musée des Arts Decoratifs is among the most intriguing and playful museums that the city offers. Exhibits on fashion, toys, interior décor, and furniture are presented with a distinct touch of whimsy. Plus, it has a stunning view of the adjoining Louvre and Tuileries gardens.

Comédie Française
Place Colette
Ph. 08 25 10 16 80
Hours based on performance times.
Metro: Palais Royal / Musée du Louvre (1)

Known as la maison de Molière, the unlikely theater savant and hero of French farce, the Comédie Française has toed the line of theatrical tradition and audacity since 1680.

Palais Royal
Hours 7/7 – changes seasonally but minimum 7:00am‐8:30pm
Metro: Palais Royal / Musée du Louvre (1)

The writer Colette haunted the arcades of the Palais Royal with her cadre of cats, keeping watch over her beloved city. The recently re‐opened gardens are a sanctuary from the bustling Louvre. Surrounded by secluded cafes, the plaza revives a bit of the romance of a bygone age.

Jeu de Paume
1 Place de la Concorde
Ph. 01 47 03 12 50
Hours T 11am‐9pm, W‐Sun 11am‐7pm
Metro: Concorde (1)

A contemporary art museum in tennis courts of old. Catch unusual and expertly curated special exhibits at the foot of the Tuileries gardens.

Musée du Louvre
Ph. 01 40 20 15 17
Hours M, TH, S, Sun 9am‐6pm; W, F 9am‐9.45pm
Metro: Musée du Louvre (1)

The biggest, baddest fine art museum in the world. Some say it would take three months to view each piece of art on display. Brave the crowds for the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa, and a glimpse of The Da Vinci Code’s inspiration.

Musée de l’Orangerie
Jardin des Tuileries
Ph. 01 44 77 80 07
Hours 9am‐6pm every day, closed Tuesday
Metro: Concorde (1)

Opposite the Jeu de Paume is the Musée de l’Orangerie: a digestible dose of Impressionist art, notably Monet’s large‐scale masterpiece Les Nymphéas.

RESTAURANTS & CAFÉS

Café Angelina
226 Rue de Rivoli
Ph. 01 42 60 82 00
Hours weekdays 7.30am‐7pm; weekends 8.30am-7pm
Metro: Tuileries (1)

Café Angelina’s hot chocolate has reached a level of fame at which most would sacrifice quality. Not here. The chocolat africain is best enjoyed at a snail’s pace to fully appreciate the scene of tourists and grandes dames indulging in a midday dessert.

Café Marly
93 Rue de Rivoli
Ph. 01 49 26 06 60
Hours 7/7 8am‐12am
Metro: Palais Royal / Musée du Louvre (1)

The café terrace experience arguably defines Paris in many ways. Café Marly is one of, if not the best in town to enjoy an overpriced coffee or drink on a warm day.

Les Fines Gueules
43 Rue Croix des Petits Champs
Ph. 01 42 61 35 41
Hours 7/7 6pm‐11pm
Metro: Bourse (3)

Super premium oysters, meat, fish, and natural wines from some of the country’s best purveyors prepared with a light hand, in a bright and unexpectedly friendly setting, equals a tasty surprise.

Le Garde Robe
41 Rue de l’Arbre Sec
Ph. 01 49 26 90 60
Hours M‐F 11am‐3pm, 6pm‐12am, Sat 2:30‐12am
Metro: Louvre Rivoli (1)

Unfiltered, natural wines. Open late for a glass and post‐dinner cheese plate.

L’Ecume St.Honoré
6 Rue du Marché St.‐Honoré
Ph. 01 42 61 93 87
Hours T‐Th 11am‐7pm, F‐Sat 11am‐10pm
Metro: Tuileries (1)

Melt in your mouth seafood in an authentic and unpretentious poissoniére milieu.

Café Verlet
256 Rue St. Honoré
Ph. 01 42 60 67 39
Hours M-Sat 9.30am-6.30pm
Metro: Palais Royal / Musée du Louvre (1)

Smiles can be few and far between in Paris, but are on everyone’s face at Café Verlet. The jovial proprietor measures out exceptional Arabica coffee, with espressos made to order. The café stocks a supply of Gerard Vives spices, and coffee and rare teas are available for tasting on site and for takeaway.

Chez la Vieille Adrienne
1 Rue Bailleul
Ph. 01 42 60 15 78
Hours M‐F 12‐3pm, 7:30‐11pm
Metro: Louvre (1)

Classic French bistro cuisine in a rustic‐romantic 16th century building with a seriously reasonable menu. The only thing missing is a fireplace to complete the city‐country illusion. Toddle down the street to wine bar Le Garde Robe for a nightcap, and then east on rue St. Honoré to gaze at St. Eustache Church in its nighttime glow.

SHOPPING

Home of the Paris style vanguard. It is not enough to call Colette a store – it is an international mecca for the fashion industry. Boys, girls, urban, rock‐chic, and the jet set. All are welcome to be fabulous.

Astier de Villate
173 Rue St Honoré
Ph. 01 42 60 74 13
Hours M‐Sat 11am‐7:30pm
Metro: Tuileries (1)

Not your mother’s crockery. Hand‐glazed teacups and paper‐thin champagne glasses make the shop a must‐see, if only to walk away with a handsome gilt notebook.

Maison Goyard
233 Rue St Honoré
Ph. 01 42 60 57 04
Metro: Tuileries (1)

Goyard has been crafting luxury luggage with care since Napoleon I lived across the street.

Chanel
31 Rue Cambon
Ph. 01 44 60 66 00
Hours M-Sat 10am-7pm
Metro: Madeleine (8)

Worship at the temple of bouclé, pearls, and the birthplace of chic.

Jean-Paul Hévin
231 Rue Saint‐Honoré
Ph. 01 55 35 35 96
Hours M‐Sat 10am‐7.30pm
Metro: Tuileries (1)

Master chocolatier and winner of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France’s top craftsman) in 1986. Hevin‐ly confections await at the front of the queue.

Fifi Chachnil
231 Rue Saint‐Honoré
Ph. 01 42 61 21 83
Hours M‐Sat 11am‐7pm
Metro: Tuileries (1)

Channel Catherine Deneuve’s Belle du Jour in a sanctuary of frilly, girly, brazen lingerie.

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